# What do I need to do to have a helicopter landing pad on my roof? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2024, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641 "2024-05-16T16:59:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/1 "2024-05-16T16:59:07Z")
Assume I have a 7-story building, with no other buildings around of an equal or greater height. What sort of equipment or forms do I need to fill out or install to enable a helicopter to land on my roof? Don’t need answer fast. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/2 "2024-05-16T17:08:39Z")
[Everything you need to know about adding a heliport to your home](https://bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-adding-a-heliport-to-your-home) They reference FAA advisory circular 150-5390 you can read that here: [https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory\_Circular/AC\_150\_5390\_2D\_Heliports.pdf](https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_150_5390_2D_Heliports.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/3 "2024-05-16T17:14:01Z")
"And no law says you have to build a helipad to land. " So I can park it behind my ex-partner’s car in their driveway? Sweet! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/4 "2024-05-16T18:52:55Z")
Neighbors concerns will be your biggest roadblock. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/5 "2024-05-16T18:57:29Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > [Everything you need to know about adding a heliport to your home](https://bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-adding-a-heliport-to-your-home) > > They reference FAA advisory circular 150-5390 you can read that here: [https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory\_Circular/AC\_150\_5390\_2D\_Heliports.pdf](https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_150_5390_2D_Heliports.pdf) Say what you will about government not being able to get things done, and I’ll counter with the FAA. I can complain about their heavy-handedness as much as the next person. But the fact is, they get it DONE. We have both the busiest and the safest airspace in the world, which is really quite amazing. They moved rather quickly on things like GPS, and have impressed me with their forward thinking in other ways. So it shouldn’t surprise me that there’s already an easily accessible document on how to create your own heliport. I first became aware of the FAA’s prescience when I was a flight instructor and had a student with a prosthetic leg. Not knowing how to approach certain aspects of training with him, I called up the FSDO (regional office) thinking I was asking a very original, even crazy question. Instead, their response was, “Yeah, we had three of those last week - here’s the list of things you have to do.” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/6 "2024-05-16T19:05:10Z")
If you want a police helicopter to land, perhaps open up a fly thru donut shop. But working with Medivac, they will land anywhere we (fire dept) direct them if they deem it safe. However we have never done such a thing for a building, however if they know it was safe they would attempt a landing if needed. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/7 "2024-05-16T19:05:28Z")
Helicopters are so yesterday for personally owned transportation. Instead the people here who aren’t old fogies (or broke) are making plans for: > [@Flying cars ... finally here!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-cars-finally-here/973853/): > > OK, everyone who’s been waiting for flying cars, your wait is over: Well, almost over. That just a prototype, so it may take a while to get it into production. But it flies, and looks like a car, well, one that’s a mashup with a quadcopter. Also may take a while to get FAA certification. And once you get one, don’t forget to get a pilot’s license… ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/8 "2024-05-16T19:08:31Z")
Is that thing actually 5,240 pages long?! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/9 "2024-05-16T19:15:12Z")
No that’s just an ID code. PDF is 156 pages. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/10 "2024-05-17T04:10:43Z")
Fellow owns a store near me and flies a Robinson R44 from his country home to the store on occasion. His employees put a line of cones in the parking lot before he arrives. Not a flying car as predicted in the 50’s, but neat. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/11 "2024-05-17T11:31:38Z")
Step one, of course, is to hire a structural engineer to ensure that the roof can hold the weight of a helicopter and whatever pads need to be installed for it. There will almost certainly be some permits required if you do need renovations. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-have-a-helicopter-landing-pad-on-my-roof/1001641/12 "2024-05-20T00:30:25Z")
Step 2, of course, would be asking your SO & kids if they wouldn’t mind the occasional aerial visitor in search of a toilet, knocking on the trapdoor that allows them into the terminal and relieve themselves, then you need to have a cleaner or grumpy old man with a mop in order to make them leave ASAP.