FAA drone rules, in plain language

Drone regulation reads as though it were written to be difficult, and it was not. It is written to be precise, which is a different thing, and the precision is the part that matters. Nearly every mistake people make with these rules comes from reading an exemption as broader than it is: the sub-250 g exemption is about registration only, TRUST covers recreational flying only, and "commercial" means far more than "paid". This page lays the whole thing out in the order you meet it.

Everything here is United States federal regulation, current to the best of our research, and it changes. Nothing on this site is legal advice. Confirm the current state of any requirement with the FAA at faa.gov/uas before you fly, and read the advisories in whichever airspace app you use, because temporary restrictions appear daily and no website tracks them.

Only if your aircraft has no Remote ID

Dronetag

Dronetag BS Combo Remote ID broadcast module

Standalone broadcast module

Nearly every consumer aircraft sold today is a standard Remote ID drone with broadcast built in, so most readers need nothing here. A separate broadcast module is for home-built aircraft and older airframes that do not broadcast. Confirm the specific module is listed as an FAA-declared broadcast module before buying, because a module that is not declared does not make you compliant.

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The first question: why are you flying?

Everything downstream depends on this answer, and it is not about money changing hands. The recreational path exists under a narrow statutory exception for flying strictly for fun. The moment a flight is in furtherance of a business, it falls under Part 107 instead, and the FAA reads "in furtherance of a business" broadly. Photographs of a friend's shop for their social media, footage of your own business premises, roof images used to support an insurance claim, and monetized video are all commonly cited as commercial operations even where nobody was paid.

Two practical consequences follow. First, if there is any realistic chance a flight becomes commercial, the certificate is the safe answer, and it is not an unreasonable amount of work. Second, you do not get to choose the friendlier rule set for a given flight: the purpose decides it. The boundary cases are worked through on Part 107 versus TRUST and Part 107 against the recreational rules.

The recreational path, in order

One: pass TRUST. The Recreational UAS Safety Test is free, takes well under an hour, is delivered by FAA-approved administrators, and cannot be failed, because it re-teaches any question you get wrong until you answer it correctly. You must be able to present the completion certificate to the FAA or law enforcement on request. It cannot be reissued, so save the PDF somewhere durable the day you take it. Details on the TRUST guide.

Two: register the aircraft, if it weighs 250 g or more. The threshold is takeoff weight with everything fitted, not the number on the box. Filters, propeller guards, strobes, an extended pack and any payload all count toward it. Registration is done through the FAA DroneZone portal, costs a small fee, lasts three years, and the number must be marked on the outside of the aircraft. Work out your real number on the weight and registration calculator.

Three: satisfy Remote ID. Your aircraft must either be a standard Remote ID drone that broadcasts identification and position itself, or carry an FAA-declared broadcast module, or be flown within an FAA-Recognized Identification Area. Almost every consumer aircraft sold in the last few years does this natively, so for most readers this step is already done. The three paths are explained on Remote ID explained.

Four: check the airspace, before you leave the house. Uncontrolled Class G airspace needs no authorization. Controlled airspace, meaning Class B, C, D and surface Class E, requires prior authorization, and near a great many ordinary towns you are in controlled airspace without realising it. LAANC returns most requests in seconds through an approved app; anything LAANC will not cover goes through the FAA DroneZone portal and takes considerably longer. See the LAANC guide and the airspace classes chart.

Five: fly within the operating limits. Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight, either your own or that of a visual observer standing beside you. Stay at or below 400 feet above ground level in uncontrolled airspace, or within whatever the authorization grants in controlled airspace. Give way to, and never interfere with, any manned aircraft. Follow the safety guidelines of a community-based organization. And do not fly over people or moving vehicles in ways the recreational guidelines do not permit.

Six: carry your paperwork. TRUST certificate, registration certificate for the aircraft, and identification. All three can be digital. The requirement is that you can present them on request, so a screenshot that works without signal is more useful than a link.

The commercial path: Part 107

Part 107 is the rule set for anyone flying in furtherance of a business. Getting the certificate means being at least 16 years old, being able to read, speak, write and understand English, being in a physical and mental condition to fly safely, passing the initial aeronautical knowledge exam at an FAA-approved testing centre, and completing the TSA security vetting through the FAA's IACRA system.

Under Part 107 the aircraft must be registered regardless of weight, so the 250 g exemption does not apply to you at all. The aircraft must weigh less than 55 lb including everything aboard. And the operating limits are stricter and more specific than the recreational ones: a 400 foot ceiling above ground level with a structure exception, a maximum ground speed of 100 mph, minimum flight visibility of three statute miles from the control station, defined cloud clearances, and a requirement that the remote pilot in command inspect the aircraft before each flight.

Several of those limits can be waived on application, and several of the older ones have been replaced by rule changes: night operations are permitted with the required training and anti-collision lighting visible for three statute miles, and operations over people are governed by a category system based on the aircraft. The full picture is on the Part 107 hub, and the waiver process is on waivers explained.

The rules people most often get wrong

"Under 250 grams means no rules." It means no aircraft registration for recreational flying. TRUST, visual line of sight, airspace authorization, Remote ID and the altitude limit all still apply, and the exemption disappears entirely the moment the flight is commercial.

"400 feet is 400 feet from me." It is 400 feet above the ground beneath the aircraft, not above your launch point. Fly out over a valley and your altitude above ground increases even though the number on your screen does not, which matters a great deal in hilly terrain.

"The app let me fly, so it was allowed." Manufacturer geofencing and airspace apps are aids, not authority. They can be out of date, they do not know about every temporary restriction, and permission from software is not authorization from the FAA. The remote pilot in command is responsible for the flight, and that responsibility cannot be delegated to an app.

"I was only flying for a friend." If the flight furthers a business, including a friend's business, it is a commercial operation. Not being paid is not the test.

"Visual line of sight means I can see the screen." It means you, or a visual observer beside you, can see the aircraft itself with unaided vision, well enough to know its orientation and to see and avoid other aircraft. A strobe such as a VIFLY anti-collision strobe light ($12) makes that materially easier against a tree line or a bright sky, and it does not extend how far away you may legally fly.

What none of this covers

Federal rules are not the only rules. State and local governments regulate takeoff and landing on the land they control, and many parks, beaches and municipalities prohibit launching from their property even where the airspace above is unrestricted. National parks in the United States prohibit launching, landing and operating from within park boundaries. Privacy law is separate again and varies by state. And a property owner's permission is a matter between you and them regardless of what the FAA permits.

Nothing on this page addresses evading detection, flying in restricted airspace without authorization, defeating manufacturer safety systems, or using a drone to observe people. Those are not gaps in the coverage, they are outside what this site is for.

Reference tables for the launch point

Understanding a rule and remembering it while standing in a field are different problems. These four charts are lookup tables designed to be checked quickly rather than read.

Where to go from here

If you are new and flying for fun, take TRUST today and read the preflight checklist before your first flight. If any of your flying is or might become commercial, start the Part 107 study path now, because the exam takes weeks of preparation while an aircraft takes an afternoon to buy. And if you have not chosen a drone yet, the weight class you pick decides several of the obligations above, which is why the complete builds start with the aircraft and its takeoff weight rather than with its camera.