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Expert Aerial Survey Data Collection

Expert Aerial Survey Data CollectionExpert Aerial Survey Data CollectionExpert Aerial Survey Data Collection

Expedited building permits & detailed site maps, including both 2D & 3D mapping options. Home & Roof Inspection through Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI) for thorough evaluations. Property & Contractor Consulting services, which also cover solar site surveys and stockpile measurements.

Site Plan Checklist
City Permit Fees Schedule
Aerial view of a building under construction with wooden framing and workers.

Planning On Home Improvements?

The High Price of "No Permit"

Skipping permits creates a legal cloud over your property, which can lead to denied insurance claims if issues arise. You may face heavy fines, "stop-work" orders that double your costs, and a home that is often unsellable since lenders won’t finance unpermitted additions. 


The Exhaustive Path to Permit Approval:


1. Zoning & Feasibility Audit: Verify setbacks, easements, and lot coverage ratios.

2. Professional Site Plan Generation: Produce detailed site maps that include a "To Scale" representation of all existing and proposed structures.

3. Engineered Construction Documents: File full blueprints, including elevations and structural sections based on your detailed site maps.

4. Structural Calculations: Submit "Wet Stamped" engineering to prove seismic and wind safety.

5. Title 24 Energy Compliance: Provide complex calculations for insulation and window efficiency.

6. The "Plan Check" Gauntlet: Submit to the Building Department and await a list of required "Redline" corrections.

7. Departmental Clearances: Obtain sign-offs from Fire, Health, and Public Works departments.

8. Fee Assessment & Impact Fees: Pay permit, plan check, and local school/park development fees.

9. The Inspection Lifecycle: Coordinate 5–10 mandatory site visits, utilizing Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI) where possible, at every stage of construction.

10. Final Certificate of Occupancy: Secure the final signature to legally protect your investment and ensure your property complies with all regulations, including any necessary solar site surveys and stockpile measurements.

Building permit application denied due to incomplete documents and inaccuracies.

Why an Inspection Must Come First

Protect Your Investment and Your Sanity

The importance of an independent inspection cannot be overstated. By hiring a third-party expert before engaging contractors or insurance adjusters, you secure a position of strength and clarity. This includes utilizing detailed site maps and mapping in 2D & 3D to visualize the project accurately.


Objective Scope of Work: Avoid 'bid inflation.' An independent report, bolstered by detailed site maps, provides the precise, unbiased facts you need to ensure all contractor quotes are based on the same reality.


Identifying 'Hidden' Issues: Detect structural rot or electrical hazards before they lead to expensive 'change orders' halfway through your project. Incorporating Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI) can help identify these issues proactively.


Leveraging Insurance Claims: Don't settle for a 'patch-and-paint' estimate. Use a professional report, possibly derived from solar site surveys or stockpile measurements, as evidence to demand a settlement that covers true code compliance.


Total Quality Control: Municipal inspectors check for the bare minimum. An independent inspector works for you, ensuring the craftsmanship meets elite industry standards from start to finish.

Aerial view of a residential house with solar panels and a pool.

Why Kern Skies?

Kern Skies is the safer, faster, and more accurate way to get your project approved.

Kern Skies replaces manual guesswork by providing the technical data you need without a hidden sales agenda. 


The "Birds-Eye" Necessity: A permit isn't just about a room; it’s about how that room interacts with your entire lot. We create detailed site maps that capture a comprehensive "To Scale" view of setbacks, lot coverage, and utility clearances, perfectly fitting into AutoCAD or SolarAPP+ for instant digital approval.


Sub-Inch Precision: Tape measures sag and fail around obstacles. We utilize advanced Photogrammetry to create mapping 2D & 3D solutions, offering a georeferenced "Digital Twin" with centimeter-level accuracy, ensuring your property lines are recorded as a fact, not a guess.


The Inspector’s Scope: Most door-knockers are just selling your information as a lead. Unlike "free" contractor estimates designed to close a sale, we provide an independent technical audit along with Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI). We have no interest in inflating your costs—we deliver the ICC-certified "Source of Truth" you need to hold everyone else accountable.


The Professional Edge:  


While we still perform rigorous physical inspections—including attic crawls and ladder-work to verify structural integrity—our drone technology enhances safety by capturing high-risk roof data from the air first. This ensures every inch of your property is documented while minimizing the risk of a fall. Additionally, our services include precise solar site surveys and stockpile measurements for comprehensive property assessment.

Architectural site plan with a house, pool, and outdoor furniture.

SERVICES

ICC Certified Permit Technician badge.

For The Homeowner

Your Technical Back-Office & Building Manager


Think of Kern Skies as your Project Safeguard. In the traditional construction model, the contractor holds all the cards—they pull the permit, they control the timeline, and they own the data.


If they disappear or underperform, your project is held hostage. We break that cycle. By securing your permit independently through our certified team of Inspectors and Permit Technicians, you effectively take control of your property’s future.


