National Heliport Infrastructure: The Compliance Gap
A data-driven overview of FAA heliport compliance status across the United States. Prepared for aviation liability carriers and underwriting teams.
Five-Question Compliance Checklist
AirIndex scores every registered heliport against five compliance questions. Current national results:
| Question | Pass | Gap / Unknown | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1: FAA Registration Current NASR 5010 record on file | 2,748 | 2,696 | 49% |
| Q2: Airspace Determination on File FAA OE/AAA determination matched | 358 | 5,289 | 6% |
| Q3: State Enforcement Posture Assessment in progress | 0 | 5,647 | 0% |
| Q4: NFPA 418 in Local Fire Code Jurisdiction adoption verified | 535 | 5,112 | 9% |
| Q5: eVTOL Dimensional Viability 50x50 ft TLOF minimum | 0 | 2,747 | 0% |
Heliport Inventory by State (Top 10)
| State | Registered Sites | % of National |
|---|---|---|
| TX | 464 | 8% |
| CA | 388 | 7% |
| FL | 381 | 7% |
| PA | 282 | 5% |
| IL | 230 | 4% |
| OH | 192 | 3% |
| NJ | 173 | 3% |
| LA | 169 | 3% |
| CO | 169 | 3% |
| NY | 154 | 3% |
Hospital Heliports: The eVTOL Dimensional Risk
2,747 of 5,647 registered heliports (49%) are hospital facilities. Most were built to 40×40 ft TLOF standards for helicopter operations. eVTOL aircraft require a minimum 50×50 ft TLOF. Most hospital helipads cannot physically accommodate eVTOL operations without structural modification. For carriers covering hospital heliport liability, this creates a dimensional compliance gap that will surface when eVTOL operators begin commercial service in ADVANCED-tier markets (Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco).
What This Means for Underwriters
1. Portfolio exposure is unquantified. 94% of registered heliports have no FAA airspace determination on file. Carriers writing heliport liability policies on these sites are pricing risk against self-reported data with no federal verification.
2. NFPA 418 adoption is inconsistent. Only 535 of 5,647 sites sit in jurisdictions that have adopted NFPA 418 in their fire code. 4,389 have unknown adoption status. The standard is routinely cited in litigation as the benchmark for heliport safety compliance.
3. eVTOL operations will create new exposure. When commercial eVTOL service launches in ADVANCED-tier markets, existing heliport policies will need to account for dimensional non-compliance, new AC standards (expected June 2026), and a mixed-use operational environment the current policy language does not contemplate.
4. No other data product provides this view. AirIndex is the only platform that cross-references FAA NASR registration, OE/AAA airspace determinations, NFPA 418 jurisdiction adoption, and eVTOL dimensional viability into a single compliance score per site. This brief is a sample of that capability.
Portfolio Compliance Screening is available for carriers who want to assess their book against AirIndex compliance data. We provide automated pre-screening across your full site list, with physical verification by credentialed inspectors on flagged facilities. Contact sales@airindex.io to discuss scope and pricing. Full methodology published at airindex.io/methodology.
Vertical Data Group, LLC · sales@airindex.io · airindex.io
Data sources: FAA NASR 5010, FAA OE/AAA RESTful Web Services (NRA + CIRC, 2024–2026), AirIndex Heliport Compliance Database v1.0. Compliance assessments are automated pre-screening based on publicly available data and do not constitute legal or regulatory advice.