The range of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be extended by recharging onboard power cells (i.e., batteries) at one or more charging stations in route to a destination. However, as the number of commercial and recreational UAVs increases, the demand for time on charging stations may increase. Thus, a UAV needing to use a charging station may have to wait when all charging stations are occupied by other UAVs. Similarly, multiple UAVs may not be able to land at the same charging station at the same time. Efficient charging station resource management may enable UAVs that need recharging the most to receive a needed recharge for completing a mission without having to cut the mission short or returning to a base location. Such charging stations may be configured to autonomously make determination regarding a charging order for UAVs needing to dock at the charging station.