BUYER'S KIT · UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026
Drone services buyer's kit: commissioning drone work in France
For €69 VAT included (€57.50 excl. VAT): a kit to commission drone work in France safely.
What you get
- The buyer's guide: 10 chapters online, printable to PDF
- 8 ready-to-copy templates: facade · construction monitoring · topographic · roof · three-quote comparison grid · document request letter to the provider · deliverables acceptance report · image rights assignment clause · and 4 more
- 4 regulation guides included: Complete 2026 guide · Construction & inspection edition · Surveying & mapping edition · Real estate edition (€55 separately)
- For: Property managers and landlords having facades and roofs inspected
- Delivery: instant online access right after payment (all guides on one page); Stripe invoice by email
- Preview: the whole first chapter, free, further down this page
VAT included (€57.50 excl. VAT) · secure Stripe payment · instant access: by paying you request immediate access to the digital content and acknowledge you lose your right to cancel.
What the kit contains
- The buyer's guide : 10 chapters, about 4800 words, sold only in this kit (contents below).
- The complete guide to French drone regulations 2026 (€10)
- Drones in construction: structure, roof, facade and site inspection (€15)
- Drones for surveying and mapping: surveys, ZICAD and data rules (€15)
- Drones in real estate: compliant property photo and video (€15)
The 4 included guides, sold separately: €55 incl. VAT. All access links are on your access page right after payment.
Who it is for
- Site managers, project managers and contractors commissioning a drone inspection or construction monitoring in France
- Property managers and landlords having facades and roofs inspected
- Local authority technical departments buying aerial imagery, surveys or structure inspections
- Engineering firms and surveyors subcontracting aerial data capture and needing to set the expected accuracy
What this guide does not do: The kit provides no provider and no market prices: it helps you write the request and compare real quotes · The templates are not personalised legal advice; have important contracts reviewed by your legal department · It does not replace the official texts or the advice of the DGAC, the prefecture or your health and safety coordinator
Contents of the complete guide
- Commissioning drone work in France in 2026: the essentials in ten minutes (free extract below)
- Documents to require from the provider, and how to check them
- What remains your responsibility on site
- Deliverables: what to require, in which formats, with what accuracy
- Comparing three quotes without getting it wrong
- Model specifications
- The client's back-planning
- Images, data and confidentiality: what the contract must settle
- Templates to copy: document request, grid, acceptance, rights clause
- Official sources and update dates
Included: 16 checklist items and 6 decision or reference tables.
Introduction
This kit is for people who buy drone work without flying: site managers, property managers, local authority technical departments, engineering firms. Regulation guides are written for those who fly; this one starts from the other side of the contract. It answers the questions a client asks before signing: what to ask for, what to check, which deliverables to require, how to compare three quotes that do not describe the same thing, who does what on site, and how to accept the work.
Read it once in about an hour; then use it as a toolkit. The model specifications, comparison grid, document request letter and acceptance report can be copied into your word processor or spreadsheet, replacing the fields in [brackets]. The kit also includes four C-DRONE guides, available from your access page: the complete 2026 French drone regulation guide, the construction and inspection edition, the surveying and mapping edition and the real estate edition. They detail what the provider must do on their side; this guide tells you what to ask for and check.
The guide is up to date as of 12 October 2026. It relies on Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, the French order of 3 December 2020 as amended by the order of 23 December 2025, the French transport code, labour code, intellectual property code and the DSAC guide to the specific category. The last chapter lists each source with its date.
Commissioning drone work in France in 2026: the essentials in ten minutes
Three roles, one party responsible for the flight
Drone work involves three parties. The UAS operator is the registered company or person answerable for each flight to the authority: your provider. The remote pilot flies the drone; they may be the operator's employee or a freelance subcontractor. You are the client: you do not fly and are not the operator, but you open the site, define the need and receive the data. The French transport code makes the operator liable as of right for damage caused to people and property on the ground (article L6131-2), which is one more reason to check that the operator exists, is insured and works under a framework that covers your mission.
What changed, and is still written everywhere
Since 1 January 2026, the former French national scenarios S1, S2 and S3 can no longer be used. A provider who says "I fly under S3" is quoting a framework that no longer exists. In 2026 professional work is done either in the open category (A1, A2, A3, with class C0 to C4 drones), or in the specific category under a declared European standard scenario (STS-01 or STS-02), or with an authorisation from the DGAC (PDRA or SORA). The order of 23 December 2025 also allows certain professional open-category flights over public space in built-up areas, without overflying people, by day, after notifying the prefecture.
