Aerial Photography of Minnesota by Source

Federal

  • U.S. Geological Survey
    • High resolution orthoimagery (Twin Cities) 
    • National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) National High Altitude Photography Program (NHAP) 
    • Other USGS photography 
    • Biological Resources Division
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture 
    • Farm Service Agency, Aerial Photography Field Office
  • National Archives and Records Administration
    • Historical federal aerial photography collected from the late-1930s to the mid-1950s.
    • Comprehensive county-based imagery from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
    • Search for information using the Archival Research Catalog (ARC). 
  • NASA
    • Collected imagery in the 1970s and 1980s with high altitude aircraft, largely in western Minnesota.
    • See the U.S Geological Survey's Aerial Photo Single Frames for more information.

State

  • Spring Aerial Imagery Program for Minnesota: 2009-2015
  • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
    • Color-infrared (CIR) photography: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Forestry Resource Assessment Unit obtains and distributes CIR aerial photography for the forested eastern half of Minnesota. In recent years, selected full or partial counties have been flown in the fall, when leaves are changing color; this timing allows maximum cover type differentiation. Print coverage at 9" x 9" is approximately 2.25 miles x 2.25 miles at a scale of approximately 1:15,840.
    • CIR orthophotos: The Resource Assessment Unit has scanned and created orthophotos from all the DNR Forestry color-infrared (CIR) photography from 1991 through 2010. CIR photos from 1991 through 2005 were scanned at 400 Pixels per inch at 1 meter resolution on a flat panel scanner. CIR photos since 2005 are scanned at 16 microns or ½ meter resolution using a photogrammetric scanner. All CIR photos have been ortho-rectified creating either a 1-meter or the later ½ meter orthophotos. The 2011 and newer projects are usually ortho-rectified by the flight contractor at ½ meter resolution. Contact DNR's Resource Assessment office in Grand Rapids for prices and to place orders. Depending on the product, the default format will be either GeoTIFF or ECW. Other formats may be available. Prices are determined either by the size of the area covered or the number of photos ordered.
      • WMS services: The following years of fall seamless orthophotos are available as natural color and color infrared services.
      • 2022: Roseau, Beltrami, Clearwater, Mahnomen and Itasca counties
      • 2021: Lake of the Woods and Koochiching counties and the northern half of St. Louis and Lake counties
      • 2019: Cook, Lake, St. Louis, Koochiching, Itasca, Lake of the Woods, Roseau and Beltrami counties
      • 2018: Goodhue, Wabasha, Olmsted, Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties
      • 2014-17: Cook, Lake, St. Louis, Koochiching, Itasca, Lake of the Woods, Roseau and Beltrami counties
  • Minnesota Department of Transportation
    • If your area of interest is within a quarter- or a half-mile of a state highway, chances are good that the Minnesota Department of Transportation will have photo coverage. MnDOT's photos are usually taken at low altitude to be detailed enough for engineering purposes. The typical scale is 1" = 250'; other scales include 1" = 500' and 1" = 800'. Minnesota airports also have photo coverage at a a scale of 1" = 1200'. The photos may be taken either spring or fall. MnDOT's archives contain some film dating back to the late 1950s and some prints dating back to the 1930s.
    • See MnDOT's Photogrammetrics website.

Regional and Local 

  • Twin Cities Metropolitan Council
    • The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council contracted aerial photography of the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area in 2025, 2020, 2016, 2010, 2000 and 1997. Digital orthophotographs were created from this photography at a resolution of 0.3 meters (1-foot) in 2025, 2020, 2016 and 2010 and a resolution of 0.6 meters (2-feet) in 2000 and 1997. The imagery is available via MnGeo's Geospatial Image Service (a web mapping service or WMS). For more information, see the documentation for 2025, 2020, 2016, 2010, 2000 and 1997.
  • County and city photo programs
    • Some counties and cities, especially in urban and growing areas, have contracted for aerial photography. Some local governments sell copies of the photos. Depending on the county or city, the photos might be at the County Surveyor, Assessor, Planning and Zoning or Environmental Services offices. The following starting points may help you locate these photos:

Other

  • Private sector
    • Find private companies that provide air photo search and custom services by looking online for: photographers - aerial or surveyors - aerial.
    • Several companies provide information about their collections:
    • Some companies provide research services to locate, custom assemble, and deliver photos or view them online:
    • If you know of other companies that provide similar information about their air photos, let us know: gisinfo.mngeo@state.mn.us
  • John Borchert Map Library
    • The library has the best collection of historical aerial photographs in the state. The public is welcome to use the over 330,000 photographs; most can be checked out by those with University of Minnesota library privileges. The Library is open fulltime during the academic year and part-time during the summer. Check the website for hours or call before visiting.
    • Online air photo holdings guide including paper, negative, 35mm slide and digital formats
    • Minnesota Historical Aerial Photographs Online: Provides access to over 121,000 digital copies of Minnesota air photos found in the library's collection.