What Is FAA Part 107? The Commercial Drone Rule, Explained

Updated July 2026 · Part 107 Quiz editorial team

Part 107 is the short name pilots use for 14 CFR Part 107, the Federal Aviation Administration's regulation covering non-recreational drone flights in U.S. airspace. It took effect in August 2016 and applies to any small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) weighing under 55 pounds at takeoff — including everything mounted on it, like a camera or sensor — that you fly for a purpose beyond pure personal enjoyment. In plain terms: if a flight advances any business interest, however small, it falls under Part 107 rather than the recreational rules.

Who Needs Part 107?

The FAA's definition of "non-recreational" is broader than most new pilots expect. It covers any flight that serves a business purpose, including:

• Paid photography or video work
• Real-estate listing shoots
• Roof, cell-tower, or utility inspections
• Mapping and surveying
• Agricultural monitoring
• Volunteering your drone for an organization's search-support effort
• Creating marketing content for your own business

The example that catches the most people off guard is a monetized YouTube or social media channel. If you fly a drone to capture content for a channel that earns ad revenue, sponsorships, or any other income, that flight counts as non-recreational in the FAA's eyes, and you need a remote pilot certificate under Part 107. The test the FAA applies isn't "did someone hand me money today" — it's whether the flight advances any business interest at all.

Purely recreational flyers, meaning people flying only for personal fun with no business angle whatsoever, fall instead under the Exception for Limited Recreational Operations. They must pass the free, online TRUST test before flying, but TRUST grants zero commercial privileges. It's a safety-awareness test, not a certification, and it stops applying the moment any business purpose enters the picture.

Part 107 vs. Recreational Flying

The two paths diverge on nearly every practical point, from what it costs to get started to how much airspace flexibility you have in the air:

For a deeper look at the regulatory material behind these differences, our regulations study guide breaks down the topic area the FAA knowledge test draws from most.

The Core Operating Rules

Once you're certified and flying under Part 107, a consistent set of operating limits applies to every flight. These are the baseline rules the knowledge test leans on most heavily:

• Aircraft weighs under 55 lbs at takeoff, including any payload
• Maximum altitude of 400 ft AGL, or within 400 ft of a structure
• Maximum groundspeed of 100 mph
• Minimum visibility of 3 statute miles from the control station
• Stay 500 ft below and 2,000 ft horizontally from clouds
• Maintain visual line of sight with the aircraft at all times
• Operate only one drone per remote pilot at a time
• No flights over people or moving vehicles unless the aircraft qualifies under the Category 1-4 rules
• Fly during daylight, civil twilight, or night with anti-collision lighting
• Yield the right of way to all manned aircraft
• Never operate in a careless or reckless manner
• Get airspace authorization before flying in controlled airspace
• Comply with Remote ID requirements
• Keep the drone registered and marked with its registration number

How the Rule Has Evolved

Part 107 hasn't stood still since 2016. Two rounds of amendments have reshaped what's routinely allowed:

2016: The original rule took effect, built around daylight, visual-line-of-sight flights with no routine flights over people and no routine night operations.

April 2021: Amendments added provisions for routine night operations, allowed without a waiver once a pilot has the required training and the aircraft carries anti-collision lighting, and introduced the Operations Over People framework. That framework sorts aircraft into four categories, numbered 1 through 4, based on injury risk, weight, and onboard safety features. Our night operations guide covers the details pilots most often get wrong on the exam.

September 2023: Remote ID compliance became required for most drone flights, functioning something like a digital license plate that lets the FAA and air traffic control identify drones in flight. Our Remote ID study guide covers what's required and which aircraft are exempt.

Waivers

Not every Part 107 rule is absolute. Under 14 CFR 107.200, the FAA can waive specific sections of the rule for a given operation — visual line of sight, the altitude ceiling, and flying more than one aircraft per pilot are common examples — provided you can demonstrate your operation maintains an equivalent level of safety without that restriction. Waiver applications are submitted through FAA DroneZone, and approval depends on the safety case you present, not simply on the paperwork being complete.

Ready to Start?

If you've confirmed your flying falls under Part 107, the next steps are studying the knowledge-test topic areas and scheduling your exam. Our free mock exam is a straightforward way to see where you stand before test day, and our step-by-step guide to getting your Part 107 license walks through the entire certification process, from your first FAA account to your registered aircraft.

For a full topic-by-topic breakdown of everything on the exam, browse the study guide.

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