What Part 107 actually lets you do
The privileges, the limits attached to them, and the four things people wrongly assume the certificate covers.
Researched from published specifications and verified owner reviews · updated 2026
The short answer
A Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate lets you fly a registered drone under 55 lb for any purpose including commercial work, up to 400 feet above ground level, at up to 100 mph ground speed, in three statute miles of visibility, within visual line of sight. Night flying is permitted with training and anti-collision lighting visible for three statute miles. Flights over people follow a four-category system, and beyond visual line of sight requires a waiver.
A Part 107 certificate is often described as permission to fly commercially, which is true and not very useful. What it actually does is move you from a narrow statutory exception into a full operating rule set, with specific privileges and specific numbered limits that you are expected to know. This page is the practical inventory of both: what you may now do, what conditions come attached, and what still requires something extra.
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Night flying under Part 107 needs anti-collision lighting visible for three statute miles with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. That is a specific performance requirement rather than a suggestion to fit a bright light, so buy lighting whose manufacturer states the figure, and treat any product that does not state it as unproven for the purpose.
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The core privilege
With the certificate you may operate a small unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 lb, including everything aboard it, for any purpose. That includes paid work, work for your own business, monetized content and anything else that would have fallen outside the recreational exception. The aircraft must be registered with the FAA regardless of weight, and you are the remote pilot in command, which means you are responsible for the airworthiness of the aircraft and for the conduct and outcome of the flight.
That last sentence carries more weight than the privilege itself. Under the recreational exception a lot of responsibility sits implicitly with the manufacturer's defaults and the community guidelines. Under Part 107 it sits explicitly with you, by name, and the preflight inspection is a rule rather than a habit.
The numbered limits
| Limit | The number | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight | Under 55 lb (25 kg) | Including payload, filters, guards and everything else aboard. |
| Maximum altitude | 400 ft AGL | Above the ground beneath the aircraft, not above your launch point. |
| Structure exception | 400 ft above a structure | Only within a 400 ft radius of it. This is what makes tower work legal. |
| Maximum ground speed | 100 mph (87 knots) | Ground speed, so a strong tailwind counts against you. |
| Minimum flight visibility | 3 statute miles | Measured from the control station, not from the aircraft. |
| Cloud clearance | 500 ft below, 2,000 ft horizontal | You may not operate in or above a cloud layer that breaks this. |
| Visual line of sight | Required throughout | Unaided vision, by you or a visual observer beside you. |
| Aircraft at once | One | One remote pilot may not operate more than a single aircraft at a time. |
Two of those cause more trouble than the rest. The altitude limit is measured above the terrain under the aircraft, so flying out over a valley increases your height above ground even while the number on your controller stays put. And the visibility limit is measured from where you are standing, which is why a hazy day that looks flyable from a hilltop can quietly put you outside the rule.
Night operations
Night flying is permitted, and it has two conditions that apply together. First, you must have completed the night operations training, which is part of the current recurrent training course. Second, the aircraft must carry anti-collision lighting visible for at least three statute miles with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision.
The second condition is where operators get sloppy. Three statute miles is a performance figure, not a vibe, and most decorative drone lighting makes no such claim. Buy lighting whose manufacturer states the visibility figure explicitly, fit it where it is visible from all approaches, and remember it adds weight that counts toward your takeoff figure. Night work also makes a landing pad genuinely useful rather than merely tidy, and a Hoodman weighted trifold landing pad (LP21) ($40) with a weighted edge stays put without stakes on a client site.
Practical night limits that are not in the regulation but should be in your planning: obstacle sensors are far less reliable in the dark, downward vision positioning degrades, and your ability to judge distance by eye collapses. Fly a site in daylight before you fly it at night.
Operations over people
The old blanket prohibition on flying over people has been replaced by a category system based on the aircraft. Category 1 covers aircraft weighing 0.55 lb or less with no exposed rotating parts that could lacerate skin. Categories 2 and 3 depend on manufacturer declarations that the aircraft meets defined injury-severity thresholds, with different operational restrictions. Category 4 requires an airworthiness certificate and is not a consumer path.
The practical consequence is that this is a question about your specific aircraft and its declared category, not about your certificate. Do not assume a light aircraft qualifies for Category 1 just because it is light: guards, filters and payloads change the weight, and exposed propellers disqualify regardless. A caged airframe like the DJI Flip ($349) exists partly because exposed blades are the thing that makes proximity to people fraught.
Operations over moving vehicles carry their own restrictions within the same rule, and sustained flight over open-air assemblies of people is a separate and much higher bar. If a job involves a crowd, get the answer in writing before you quote it.
