Part 107 Compliance Guide for Commercial Drone Pilots

Part 107 is the section of the federal aviation regulations that governs small unmanned aircraft operations in the United States. It replaced the patchwork of Section 333 exemptions in 2016 and has since evolved to cover night operations, operations over people, and remote identification. If your drone weighs less than 55 pounds and you are flying for anything other than pure recreation, Part 107 is almost certainly the rule set you operate under.

This guide walks through the pieces of Part 107 that matter for a working operator: how to get certified, what the operating limits actually mean in practice, when a waiver is worth pursuing, and the paperwork that turns compliance from a stressful scramble into a routine.

Getting and keeping the Remote Pilot Certificate

A first-time applicant takes the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) knowledge test at an FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center. The test covers airspace, weather, aircraft performance, and operating rules. After passing, the applicant files FAA Form 8710-13 through IACRA and, following TSA vetting, receives a temporary certificate and later the permanent card. Pilots who already hold a Part 61 certificate can take a shorter online recurrent course instead of the full knowledge test.

To stay current, every remote pilot must complete the online recurrent training every 24 calendar months. Missing that window is one of the most common compliance failures we see, and it is entirely avoidable with a shared calendar and a copy of the completion certificate stored in your document system.

Operating limits you need to know

Altitude, distance, and airspace

The default envelope is straightforward: below 400 feet above ground level, within visual line of sight, in Class G airspace, during daylight or civil twilight with anti-collision lighting. Class B, C, D, and surface-area E airspace requires authorization, generally obtained through LAANC. When operating near a structure, you may fly up to 400 feet above the structure's uppermost limit, which matters for tower inspection work.

Operations over people and moving vehicles

The updated Part 107 rules created four categories of operations over people. Which category applies depends on the aircraft, its kinetic energy, and the presence of exposed rotating parts. Category 1 covers very light aircraft under 0.55 pounds. Categories 2 and 3 require declared means of compliance from the manufacturer. Category 4 requires an airworthiness certificate. Operations from a moving vehicle are limited to sparsely populated areas unless authorized.

Waivers, authorizations, and Remote ID

When your mission does not fit inside the default Part 107 envelope — night operations with lights not meeting the minimum, beyond visual line of sight, higher altitudes — you have two tools: an airspace authorization for controlled airspace, or a Part 107 waiver for the operating rule you cannot meet. Waivers require a safety case describing how you will achieve an equivalent level of safety. Keep granted waivers, their conditions, and any required reports in a single place so the operating team can reference them without hunting.

Remote ID is now table stakes. Every registered drone flying under Part 107 must broadcast identification and location, either through standard Remote ID built into the aircraft or a broadcast module attached to older airframes. When an inspector asks, you should be able to name the compliance path for each drone in the fleet.

Building a records habit

The regulation itself is not overly prescriptive about recordkeeping, but the FAA can request records tied to a specific incident or operation. Pilots should keep flight logs, maintenance records, incident reports, and copies of authorizations. Operators with more than a couple of pilots benefit from centralizing these records so nothing lives on one person's laptop.