Drone Program FAQ

Drones provide three benefits to the agency’s field inspectors responding to emergencies.  First, drones enable Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) inspectors to access areas that are hard to reach in person.  These include remote sites, areas with difficult terrain, and bodies of water.  Second, drones allow RRC inspectors to conduct needed inspections of spills, leaks, and emergency situations from a safe distance.  Lastly, drones enable quicker agency response to spills, leaks, and other emergency situations.

The agency has twelve drones.

The agency operates six DJI Mavic 2 Dual Enterprise Edition drones and two Mavic 2 Enterprise Zoom drones, all managed through the DroneSense platform. Additionally, the agency's Surface Mining and Reclamation Division maintains a fully NDAA‑compliant fleet consisting of two Parrot Anafi USA GOV drones and two Skydio X10 drones. The Parrot drones operate fully offline using Parrot software, while the Skydio drones utilize Skydio Cloud software.

All RRC drone program pilots are RRC employees. As of February 2026, 16 RRC employees are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as drone pilots. The Oil and Gas Division has 10 licensed pilots and the Surface Mining and Reclamation Division has 6 licensed pilots.

RRC uses the drones for the purposes authorized within Chapter 423, Texas Government Code. Specifically, the agency uses drones at the scene of a spill, or suspected spill, of hazardous materials, in connection with oil pipeline safety, and if other instances requiring response arise, with the consent of the owner or occupant of real property, or by the Surface Mining and Reclamation Division (SMRD) to conduct aerial inspections of permit areas in accordance with 30 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 840.11, which states that inspections by a state regulatory authority may include aerial inspections. The use of drones for these statutorily-authorized purposes enhances RRC’s ability to inspect for compliance with the agency’s Statewide Rules and the Code of Federal Regulations.