Aerial Investigations · Empire Investigation · Pittsburgh, PA
Drone Surveillance
FAA Part 107 licensed aerial surveillance for investigations, property documentation, infidelity, and corporate matters across Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.
Drone surveillance gives investigators a vantage point that was simply not possible a decade ago. A property surrounded by trees, a rural compound, a fenced industrial site, or a destination spotted from a distance can now be documented from the air — legally, safely, and with high-resolution stills and 4K video that hold up in court. Empire Investigation LLC operates a fleet of professional-grade unmanned aerial systems flown by FAA Part 107 licensed remote pilots, integrated with our investigative practice that has served Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania since 1982.
Aerial surveillance is appropriate when ground-level access is restricted, when the target property has features that can only be assessed from above (out-buildings, vehicles, equipment, occupied structures), or when discretion requires the investigator to remain at a distance. Common applications include infidelity cases where a subject visits a property the client owns or did not previously know existed, custody investigations where conditions at a residence need to be documented, insurance and workers' compensation matters where claimant activity must be verified, corporate matters such as competitive intelligence on a competitor's facility, and property and asset documentation for litigation or estate matters.
All of our drone work is operated under FAA Part 107 commercial certification with appropriate airspace authorizations, insurance coverage, and adherence to Pennsylvania privacy law. We do not fly over private residential property in a manner that would constitute trespass or violate reasonable expectation of privacy. We do fly within applicable law to document publicly visible activity, property features, and locations of investigative interest. Every engagement is briefed in advance — what is legal, what is operationally possible, and what evidentiary product the client should expect.
FAA Part 107 Certification and Legal Framework
Commercial drone operations in the United States require FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certification, and certain airspace requires advance authorization from the FAA via LAANC or specific waivers. Empire Investigation pilots hold current Part 107 certificates, maintain LAANC airspace authorizations for the Pittsburgh metro area, and carry commercial drone-operations insurance. Flying without these credentials is a federal violation and produces evidence that may not be admissible — and a liability your case cannot afford.
What Aerial Surveillance Can Document
From legal flight altitudes, modern drone optics produce evidence-quality stills and video of property features, vehicles, occupied structures, outbuildings, gatherings, vehicle movements, and activity in open areas. We can document the layout of a rural property, confirm whether a specific vehicle is on site, capture comings and goings from a residence at a distance, and produce orthorectified aerial imagery for boundary, easement, or condition disputes.
Aerial Surveillance for Infidelity and Custody Cases
In domestic matters, drone surveillance is often the difference between a case that stalls and a case that produces decisive evidence. A spouse visits a rural cabin, lake house, or property the other spouse did not know about — ground surveillance is impossible without exposing the investigator. From the air, at legal altitude and outside the property's privacy expectation, the visit is documented cleanly. In custody matters, the condition of a parent's residence — outdoor environment, vehicles, occupants — can be documented as a snapshot for court.
Corporate and Insurance Applications
For corporate clients, drone surveillance supports competitive intelligence on facilities, asset documentation for insurance and litigation, and verification of subcontractor or vendor activity. For insurance carriers, aerial work documents claimant activity inconsistent with stated injuries, property conditions for disputed claims, and storm or accident scenes from a non-disturbing vantage point.
Reports, Imagery, and Evidence Handling
Every drone engagement produces a written report with time-stamped imagery and flight logs, GPS-tagged coordinates, and chain-of-custody documentation for the raw media. Imagery is delivered in formats suitable for legal exhibits and expert presentation. Our investigators have testified in PA state and federal court on surveillance-derived evidence.
What We Look For
- Documenting properties, vehicles, and activity at restricted or distant locations
- Infidelity surveillance of rural properties, lake houses, and isolated residences
- Custody investigation residence and environment documentation
- Insurance and workers' compensation claimant activity verification
- Corporate competitive intelligence on facilities and operations
- Property, asset, and condition documentation for litigation
- Time-stamped, GPS-tagged 4K video and high-resolution stills
Frequently Asked Questions
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