Can I order drone documentation for a property in Baldwin County after Hurricane Isaias?

Yes. Order online at lossmap.io/order or call (214) 493-1515, for property in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Foley, Fairhope, Daphne, Spanish Fort, and unincorporated Baldwin County. Every job is reviewed and quoted, and that review confirms whether and when a pilot can fly the property. Nothing is charged when you order.

Can a drone fly near Gulf Shores International Airport (Jack Edwards Field) after the storm?

Gulf Shores International Airport (Jack Edwards Field) is Class D airspace from the surface to 2,000 feet MSL within 4.3 miles of the airport, when in effect by NOTAM, as the FAA lists it. For every address, the pilot checks the airspace and gets FAA authorization where it is required. If the FAA does not allow a flight, it does not happen. The job review confirms whether and when a flight can happen at your address.

Do I need a permit to repair or replace a roof in Baldwin County?

Unincorporated Baldwin County: Repairing or replacing roof covering and underlayment on an existing building requires a Re-Roofing Permit from the Baldwin County Building Department, with a final inspection by photos or in person. The county does not verify FORTIFIED roofs; that takes a third-party evaluator. If it is safe, have the roof documented before the tarp goes on, then document the tarp once it is on.

How does storm debris pickup work in Baldwin County?

Unincorporated Baldwin County: The Solid Waste Authority's disaster recovery page says to stop putting debris at the curb once a watch or warning is issued. After the storm, make three separate piles (white goods and bulky items, vegetative, and construction and demolition), place them neatly at the curb, and keep them off roads, sidewalks, and drainage and away from mailboxes, power lines, utility equipment, hydrants, and water meters. Check the official page for current details. Before anything goes to the curb, a drone flight can record where trees and debris came to rest.

Are there local drone rules in Baldwin County?

City of Gulf Shores: Inside the city limits and police jurisdiction, no one may take off, land, or fly a drone over, at, or within 500 feet of city-owned property, public rights-of-way, public schools, an outdoor special event, or the Gulf beach area unless the FAA has allowed it and the city has issued a permit. The city issues permits to FAA-certificated remote pilots who meet its insurance and indemnity terms. Pilots check local rules for takeoff and landing sites as well as FAA rules. The job review confirms whether and when a flight can happen.

Baldwin County Drone Documentation After Isaias

Storm facts, as of October 9, 2026, 4:55 PM CDT

The National Hurricane Center's 4 PM CDT advisory on October 9 placed Isaias about 90 miles south of Pensacola with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, moving north at 17 mph, and forecast landfall on the western Florida Panhandle coast that evening, then a track across Alabama into the Tennessee Valley. National Hurricane Center, Public Advisory 13.
That advisory carried a hurricane warning from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay and Gulf county line in Florida, and tropical storm warnings to the west into Louisiana and to the east to the Aucilla River. National Hurricane Center, Public Advisory 13.
Alabama: Governor Ivey declared a state of emergency for 40 counties on October 7, with a mandatory evacuation of non-residents and visitors in Baldwin County south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and on Dauphin Island. Office of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.

For current warnings and orders in Baldwin County, follow the National Hurricane Center and Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency.

Safety first

Do not go back, fly a drone, or climb a roof in Baldwin County until local officials say it is safe. Stay off the roof: a drone flight is how the roof gets documented without anyone on it. Do what keeps people safe and prevents more damage, even if that means the tarp goes on before anyone flies.

Airspace around Baldwin County

The FAA decides who may fly where. Here is what FAA airspace data and orders show in and around Baldwin County, checked October 9, 2026:

Gulf Shores International Airport (Jack Edwards Field) (Class D airspace from the surface to 2,000 feet MSL within 4.3 miles of the airport, when in effect by NOTAM). Controlled airspace from the ground up over parts of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, so a Part 107 pilot needs FAA airspace authorization before a flight. Close to the runway the FAA facility map shows no automatic approval. Both cities also have their own drone ordinances, below. faa.gov
Restricted area R-2908 (a restricted area over the Gulf, from the shoreline out 3 nautical miles between Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan, used by the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron at set times and by NOTAM). It is over the water, not over land. When it is active, a drone at a Gulf-front property in west Gulf Shores or on the Fort Morgan peninsula may not go out over the Gulf inside it. The pilot checks NOTAMs. faa.gov
Navy outlying fields Barin, Wolf, Summerdale, and Silverhill (national security drone flight restrictions from the surface to 400 feet over each field). Drones may not fly over these fields near Foley, north of Orange Beach, near Summerdale, and near Silverhill. For a property nearby, the pilot checks the boundary on the FAA map, and the job review confirms whether and when a flight can happen. FAA data