What still needs a waiver
Several sections of Part 107 are waivable on application, and the ones that matter most commercially are beyond visual line of sight under 107.31, operating multiple aircraft under 107.35, operating from a moving vehicle under 107.25, and certain operations over people. A waiver is granted when you can demonstrate that the proposed operation can be conducted safely under the conditions you propose, which means the application is a safety case rather than a form. The realistic timeline and what a strong application contains are on waivers explained.
Airspace authorization is a separate mechanism from a waiver and is granted far more readily. In controlled airspace you request an authorization, normally through LAANC, and most requests in supported areas return in seconds up to a published ceiling grid.
What the certificate does not do
It does not grant access to land. Takeoff and landing happen on somebody's property and that is governed by property law and by state and local rules, not by the FAA. Many parks, beaches and municipalities prohibit launching from their land, and United States national parks prohibit launching, landing and operating within their boundaries entirely.
It does not override temporary flight restrictions. Stadium restrictions, disaster response areas, VIP movements and special security notices apply to you. Check before every flight, because these appear and disappear daily and no static website tracks them.
It does not exempt you from Remote ID. The aircraft must broadcast standard Remote ID or carry an FAA-declared broadcast module, or be operated within an FAA-Recognized Identification Area. See Remote ID explained.
It does not make you insured. Insurance is not a legal requirement and is effectively mandatory the moment a client is involved, because the client's own risk position usually requires it. See drone insurance explained.
It does not permit surveillance. Privacy law is separate, varies by state, and a certificate is not a defence. This site does not cover observing people, and no aerial work should be pointed at anyone who has not agreed to it.
What to have in the bag once you are certificated
Commercial flying changes the field kit in three specific ways. You need documentation on you, meaning the certificate, aircraft registration and identification, all of which can be digital but should work without signal. You need a ASA Standard UAS Operator Logbook ($10), because clients and insurers ask for flight history and reconstructing it later is not defensible. And you need to look like a professional operation on site, which sounds cosmetic and is not: a High-visibility DRONE PILOT safety vest ($24) turns a conversation with a curious passer-by or a site manager into a short one.
Everything else is job-specific. The kit that supports a full commercial workflow, priced and linked line by line, is the commercial mapping build, and the wider business side is covered on starting a drone business.
Keep the privileges current
The certificate does not expire, but the privileges lapse without recurrent training every 24 calendar months. It is a free online course rather than a retest, it takes an evening, and there is no reminder from the FAA. Put a calendar entry at 22 months the day you pass, and keep the completion certificate with your other documents. The specifics are on recurrent training.
Questions people ask
+ Does Part 107 let me fly over people?
Only under the operations over people rule, which sorts aircraft into four categories based on the injury risk they present and on whether they have exposed rotating parts. Category 1 covers aircraft under 0.55 lb with no exposed blades that can lacerate. Categories 2 and 3 depend on manufacturer declarations of compliance. Category 4 requires an airworthiness certificate. Check what your specific aircraft is declared as before assuming anything.
+ Can I fly at night with Part 107?
Yes, provided you have completed the night operations training in the current recurrent course and the aircraft carries anti-collision lighting visible for at least three statute miles with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. Both conditions are required together. Verify the lighting manufacturer actually states the three statute mile figure rather than assuming a bright light qualifies.
+ How high can I fly under Part 107?
Four hundred feet above ground level, measured from the ground beneath the aircraft rather than from your launch point. There is one exception: within a 400 foot radius of a structure you may fly up to 400 feet above that structure's uppermost limit, which is what makes tower and building inspection legal. In controlled airspace your ceiling is whatever the authorization grants, which is often lower.
+ Can I fly beyond visual line of sight?
Not under the standard certificate. Section 107.31 requires the remote pilot in command, the person manipulating the controls or a visual observer to be able to see the aircraft with unaided vision throughout the flight. Beyond visual line of sight operations require a waiver, and those applications are among the hardest to get approved because the applicant has to demonstrate an alternative means of seeing and avoiding other aircraft.
+ Does Part 107 override state or local rules?
No. The FAA regulates the airspace, and state, local and property rules on takeoff, landing and land use are separate. Many parks, beaches and municipalities prohibit launching from their property even where the airspace above is unrestricted, and United States national parks prohibit launching, landing and operating from within their boundaries. A Part 107 certificate does not grant access to land.
+ Can I carry cargo or a payload under Part 107?
You may carry a payload as long as the total weight including everything aboard stays under 55 lb and the load is secured and does not adversely affect handling. Carrying property for compensation or hire is subject to additional restrictions, including a prohibition on interstate carriage, so a delivery operation is a materially different proposition from carrying a camera.