We provide detailed site maps, mapping 2D & 3D plans, aerial data, and digital material take-offs that the pros use, but we put them in your hands first. This starts the 180-day legal shot clock on your terms, giving you the leverage to hire—or fire—any crew with total confidence.


Plus, with our expedited service options, we move your project from field to file while the competition is still stuck in the paperwork pile.


How We Partner With You


Project Management & Consulting: We don't just give you a map; we give you the play-by-play. We act as your professional building manager, guiding you through the technical requirements of your repair or upgrade.


3rd Party Home & Roof Inspections: Get an unbiased, expert look at your property. We provide the

Architectural roof layout plan in black and white.

For The Contractor

In an industry where "time is money," a single measurement error can bankrupt your margins. Kern Skies is the secret weapon for local crews who are tired of losing weeks to city paperwork and manual site walks. By providing detailed site maps that include both mapping 2D & 3D representations, we streamline your workflows for effective project management.


We are fully proficient in SolarAPP+ and Accela, allowing us to bypass the friction of manual reviews and trigger instant digital approvals for qualifying projects.


By delivering up-to-code plans and deliverables for AutoCAD, we move your crew from the bid to the roof 14 days faster than the competition, enabling accurate solar site surveys without delays.


We also utilize professional estimator software to ensure you can bid with 100% honesty and execute with 100% accuracy, including precise stockpile measurements.


Professional Solutions for Solar, Roofing, and Skilled Trades


The "Bid-Loss" Delay: Stop dropping everything for a manual site walk. We provide high-precision aerial site audits and use expert estimator software so you can bid accurately from your office and beat the competition to the contract.


The Profit-Eating "Go-Back": No more sending an estimator back to a house because a measurement was missed or a roof pitch was guessed. Our "Zero Go-Back" digital take-offs ensure your material orders are 100% accurate the first time, thanks to our comprehensive data collection methods.


The AutoCAD Bottleneck: We deliver up-to-code plans and deliverables for AutoCAD that are ready for immediate city submission, eliminating the wait for expensive third-party designers.


The SolarAPP+ & Accela Advantage: We specialize in SolarAPP+ and Accela workflows. For eligible residential projects, this means automated code-compliance checks and instant permit issuance, moving you to installation while others are stuck in the review pile.


The "Truck Roll" Overhead: Drastically reduce fuel, labor, and vehicle wear-and-tear. Use our expedited "Field-to-File" system to handle the technical data collection, including Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI), so your crews only roll when it's time to build.


The Permit Runner & Building Manager: Hand off the paperwork. We act as your technical back-office, handling filings, clearing Correction Notices, and ordering inspections so you can focus on production and sales.


The Solar Setback Trap: Avoid costly rework caused by ignored fire-code setbacks. We provide the "ground truth" data on every roof, ensuring your solar layouts are compliant and optimized before the first panel is mounted.

Price List

For Homeowners

Own Your Truth. Stop being a passenger on your own roof. Take control of your data, your permit, and your 180-day timeline. With our services, you'll receive detailed site maps along with a comprehensive roof and project location inspection. We also offer Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI) for solar site surveys and stockpile measurements, ensuring everything is mapped out in both 2D and 3D.

Independent Roof Audit

200-350

The Truth in 24 Hours: A neutral, high-res aerial health check using detailed site maps and advanced Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI). 


The Goal: Determine if your roof is genuinely 'Solar-Ready' before a salesman attempts to sell you a $30k system, ensuring you have all necessary information from solar site surveys. 


The Result: Professional 3D mapping alongside 2D representations that prove your roof's condition, including permit-ready plans and accurate stockpile measurements.

Homeowner Permit Power

200-350

Control the Clock: We independently secure your permit through our certified team, ensuring all required elements like detailed site maps and solar site surveys are meticulously prepared.  


The Goal: Begin your 180-day legal shot clock on your terms, not dictated by the contractor. Our process includes advanced mapping in both 2D & 3D and employs Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI) techniques, ensuring everything is in order.  


The Result: You hold the permit, providing you with the leverage to hire or fire any crew confidently, backed by accurate stockpile measurements.

Project Command

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Hands-Off Management: We handle everything from the initial drone flight to final permit approval, ensuring detailed site maps are created without the need for you to learn complex codes or chase bureaucracy.


Independent Advocacy: We act as your technical eyes and ears, providing a 'price-check' material list and conducting solar site surveys to keep contractor quotes honest.


Maximum Leverage: You own the permit and the 180-day timeline. If a crew underperforms, you have the data from our mapping 2D & 3D efforts to walk away and hire someone better. Plus, our Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI) allows for thorough evaluations without the need for physical presence.


The Result: A 'Code-Perfect' project foundation delivered in 24-48 hours, including stockpile measurements and other crucial insights.


For The Contractor

The Competitive Edge: Zero Friction - Eliminate 'truck rolls,' bypass manual reviews, and accelerate your solar site surveys with detailed site maps. By utilizing mapping 2D & 3D and Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI) technologies, you can get your crews on the roof 14 days faster while also streamlining stockpile measurements.

