Aerial Imagery in Spring, TX

Airports & LAANC Zones

• IAH — George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Class B, 5 miles east — LAANC required for all of Spring)
• DWH — David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (Class D, 5 miles west in Tomball — LAANC required)
• CXO — Lone Star Executive Airport (general aviation, 12 miles north in Conroe, uncontrolled Class E)

Restricted Airspace

• Class B airspace around George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) — Spring sits just 5 miles west of IAH, placing nearly the entire community within the IAH Class B airspace. LAANC authorization is required for virtually all commercial drone flights in Spring. The airspace shelves vary significantly, with lower altitude limits closer to the airport. This is one of the most airspace-constrained areas in the Houston metro.
• Class D airspace around David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH) — located 5 miles west in Tomball. The eastern edge of DWH Class D extends into western Spring. Drone flights within 4 nautical miles require LAANC authorization. This creates a dual-LAANC requirement for data collection work in central Spring, where both IAH Class B and DWH Class D overlap.
• ExxonMobil Houston campus — the 385-acre campus is the largest single-tenant corporate campus in the Houston metro, housing 10,000+ employees. Under TX Government Code Chapter 423, drone flights over the campus without authorization are a state misdemeanor. The campus has active security, perimeter monitoring, and airspace surveillance. This is one of the most sensitive critical infrastructure sites for drone operations in Texas.
• Springwoods Village MPC — 2,000-acre master-planned community adjacent to the ExxonMobil campus. The density of corporate and residential construction creates crane and heavy equipment activity that requires coordination with site superintendents. FAA Part 107 requires yielding right-of-way to all manned aircraft, including construction helicopters.
• I-45 and Grand Parkway interchange construction — ongoing highway interchange improvements create heavy civil construction zones with active blasting, crane operations, and equipment movement. Coordinate with TxDOT contractors before flying near active highway construction.
• Hurricane and tropical weather: Spring is in a high-risk flood zone, having experienced catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Spring Creek and Cypress Creek watersheds affect the area. Drone operations during tropical storm warnings are restricted. Post-storm assessment flights require coordination with Montgomery County or Harris County Office of Emergency Management.

Local Ordinances

Spring is an unincorporated community spanning Harris and Montgomery Counties, so there is no separate city-level drone permit. FAA Part 107 certification and LAANC authorization for IAH Class B and DWH Class D airspace are mandatory for virtually all commercial flights in Spring. The dual-LAANC requirement in central Spring makes it one of the most airspace-complex areas in the Houston metro. Commercial use of county parks requires a special use permit. Flights from private property (with owner permission) do not require a county permit but must comply with all FAA Part 107 rules and Texas Government Code Chapter 423 critical infrastructure restrictions. The ExxonMobil campus is critical infrastructure where unauthorized flights are a state misdemeanor.