FAA rules quick reference

One table, the numbers you are expected to know, on both the recreational and commercial paths.

Researched from published specifications and verified owner reviews · updated 2026

The short answer

The core United States drone limits are 400 feet above ground level, a 250 g registration threshold for recreational flying, a 55 lb total takeoff weight ceiling, and under Part 107 a 100 mph ground speed limit, three statute miles of flight visibility and cloud clearance of 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally. Controlled airspace requires prior authorization on both paths, visual line of sight is required on both, and Remote ID applies to the aircraft either way.

This is a memory aid, not an authority. Every figure below is researched from published FAA material and none of it is legal advice. Use it at the launch point to check a number you already understand, and use the FAA and your airspace app to confirm anything that decides whether a flight happens.

Where these numbers get recorded

ASA

ASA Standard UAS Operator Logbook

Paper logbook, flight and maintenance

Every figure on this page describes a limit you flew within, and the only durable evidence that you did is a log. It is not required for Part 107 and every client, insurer and eventual dispute asks for one, which makes fourteen dollars now considerably cheaper than reconstructing a year of flights from photo timestamps later.

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The numbers, both paths

Limit	Recreational	Part 107
Maximum altitude	400 ft AGL in uncontrolled airspace	400 ft AGL, or 400 ft above a structure within 400 ft of it
Maximum takeoff weight	Under 55 lb (25 kg)	Under 55 lb (25 kg)
Registration threshold	250 g (0.55 lb) or more at takeoff	Any weight
Registration scope	One number covers your aircraft	Each aircraft registered individually
Maximum ground speed	Not stated numerically	100 mph (87 knots)
Minimum flight visibility	Not stated numerically	3 statute miles from the control station
Cloud clearance	Not stated numerically	500 ft below, 2,000 ft horizontal
Visual line of sight	Required, visual observer permitted	Required, visual observer permitted, waivable
Controlled airspace	Prior authorization required	Prior authorization required
Remote ID	Required	Required
Certification	Free TRUST test, cannot be failed	Proctored knowledge exam, 70 percent to pass
Currency	TRUST does not expire	Recurrent training every 24 calendar months
Night operations	Not permitted under the recreational guidelines generally	Permitted with training and 3 statute mile anti-collision lighting
Over people	Not permitted	Permitted under the four-category system
Aircraft at one time	One	One, waivable
Minimum age	None stated for the test	16 years

Airspace, in one line each

Class	Where you meet it	Authorization needed?
B	Busiest airports, inverted tiers on the chart	Yes, before launch
C	Medium-large airports with radar service	Yes, before launch
D	Smaller towered airports	Yes, before launch
E at the surface	Segmented magenta line on the chart	Yes, before launch
E from 700 or 1,200 ft	Magenta or blue vignette shading	No, drone flight is beneath it
G	Uncontrolled, most rural surface airspace	No

The trap in that table is the difference between a surface area and a shelf. Standing beneath a Class C shelf that begins at 1,200 feet is not the same as standing inside the Class C surface area, and only one of those requires authorization. The symbols, and how to tell them apart on a chart, are on the airspace classes chart and reading a sectional chart.

What to carry

Document	Recreational	Part 107
TRUST completion certificate	Yes, and it cannot be reissued	Not applicable to Part 107 flights
Remote Pilot Certificate	Not applicable	Yes
Aircraft registration certificate	If the aircraft is 250 g or more	Always, per aircraft
Recurrent training certificate	Not applicable	Yes, within 24 calendar months
Any waiver in force	Not applicable	Yes, with its conditions attached
Photo identification	Yes	Yes

All of these can be digital. Keep copies that open without a signal, because the places where you are most likely to be asked are also the places with no reception.

Five rules that catch people out

The 250 g threshold is takeoff weight, with everything fitted. Filters, propeller guards, strobes, an extended pack and any payload all count. A 248 g aircraft with a Propeller guard for Mini 4K, Mini 2 and Mini SE ($15) fitted is no longer a 248 g aircraft, and the weight calculator is the fastest way to know.

The exemption is about registration only. Under 250 g a recreationally flown aircraft needs no registration or marking. TRUST, visual line of sight, Remote ID, altitude and airspace authorization all still apply, and the exemption disappears entirely under Part 107.

