The Pentagon, which has flown drones over US territory fewer than 20 times on nonmilitary missions, rejected a request from an unidentified mayor who asked for a flyover to help his city locate potholes, a report reveals.

The Marine Corps Unmanned Aircraft Systems unit decided that requesting approval for the mission “did not make operational sense,” according to a Pentagon report obtained by USA Today.

Under Pentagon guidelines, drone use for civilian missions has to be approved by the secretary of defense.