For every address in Baldwin County, the pilot checks the airspace and gets FAA authorization where it is required. The job review confirms whether and when a flight can happen. See the FAA rules for drone roof inspections.

FAA flight restrictions after the storm

The FAA issues temporary flight restrictions for natural disasters such as hurricanes. They are published as NOTAMs and keep aircraft, including drones, from flying in an area without permission for a limited time. Active restrictions over Alabama are on the FAA’s TFR list. To fly in one, a pilot coordinates with the controlling agency named in it, and approval is the FAA’s decision. A restricted area can add time to a shoot, and some flights wait until a restriction lifts.

Local drone rules

City of Gulf Shores. Inside the city limits and police jurisdiction, no one may take off, land, or fly a drone over, at, or within 500 feet of city-owned property, public rights-of-way, public schools, an outdoor special event, or the Gulf beach area unless the FAA has allowed it and the city has issued a permit. The city issues permits to FAA-certificated remote pilots who meet its insurance and indemnity terms. In its words: “It shall be unlawful for any person to take off, land, operate, or to assist in the operation of any UAS over, at, or within five hundred (500) feet of any venue, outdoor special event, or Gulf Beach area unless such operation has been expressly permitted by the FAA and approved by the city by permit” library.municode.com
City of Orange Beach. Inside the city limits and police jurisdiction, no one may take off, land, or fly a drone outdoors at or within 500 feet of city-owned property, rights-of-way, public schools, an outdoor special event, or the Gulf beach area, including the Islands of Perdido, unless the FAA and the city administrator permit it. The city administrator issues permits to FAA-certificated remote pilots who meet its insurance and indemnity terms. In its words: “It shall be unlawful for any person to take off, land, operate, or to assist in the operation of any UAS out of doors at or within 500 feet of any venue, outdoor special event, or gulf beach area unless such operation has been expressly permitted by the FAA and the city administrator” library.municode.com
City of Daphne. Drones may not be launched, flown, or landed in any Daphne city park without the city's prior written consent, with exceptions for unoccupied fields at Al Trione Sports Complex and other fields the City Council approves. Drones in parks must stay 100 feet from people, power lines, buildings, and light fixtures. library.municode.com

We did not find a local drone takeoff or landing rule on the official pages of the City of Fairhope, the City of Foley, the City of Spanish Fort, and unincorporated Baldwin County. Check with the city or county before launching from a park or beach. Pilots check local rules for takeoff and landing sites as well as FAA rules.

Roof permits and tarping

If it is safe, document the roof before the tarp goes on, then document the tarp once it is on. Before repairs, check what the building department requires.

Unincorporated Baldwin County. Repairing or replacing roof covering and underlayment on an existing building requires a Re-Roofing Permit from the Baldwin County Building Department, with a final inspection by photos or in person. The county does not verify FORTIFIED roofs; that takes a third-party evaluator. baldwincountyal.gov
City of Gulf Shores. Roofing falls under the city's miscellaneous permit. Its residential re-roof requirements say the old roof comes off and the deck is sealed, with materials rated for the city's high-wind design. gulfshoresal.gov
City of Orange Beach. The city's permit schedule lists roofing permits for re-roofs of one- and two-family homes over one square and for full re-roofs. A residential re-roof can be passed on a notarized inspection affidavit filed against the roofing permit instead of a physical inspection. orangebeachal.gov
City of Foley. Foley lists reroofing as a permit type, and its hurricane page says the roofer must take old roofing to the landfill, not leave it at the roadside. cityoffoley.org
City of Fairhope. Fairhope says a building permit is generally needed for any work above a small value set by the city, and Roof is a residential permit type on its online portal. fairhopeal.gov
City of Spanish Fort. Spanish Fort has a separate Roofing Permit application, and each phase of the work must be inspected. cityofspanishfort.com
City of Daphne. Daphne's fee ordinance lists re-roofings under commercial permits and residential repairs under miscellaneous residential permits. We did not find a page that says plainly whether a residential re-roof needs a permit, so call Building Inspection. daphneal.com

Storm debris pickup

Once debris goes to the curb or is hauled off, the record of where it landed is gone. If it is safe to leave it, fly first, then move it.

