How LAANC Authorization Works on a Part 107 Job

On a Part 107 job in controlled airspace, airspace authorization is not optional paperwork. Under 14 CFR § 107.41, no person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace, or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport, unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control. The Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability — LAANC — is the FAA’s primary automated path for obtaining that authorization for many low-altitude operations near participating airports.

This article is a federal airspace-process explainer based on FAA published guidance. It is not legal advice. Confirm the live FAA pages and the eCFR text before you rely on any summary for a specific flight.

What LAANC is under the FAA UAS Data Exchange

According to the FAA’s UAS Data Exchange (LAANC) page, LAANC is the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, a collaboration between the FAA and industry under the broader FAA UAS Data Exchange. The Exchange is the agency’s framework for sharing airspace data between government and private industry; LAANC is the first partnership under that umbrella.

FAA guidance states that LAANC provides access to controlled airspace at or below 400 feet, awareness of where pilots can and cannot fly, Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) information and Special Use Airspace schedule updates, and visibility for air traffic into where and when drones will operate. For a Part 107 remote pilot in command, the point is narrower: LAANC is how many commercial operators obtain the airspace authorization that § 107.41 requires before entering the listed controlled airspace.

USS applications: how a Part 107 pilot requests authorization

Pilots do not submit LAANC requests through a single FAA web form for every airport. The FAA’s LAANC page explains that approved companies — UAS Service Suppliers (USS) — provide the desktop and mobile applications used for LAANC. Through those apps, pilots apply for airspace authorization. Requests are checked against UAS Facility Maps, Special Use Airspace data, airports and airspace classes, Temporary Flight Restrictions, and Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs). If approved, pilots can receive authorization in near-real time.

The FAA maintains the approved USS list on the same LAANC page; use that current list when selecting an app. The FAA’s Part 107 airspace authorizations page likewise states that LAANC authorizations come through FAA-approved USS applications, and that requests may be submitted up to 90 days in advance of a planned flight.

Near-real-time authorization at or below UAS Facility Map altitudes

UAS Facility Maps (UASFMs) set the pre-approved altitude ceilings used for automated LAANC processing around participating airports. Per FAA Part 107 airspace-authorization guidance, LAANC supports near-real-time authorizations at those pre-approved altitudes. A request at or below the UASFM altitude for the requested grid cell can be approved automatically through the USS application without further-coordination review.

FAA LAANC guidance notes availability at hundreds of airports (the FAA page lists 726). Near an airport that does not offer LAANC, the pilot uses the FAA’s manual authorization process instead. Facility participation does not replace reading the UASFM altitudes for the planned location.

Further coordination: above the UASFM, up to 400 feet, Part 107 only

When the planned altitude exceeds the designated UAS Facility Map ceiling but remains at or under 400 feet, FAA guidance describes a second LAANC path: further coordination. That request must be reviewed by an Air Traffic Manager who manages the airspace; it is not near-real-time automatic approval.

FAA Part 107 airspace-authorization guidance states that further coordination requests must be submitted at least 72 hours prior to the requested start time. Further coordination is available to Part 107 pilots only; recreational flyers under the statutory exception do not use that above-UASFM path through LAANC.

FAA LAANC guidance also notes that facilities can provide additional guidance for denied further coordination requests so pilots can adjust operations and resubmit. A denial refuses that request as submitted; it is not a § 107.41 waiver.

Who may use LAANC, and the 90-day request window

The FAA’s LAANC page states that LAANC is available to pilots under the Small UAS Rule Part 107 or under the exception for Recreational Flyers, through an FAA-approved USS. Near-real-time authorization under 400 feet in controlled airspace around airports is available to both Part 107 and recreational flyers. Further coordination above the UASFM ceiling, up to 400 feet, remains Part 107 only.

LAANC requests may be submitted up to 90 days in advance. That planning window does not relax the separate rule that further coordination requests must be submitted at least 72 hours before the requested start time.

For Part 107, the FAA’s LAANC page states that pilots must register the drone and hold a Remote Pilot Certificate. Recreational flyers must register and complete the Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) before the first flight. LAANC does not create a separate certificate.

Authorization only: NOTAMs, TFRs, and weather still apply

FAA LAANC guidance is explicit on scope: LAANC provides airspace authorizations only. Pilots must still check NOTAMs, weather conditions, and abide by all airspace restrictions. A near-real-time approval does not clear a later TFR for the same volume, nor does it replace a preflight weather assessment or other Part 107 operating limitations.

Unless specifically requested in an authorization, the FAA notes that drone pilots do not need to notify the tower before they fly after LAANC authorization. That concerns tower notification only; it does not expand the authorization’s geographic or altitude scope.

If an operation requires both a waiver and an airspace authorization, FAA LAANC guidance directs the pilot to apply for both through the FAA’s DroneZone. LAANC does not absorb waiver processing into the USS near-real-time path.

Federal airspace process, not state law

LAANC and § 107.41 address federal authorization to operate in certain controlled airspace. They do not displace state or local statutes on imaging, critical infrastructure overflight, takeoff and landing on local property, or other non-airspace conduct. Treat FAA airspace authorization as one required federal layer, then confirm any state or municipal rules for the job site.

Official FAA sources: UAS Data Exchange (LAANC) and Part 107 airspace authorizations. Confirm both pages, the current approved USS list, and 14 CFR § 107.41 before relying on this summary for a specific Part 107 operation.