The official said it was unclear if the person intended to fly the aircraft at the executive mansion or whether he was trying to take aerial photos.
The official was not authorised to publicly disclose the details of the incident and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The incident comes nearly four months after a quadcopter drone piloted by an off-duty US intelligence employee landed on the White House lawn.
The Secret Service said at the time that the landing appeared to be accidental and not a security threat. The incident led the agency that protects the president to focus more attention on drone-related security issues.