Your need, the likely framework, the lead time
| Your need | Most common framework for the provider | Provider's steps before flying | Minimum lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof or facade inspection outside built-up areas | Open category A2 or A3 if distances to third parties can be kept, otherwise STS-01 | Site analysis, restriction map | A few days, depending on the area |
| Facade inspection in town, over the street | Open category (order of 23 December 2025) or STS-01 with a controlled ground area | Prefecture notification; use of the public highway if the street must be closed | At least 10 working days for the prefecture, often more for road closures |
| Regular construction monitoring | A3 or STS-01 depending on how close third parties are | Site diagnosis once, then a check at each visit | First flight: allow 2 to 3 weeks |
| Topographic survey or orthophoto | A3 or STS-01; STS-02 for a long linear site beyond line of sight | Ground control points, possibly airspace manager agreement | Depends on the area; several weeks near an aerodrome |
| Night flight, or above the scenario height | Prefectoral exemption | Application at least 30 days ahead | 30 days minimum |
| Site in a no-imaging zone (ZICAD) | Imaging authorisation | Application to the designated authority | Several weeks |
These lead times are for paperwork, not the provider's availability: add their schedule and the weather. A quote promising a flight "within 48 hours" over a city street should make you ask how the prefecture notification will be filed in time.
Five questions for the first call
- What is your operator number, and under which framework will you fly my mission (open category, STS-01, STS-02, authorisation)?
- Who will fly, with which certificates?
- Which insurance covers the work, and can you send the certificate?
- Which steps do you take before the flight, and what lead time do they impose?
- What exactly do you deliver: formats, resolution or accuracy, deadline, and who owns the images?
A serious provider answers these five questions without hesitation and in writing. The following chapters tell you what to do with the answers.
How it works
- You pay on StripeBy card, in one go, on the checkout page hosted by Stripe: your card details never go through our servers.
- You read it right awayRight after payment, you land on the complete guide's page. Bookmark it or print it to PDF; the invoice is emailed to you.
- A problem? We fix itCannot access it, or the content does not match its description: email devis@c-drone.fr and we restore access or refund you (terms of sale, in French).
Frequently asked questions
What does Drone services buyer's kit: commissioning drone work in France contain and how much is it?
For €69 VAT included (€57.50 excl. VAT), you get drone services buyer's kit: commissioning drone work in France: 10 chapters online and 8 ready-to-copy templates, to commission drone work in France (facade or roof inspection, thermography, construction monitoring, topographic survey) safely: model specifications, documents to require from the provider and how to check them, deliverables and accuracy to write into the contract, a three-quote comparison grid, a back-planning and an acceptance report; the kit also includes the complete 2026 regulation guide and the construction and inspection, surveying and real estate editions.
How do I receive the guide?
Right after payment you are redirected to the complete guide's page. Bookmark it, or print it to PDF (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, “Save as PDF”). Stripe also emails you the receipt.
Do I get an invoice?
Yes: Stripe generates the invoice and emails it. You can enter your company name and VAT number at checkout. Seller: Lacangel Group (VAT FR21995268018); prices VAT included.
Is the guide kept up to date?
Yes. The guide's page is updated when the rules change; your access stays valid and you always read the latest version.
Does this guide replace the official texts or a training course?
No. C-DRONE is neither the French civil aviation authority (DGAC) nor a training organisation: the guide explains and organises the paperwork, with links to the official sources, which alone are authoritative.
Other guides
Complete 2026 guide
The complete guide to French drone regulations 2026
Know which framework applies to each mission in France, which steps to take and when, including if you are a foreign operator or client
€10 14 chapters · instant access
Île-de-France edition
Flying drones in Île-de-France: zones, paperwork and contacts
Know, address by address, whether a drone job is feasible in the Paris region, who to notify and how much lead time to plan.
€15 9 chapters · instant access
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur edition
Flying drones in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: zones, paperwork and contacts
Know whether a drone job is feasible in Provence and on the French Riviera, when to fly, who to notify and which areas to avoid.
€15 9 chapters · instant access
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By purchasing, you request immediate access to the digital content and acknowledge that you lose your right of withdrawal (French consumer code, article L221-28, 13°). Questions before buying: devis@c-drone.fr.