RULES · PRIVACY

A drone over your house? No need to panic – here is how it really works

Altvis Drone · 7 November 2026 · 7 min read

A drone hovering over the neighbouring house is most often filming a property for sale, a roof for inspection or a construction site – not you. Still, the buzzing overhead and a camera you cannot see up close make many people uneasy.

Some react by shouting and making threats, or question the pilot themselves as if they were the police. A pilot who follows all the rules then has to stop work, and the client waits for the footage.

We understand that feeling. Privacy matters, and drones mostly make the news when something goes wrong. That is why we wrote this guide: what a drone actually sees, which rules a pilot must follow in Croatia and the EU, and what to do if something worries you.

What a drone actually sees

A drone used for property photography films from above and from a distance with a wide-angle camera – more like a camera on top of a skyscraper than a paparazzo’s telephoto lens.

An example with our DJI Air 3S: at a height of 60 metres, the main camera covers roughly 90 metres of ground in a single frame. In 4K footage, one pixel then covers about 2.3 cm, so a person’s face in a yard takes up only 6–7 pixels. That is far too few to recognise anyone.

The Air 3S also has a second, telephoto camera (70 mm) that sees about three times more detail. That is why it matters who operates the drone and with what intention – more on that in the privacy section.

Why does it seem the drone is “right above you”?

Sound: the propellers buzz and the sound bounces off walls, so the drone sounds closer than it is.
Perspective: there is nothing in the sky to compare distance against, so height is hard to judge.
Flight path: filming a property means circling the building, so on the way to the next shot the drone also passes over neighbouring plots.

Rules the pilot must follow

Since 31 December 2020, Croatia has applied the same drone rules as the whole EU – Regulation (EU) 2019/947. Compliance is supervised by the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (HACZ).

A pilot filming a house in your neighbourhood must meet the following:

Registration: the operator of a drone with a camera must be registered, and the registration number must be visibly displayed on the drone and entered into its remote identification system.
Competence: the pilot must pass the exam for the category in which they fly.
Height: no more than 120 metres above the ground. In controlled zones around airports, which include much of Zagreb, generally up to 50 metres.
Flight notification: even below 120 metres, the pilot reserves the airspace through the AMC portal of Croatia Control.
Insurance: mandatory liability insurance for damage to third parties.
Visual contact: the pilot must see the drone at all times – which is why you can always find them nearby.

How close to people a drone may fly depends on the subcategory:

Subcategory	Typical drone	Rule regarding people
A1	up to 900 g, class mark C1 (e.g. DJI Air 3S)	may fly near people, but not deliberately over uninvolved persons and never over crowds
A2	up to 4 kg, class mark C2	at least 30 m horizontally from uninvolved persons (5 m in low-speed mode)
A3	heavier drones	far from people, at least 150 m from residential and commercial areas

May a drone fly over my house?

Yes, if the pilot follows the rules from the previous section. Aviation rules do not require the permission of every landowner whose plot a drone flies over – just as they do not for a helicopter or an aeroplane.

There are still limits:

People below the drone: the pilot must not deliberately fly over people who are not involved in the filming, so they avoid yards where someone is present.
Zones: around airports, military sites and in protected nature areas, flying is prohibited or needs special approval. The zone map is published publicly by Croatia Control on the AMC portal.
Purpose of filming: The Regulation on aerial recording (Official Gazette 77/2020, Art. 5) allows filming an individual location or building by drone without approval from the State Geodetic Administration when it is done solely for the needs of its owner or user. That is exactly the case for a house being sold or a construction site the investor wants to monitor.

Privacy: what is filmed and what is not

The pilot must comply with personal data protection rules – the Regulation on aerial recording (Art. 4) expressly requires this. A recording in which a person can be recognised is personal data under the GDPR.

For a professional pilot, in practice this means:

only what was ordered is filmed – the house, the plot, the construction site;
people in neighbouring yards are not the subject of filming, and if they accidentally enter the frame, faces and licence plates are blurred or the shot is not used;
footage is not published without agreement with the client, and unnecessary material is deleted.

The line is also drawn by the Criminal Code: unauthorised image recording of a person in a home or a space specially protected from view is a criminal offence (Art. 144). A pilot who deliberately peeks into other people’s windows breaks the law – and such behaviour is worth reporting.

What to do when you see a drone

A pilot is not obliged to show documents to passers-by or explain their work – only the police may ask for that. So the right way is simple:

Look before you react. A drone that briefly circles the neighbouring house and leaves is most likely filming a property. No action is needed.
If you want, check the drone without any contact. Drones marked C1 and C2 publicly broadcast a remote identification signal that an ordinary mobile phone can receive. The free Drone Scanner app shows the operator’s registration number and the flight height. On an iPhone it detects only some drones.
If something worries you, call the police on 192 (in Croatia). The police are authorised to check the registration, the pilot’s competence and the insurance, and to determine whether the rules are being followed.

If the pilot comes to you and explains what they are filming – and a good pilot will – feel free to listen. Leave the checking of documents to the police, though.

What never to do

Anger is understandable, but some reactions create a bigger problem than the drone itself.

Do not shoot at or bring down the drone. A 700-gram drone falling from height can seriously injure someone below. Destroying someone else’s drone can be the criminal offence of damaging another’s property, and the owner can claim compensation.
Do not use signal jammers. Jammers disrupt other radio devices too, and a drone that loses its link can fly off uncontrolled or fall. Citizens are not allowed to use them.
Do not try to catch the drone. The propellers spin at high speed and can cut hands deeply.
Do not threaten the pilot or grab the controller. Threats, pushing or taking equipment can end in a misdemeanour or criminal complaint – against you.

How we work at Altvis Drone

We film properties, construction sites, halls and roads under construction. Besides the rules set by law, we follow a few of our own:

Notice to neighbours. Before filming in a residential area, the client informs the nearest neighbours what is being filmed, when and for how long. We tell them the exact time in advance.
The pilot is always available. We stand in a visible spot and are glad to answer questions, even in the middle of filming.
Documents with us. We carry the registration, the competence certificate and the insurance policy to every job.
We film only what was ordered. We do not linger over neighbouring yards and do not zoom in on people.
Protection in the footage. Faces and licence plates that accidentally enter the frame are blurred before we hand over the material.
A worried neighbour comes first. If someone expresses concern, we stop, explain and adjust the flight path.

Frequently asked questions

Does the pilot need my permission to fly over my yard?

No. Aviation rules do not require the landowner’s permission for a flyover. The pilot still must not deliberately fly over people who are not involved in the filming and must respect your privacy.

Can a drone film through my window?

A telephoto camera can see detail even from far away. But deliberately filming a person in their home is a criminal offence, and a professional pilot does not do it. If you suspect it, call the police.

How do I know the pilot is registered?

The operator’s registration number must be displayed on the drone. Newer drones also broadcast it, so you can read it with an app such as Drone Scanner.

How long does filming one house take?

Usually 15 to 30 minutes of flight. The drone circles the building several times and films it from different angles.

Who can I complain to?

To the police if you suspect a criminal offence, to the Personal Data Protection Agency (AZOP) if a recording in which you are recognisable has been published, and to HACZ if you think the pilot is breaking flight rules.

Can I ask for a recording to be deleted?

If you are recognisable in a recording, the GDPR gives you the right to request deletion. We fulfil such requests without argument.

Sources

Selling a property or monitoring construction?

We do aerial footage with respect for the rules and for neighbours. Get in touch and we will agree on a date.

Request a quote