Federal Drone Regulations
FAA Part 107, Remote ID, airspace rules, and everything else you need to know about flying drones legally in the United States.
14 CFR Part 107 — Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
No material changes to core Part 107 rules identified in recent Federal Register documents. Current regulations remain in effect covering remote pilot certification, operating limitations, operations over people (Categories 1-4), night operations, VLOS requirements, and waiver procedures.
Remote Pilot Certification (§ 107.56-107.74)
Requires remote pilot certificate with small UAS rating. Knowledge test and recurrent training requirements remain unchanged.
Operations Over Human Beings (§ 107.39-107.145)
Four-category framework for operations over people. Category 1 (unchanged aircraft, no altitude limit), Category 2 (Part 21 certified), Category 3 (advanced operations), Category 4 (airworthiness certification required). No recent amendments.
Night Operations (§ 107.29)
Current rule requires FAA waiver for night ops. Under consideration in BVLOS NPRM but not yet amended.
Visual Line of Sight (§ 107.31)
Current requirement maintained. BVLOS normalization proposed but not finalized.
14 CFR Part 89 — Remote Identification
Part 89 Remote ID rules remain in full effect. All UAS operators must comply with Remote ID requirements since September 16, 2023. No material changes identified in recent Federal Register documents.
Remote ID Requirement (§ 89.105)
Mandatory as of September 16, 2023. No person may operate UAS in US airspace without meeting Remote ID requirements via standard Remote ID or alternative compliance (§ 89.110 or § 89.115).
Standard Remote ID Aircraft (§ 89.110)
Aircraft must broadcast remote identification message elements including serial number, control station location, timestamp, and other identifiers per §§ 89.305, 89.310.
Alternative Remote ID (§ 89.115)
Remote ID broadcast modules or FAA-recognized identification areas as alternatives to standard Remote ID.
14 CFR Part 48 — Small Unmanned Aircraft Registration
Part 48 registration requirements remain in effect. UAS operators must register aircraft unless exclusively recreational and complying with AMA Section 333 exemption. No material changes identified in recent Federal Register documents.
Registration Requirement (§ 48.15)
Required for non-recreational operations and limited recreational operations. Certificate of Aircraft Registration constitutes registration.
Recreational Operations (§ 48.105)
UAS intended exclusively for limited recreational operations under Part 101 requirements; single certificate covers multiple aircraft owned by individual.
Commercial/Non-Recreational (§ 48.100)
Individual aircraft registration required for any operation other than exclusive recreational use.
Important Notice
Federal regulations are the baseline. Many states and municipalities impose additional requirements. Always check your specific state's drone laws before flying.