The agency, Barnett Associates, is one of a handful of Washington businesses to receive such approval. The FAA granted the OK in late May, sixth months after Toby Barnett filed his petition with the federal agency.

As of June 10, the FAA had approved 548 petitions out of the thousands the agency has received. Most have been issued for aerial photography and videography.

Real estate photography is one of many possible commercial uses of drones — or unmanned aerial systems, as they are known in the aerospace industry. Commercial and civil drone markets could be worth as much as $8 billion a year over the next decade, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International reports.

However, federal regulations have not caught up with technology. Federal aviation authorities are working through new standards for drones, but they won’t say when they plan to have a proposed rule finished.