Lead: If you are going to fly a drone for money — a roof inspection, a real-estate shoot, a mapping job, a thermal scan of a solar array — the rule that governs that flight is 14 CFR Part 107. This is the plain-language version of what it requires, how you earn the certificate, and the mistakes that catch new pilots in their first year.

What Part 107 is

Part 107 is the FAA's Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule. It covers civil operation of drones under 55 lb (25 kg) at takeoff, and it is what made routine commercial drone work possible without a Section 333 exemption.

It is not the rule for:

  • Purely recreational flight, which falls under Section 44809 and its own limits
  • Public aircraft operations flown by a government agency under a COA
  • Large drones above 55 lb, which need a different exemption path

Who needs it

You need Part 107 whenever the flight furthers a business, even if nobody pays you for that specific flight. That includes:

  • Client work: inspection, survey, media, agriculture, insurance
  • Flights that promote your own business, including photos for your own website
  • Most public-safety and municipal programs, which fly under Part 107 or a COA

Flying strictly for fun does not require Part 107 — but it does require passing the free TRUST test and staying inside the recreational limits.

The certificate, step by step

  1. Meet the basics. At least 16 years old, able to read, speak, write and understand English.
  2. Get an FAA Tracking Number. Create an IACRA account before you test.
  3. Pass the knowledge test. The Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) exam is 60 multiple-choice questions, two hours, and 70% to pass, taken at an FAA knowledge testing center. Expect to study airspace classes, weather, loading and performance, emergency procedures, radio communications and the regulations themselves.
  4. Security vetting. The FAA submits your application for TSA vetting; there is no separate application.
  5. Apply in IACRA. You receive a temporary certificate first, then the permanent one.
  6. Stay current. Recurrent training is required every 24 calendar months. It is an online course, it is free, and there is no checkride.

The operating limits you will use every flight

| Rule | Limit | | --- | --- | | Altitude | 400 ft AGL, or 400 ft above a structure within a 400 ft radius of it | | Groundspeed | 87 knots (100 mph) | | Visibility | 3 statute miles from the control station | | Cloud clearance | 500 ft below, 2,000 ft horizontally | | Visual line of sight | Unaided eyes on the aircraft, except brief first-person-view flight with a visual observer | | Airspace | Class B, C, D and surface Class E require FAA authorization | | Over people | Only under the Subpart D categories, or a waiver | | Night | Allowed with anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles | | Right of way | Yield to all manned aircraft, never interfere with airport traffic patterns | | Impairment | No alcohol or drugs, no careless or reckless operation |

Registration and Remote ID

Register the aircraft (any drone from 0.55 lb to 55 lb), mark the registration number on the airframe, and confirm Remote ID. Standard Remote ID has been required since March 16, 2024: a registered drone either broadcasts its identity and location, carries a broadcast module, or flies only inside an FAA-Recognized Identification Area.

Airspace in practice

Most of the country is Class G and needs no approval. Around airports it is different, and a green map is not an authorization:

  • LAANC returns near-real-time approval at participating facilities through an FAA-approved app, with a ceiling for the grid you are in.
  • FAA DroneZone handles requests where LAANC is not available.
  • TFRs are checked the same day, every time. Wildfires, disasters, stadiums and security operations all generate them.

Our drone laws and compliance reference walks the federal, procurement and state layers in one place.

Waivers

Part 107 allows the FAA to waive specific sections when you can show an equivalent level of safety. The common requests are beyond visual line of sight, operations over people outside the standing categories, flight from a moving vehicle, and multiple aircraft at once. A waiver is a safety case, not a form: procedures, hardware, training, and a plan for what happens when something fails.

Reporting and paperwork

A serious injury, loss of consciousness, or property damage of $500 or more must be reported to the FAA within 10 calendar days. Keep your preflight checks, maintenance notes and flight logs — not because 107 mandates a specific logbook, but because your insurance carrier, your client and the FAA will each eventually ask.

Five mistakes new pilots make

  1. Treating 400 ft as a guarantee. It is a ceiling, not a right, and an airspace authorization may cap you lower.
  2. Assuming an app's green grid is approval. The authorization record is what counts.
  3. Forgetting Remote ID or an expired registration.
  4. Switching to a recreational mindset on a paid job. A quick favor for a friend's business is a Part 107 flight.
  5. Ignoring state and local law. Privacy statutes, wildlife rules, launch-site permission and local ordinances all sit on top of the federal rules.

Bottom line

Part 107 is a certificate, a set of operating limits, and a habit of checking airspace before every flight. Get the certificate, keep the recurrent training current, and build the preflight check into the mission rather than the memory.

Ready to put the certificate to work? Browse thermal drones and payloads built for inspection, public safety and mapping missions.