Commercial means in furtherance of a business, not paid. Unpaid work for a friend's business, footage promoting your own business and monetized content are all commonly treated as commercial. The boundary cases are on Part 107 against the recreational rules.

Software permission is not authorization. Manufacturer geofencing and airspace apps are aids. They can be out of date and they do not know every temporary restriction. The remote pilot in command is responsible for the flight and that cannot be delegated to an app.

Federal rules are not the only rules. States, municipalities, parks and property owners regulate takeoff, landing and land use, and United States national parks prohibit launching, landing and operating within their boundaries. None of that is FAA jurisdiction and none of it is waived by a certificate.

Confirm before you fly

The regulatory numbers on this page move through rulemaking and the airspace picture moves daily. Check faa.gov/uas for the current requirements and your airspace app for temporary restrictions, every time. Full explanations of each requirement are on the rules hub, and if you are flying anywhere other than the United States, start at registration thresholds by country, because none of this transfers.

Before you fly · United States rules

Recreational flyers must pass the free TRUST aeronautical knowledge and safety test, carry proof of it, and follow the recreational rules in full: keep the aircraft within visual line of sight, do not interfere with any manned aircraft, and fly only where you are authorized to fly.

Any flight for work, for a client, or in furtherance of a business requires an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. That includes unpaid work, footage used to promote a business, and content you monetize. TRUST does not cover any of it.

Remote ID compliance is required. Your aircraft must either broadcast standard Remote ID or carry an FAA-declared broadcast module, unless you are operating inside an approved FAA-Recognized Identification Area.

Controlled airspace requires authorization before you launch. In Class B, C, D and surface Class E, get an airspace authorization through LAANC or the FAA DroneZone portal. Uncontrolled Class G does not need authorization, but altitude limits and other restrictions still apply.

Registration is required above the weight threshold. Aircraft weighing 250 g (0.55 lb) or more at takeoff, including everything you bolt on, must be registered with the FAA and marked with the registration number. Anything flown under Part 107 must be registered at any weight. The upper limit for either path is 55 lb (25 kg) total takeoff weight.

Rules change, and this page will go stale. Verify everything against current FAA guidance at faa.gov/uas and read the actual advisories in the app you use to check airspace. Do not rely on this site as your authority.

Outside the United States the rules are different. The European Union uses EASA open, specific and certified categories with A1, A2 and A3 subcategories and its own class marks. The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Japan each run separate registration, certification and remote identification regimes with different weight thresholds. Nothing on this page transfers across a border. Check your own national aviation authority.

This is researched guidance, not legal or professional advice. The remote pilot in command is responsible for the flight.

Questions people ask

+ What are the numbered limits I have to remember?

Four hundred feet above ground level, 100 mph maximum ground speed under Part 107, three statute miles minimum flight visibility from the control station, cloud clearance of 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally, a 250 g registration threshold for recreational flying and a 55 lb total takeoff weight ceiling. Those six numbers cover most of what you will ever be asked.

+ Is 400 feet measured from me or from the ground below the drone?

From the ground beneath the aircraft. Fly out over a valley and your height above ground increases even though the altitude reading on your controller does not, because the controller measures relative to the launch point. In hilly terrain that difference is large enough to put an apparently legal flight well outside the limit.

+ Do I need authorization in Class G airspace?

No. Class G is uncontrolled airspace and no prior authorization is required to operate there, for either recreational flyers or Part 107 operators. The altitude limit and every other operating rule still applies, and Class G can sit beneath controlled airspace shelves, so being in Class G at the surface does not mean the airspace above you is unrestricted.

+ What documents do I have to be able to show?

Recreational flyers should be able to present the TRUST completion certificate and, where the aircraft requires registration, the registration certificate. Part 107 pilots should be able to present the Remote Pilot Certificate, the aircraft registration, evidence of current recurrent training and any waiver in force. All of these can be digital, so keep copies that work without a signal.

+ How current is this table?

It is researched from published FAA material at the time of writing and it is not an official FAA product. Rules change through rulemaking, and temporary flight restrictions change daily. Use this to remember the shape of a requirement, and confirm the current state of it at faa.gov/uas and in your airspace app before every flight.