Design-Ready Survey

200-350

Ready in 24 Hours: Sub-inch accurate 3D mapping and shading analysis for detailed site maps. 


The Goal: Eliminate "truck roll" friction by avoiding the need for manual measurements through Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI). Stop sending your best techs when you can achieve precise solar site surveys and stockpile measurements quickly. 


The Result: Design-ready files delivered tomorrow morning.

Professional Permit Runner

200-350

Instant Digital Approvals: We provide the 'Code-Perfect' data necessary for detailed site maps, which triggers automated approvals. 


The Goal: Bypass the manual review cycle by incorporating mapping 2D & 3D and eliminate correction notices. 


The Result: Managed by Certified Permit Technicians who understand the local requirements for Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI), solar site surveys, and stockpile measurements.

The "Efficiency" Bundle

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The Goal: Move from Lead to Install in 24 Hours.


Eliminate "Truck Rolls": Stop sending your best techs to pull tapes on a roof. We deliver detailed site maps along with sub-inch accurate 3D mapping and Design-Ready Files in just 24 hours.


Precision Take-offs: Get a complete digital material list essential for solar site surveys. Bid with 100% confidence, avoid over-ordering, and eliminate "emergency" trips to the supply house.


Zero Correction Notices: We provide the "Code-Perfect" data that triggers instant digital approvals. This allows us to bypass manual review cycles, enabling efficient Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI) and stockpile measurements.

Kern Skies is an independent inspection and aerial data provider specializing in detailed site maps and Remote Virtual Inspections (RVI). We deliver unbiased inspections, solar site surveys, and permit-ready plans while ensuring your data remains 100% impartial. Importantly, we do not perform home or roof repairs or solar installations, so our findings, including stockpile measurements and mapping in 2D & 3D, are completely objective.

BOOK Now!

BOOK Now!

To get your project moving, we just need a few basic details to ensure a seamless site audit and create detailed site maps. First, specify whether you need an inspection or want to perform upgrades—sometimes both is the case, and that's no problem. Please provide the property address so we can conduct a preliminary satellite check, prep the flight path, and perform any necessary solar site surveys. Let us know if you are the owner-occupant, a tenant, or the contractor managing the build. Additionally, please include your primary project goal (Solar, Roofing, or Remodel), along with any requirements for mapping 2D & 3D or stockpile measurements. If you're interested in a Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI), please mention that as well.

Kern Skies

Bakersfield, CA, USA

Hours

Open today

09:00 am – 05:00 pm

Launch Your Project

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FAQ

Please reach us at gabe@kernskies.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

 They can, but they’re "grading their own homework." A contractor has a financial incentive to find (or ignore) specific issues to close a sale. Kern Skies is 100% independent. We don't sell roofs or solar panels, so our data is unbiased and legally accurate.


To ensure your project’s structural integrity, an adult must be present for a brief internal inspection of the attic. If your access is located within a closet, we require the homeowner to remain within eyesight for the duration of that portion of the visit. We are happy to provide and dispose of protective plastic sheeting to keep your clothing and belongings clean during the process. Please note that for safety and liability reasons, we cannot perform inspections if only unattended minors are on the property. 


Absolutely. We are FAA Part 107 Certified and follow all local Bakersfield flight regulations. Our cameras are focused strictly on the structure and property lines required for your permit. We don't store data on your neighbors or your interior.


Most site inspections are completed within 24–48 hours of your request. Once the flight is done, our AI-powered processing delivers your 3D models and permit-ready files faster than any manual site-walk ever could. 


 

High winds or rain can ground our fleet.  "Clear Skies" aren't available, we reschedule for the very next safe window at no extra cost to you. We prioritize data accuracy over rushing a flight in bad conditions.


Yes. If your project is stalled at the permitting office or you suspect your contractor’s measurements are wrong, we can perform a Rescue Audit to get the correct data to the city and get your job back on track.


A single measurement error on a solar layout can cost $2,000+ in change orders. A failed permit can delay your project by months. Our inspection is a fraction of that cost—it's the cheapest insurance policy you'll ever buy for your home. Remember, time is money.


Privacy Policy

 

Regulatory Compliance & Data Protection

Certified. Regulated. Secure.

  • FAA Part 107 Compliant: Every mission is commanded by an FAA-Licensed Remote Pilot. We operate in strict accordance with federal law regarding airspace authorization, altitude limits, and safety protocols to ensure a legal and professional flight.
  • We Respect Privacy: Our aerial sensors are programmed to focus exclusively on the project site. We do not record, store, or view imagery of neighboring properties, yards, or windows.
  • Secure Data Handling: Your property intelligence is your property. We use encrypted storage for all site audits and never share or sell your data to third-party lead generators or outside marketers.
  • Fully Insured Operations: We carry comprehensive liability insurance specifically for commercial UAS operations, providing total peace of mind for homeowners and contractors alike.

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