Unincorporated Baldwin County. The Solid Waste Authority's disaster recovery page says to stop putting debris at the curb once a watch or warning is issued. After the storm, make three separate piles (white goods and bulky items, vegetative, and construction and demolition), place them neatly at the curb, and keep them off roads, sidewalks, and drainage and away from mailboxes, power lines, utility equipment, hydrants, and water meters. baldwincountyswda.org
City of Orange Beach. Separate piles for construction debris and furniture, vegetation, household hazardous waste, and white goods and electronics, at the curb at least 5 feet from all objects, away from poles, hydrants, mailboxes, and storm drains, without blocking the right-of-way. orangebeachal.gov
City of Foley. Earlier guidance: the city's hurricane page, from Hurricane Sally in 2020, asks for separate piles of vegetative, construction and demolition, white goods, and hazardous debris at the property edge along the street, and says mixed piles are not picked up. cityoffoley.org
City of Fairhope. Earlier guidance: the city's disaster debris tips, from 2020, ask residents to put storm debris on the public right-of-way, separate burnable from non-burnable, skip plastic bags, and keep piles away from hydrants, utility valves, and storm drain inlets. fairhopeal.gov
City of Daphne. Earlier guidance: the city's debris updates page, from Hurricane Sally in 2020, asks residents to separate vegetative debris, construction debris, and bagged items at the curb. daphneal.com
City of Gulf Shores. This is the general residential trash page; we did not find a storm debris page. As earlier guidance, after Hurricane Sally in 2020 the city sent storm debris questions to Public Works. gulfshoresal.gov
City of Spanish Fort. Earlier guidance only: the city's storm debris page is from Hurricane Sally in 2020, and its curbside deadline has passed. cityofspanishfort.com

What gets documented

The roof. Missing and creased shingles and lifted membrane, from straight overhead.
The exterior and site. Every side of the structure, plus fences, outbuildings, and detached structures.
Wind versus water. Water lines, high-water marks, flood extent, and where debris came to rest.
Trees and impact. A tree on a structure before removal, and downed trees across the yard, fences, and vehicles.
Emergency work. Tarps and board-up, documented once they are on.

The gallery comes as a permalink you can send to your adjuster and to every contractor you ask for a bid. Adjusters with many addresses in Baldwin County can order CAT or volume dispatch.

Order a shoot →

How ordering works

Tell us what happened, the address, and a preferred date, online or at (214) 493-1515.
We review the job and send a quote. That review confirms whether and when a pilot can fly the property. Nothing is charged when you order.
An FAA Part 107 pilot flies the shot list when it is safe and allowed. Flights need safe weather, generally winds under 20 mph and no precipitation.
You get the gallery by link. The delivery timeline comes with the quote.

Housing and trailers in Baldwin County

lossmap documents the property. If the home is not livable, our parent company covers temporary housing on your lot in Baldwin County, including the local rules for an RV on residential property. Crews and families who need a travel trailer can see trailers for crews and families in Baldwin County.

Nearby areas

Drone documentation in Mobile · Drone documentation in Pensacola · All Hurricane Isaias areas

What lossmap is not

lossmap provides aerial imagery and visual documentation. It is not a licensed roof inspection, an engineering report, or an insurance determination. Whether a carrier accepts the imagery is the carrier’s decision: see do insurers accept drone roof photos.

Sources

Official pages. Storm facts checked October 9, 2026, 4:55 PM CDT; local facts checked October 9, 2026.

Drone Damage Documentation in Baldwin County After Hurricane Isaias