Study module 1 of 5
Regulations
Part 107 is short: a few dozen sections of 14 CFR. The test asks about the numbers in it and about how the rules apply to realistic situations. This module explains the rules; the cheat sheet lists them section by section.
The numbers the test wants you to know
- 400 ft AGLmaximum altitude, or 400 ft above a structure within a 400 ft radius of it
- 87 ktmaximum groundspeed (100 mph)
- 3 smminimum visibility from the control station
- 500 / 2,000feet below and horizontally from clouds
- 55 lbaircraft must weigh less than this at takeoff, everything included
- 16minimum age for the certificate
- 8 hr / 0.04no alcohol within 8 hours; blood alcohol below 0.04 percent
- 10 daysto report a qualifying accident to the FAA
- $500property damage threshold for reporting (not counting the drone)
- 14 dayswait before retaking a failed knowledge test
- 24 monthsrecurrent training interval, in calendar months
- 30 daysto notify the FAA of an address change
- 120 daysvalidity of a temporary certificate
- 3 smvisibility distance required of anti-collision lights at night
- $5 / 3 yrregistration cost and validity per aircraft
- 1aircraft per remote PIC at a time, without a waiver
Who may act as remote pilot in command
Every Part 107 flight has a remote pilot in command (remote PIC), designated before or during the flight, who is directly responsible for and the final authority over the operation (107.19). Someone else may manipulate the controls only under the remote PIC's direct supervision, where the remote PIC can take over immediately.
To act as remote PIC you must hold a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating (107.12) and have either passed the initial knowledge test or completed the FAA's recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months (107.65). Calendar months means the requirement runs to the end of the month, two years later.
Eligibility (107.61): at least 16 years old; able to read, speak, write, and understand English (with limited medical exceptions); no physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe operation; and a passing knowledge test score, or for current Part 61 pilots, the FAA's online initial course.
No one may act as remote PIC, visual observer, or control operator if they know, or have reason to know, of any physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe operation. That includes a bad cold, a new sedating medication, or a sleepless night. There is no medical certificate for Part 107; you self-certify every flight.
Alcohol and drugs (107.27). The rules of 91.17 and 91.19 apply: no acting as a crewmember within 8 hours of consuming alcohol, while under its influence, while using any drug that affects your faculties contrary to safety, or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent or more. A drug or alcohol conviction, or refusing a test, can cost you the certificate (107.57, 107.59).
Operating limitations (107.51)
Four limits, all measured in a specific way:
- Altitude: no higher than 400 ft above ground level, unless the aircraft is within a 400 ft radius of a structure and no more than 400 ft above the structure's uppermost limit. Inspecting a 600 ft tower, you may fly to 1,000 ft AGL while within 400 ft of it.
- Speed: groundspeed no greater than 87 knots (100 mph).
- Visibility: at least 3 statute miles, as observed from the location of the control station.
- Cloud clearance: at least 500 ft below and 2,000 ft horizontally from any cloud.
Questions love the structure exception. Read for two conditions: within 400 ft of the structure and no more than 400 ft above its top. Both must be true. And note that AGL means above the ground directly below the aircraft, not above the launch point.
Where you may fly
Airspace authorization (107.41). You need prior ATC authorization to operate in Class B, C, or D airspace, or within the lateral boundaries of a Class E surface area designated for an airport. Class G needs no authorization. Class E that begins at 700 or 1,200 ft AGL does not reach you at 400 ft. Authorizations come through LAANC (automated, minutes) or FAADroneZone (manual, weeks). The airspace module covers how to tell which airspace you are in.
Near airports (107.43). Even where no authorization is needed, you may not interfere with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport, or seaplane base.
Prohibited and restricted areas (107.45). Permission from the using or controlling agency is required.
Flight restrictions (107.47). You must comply with TFRs and the special security instructions issued under 99.7, such as the standing restriction over stadiums during major sporting events (3 nautical miles, 3,000 ft AGL, one hour before to one hour after). TFRs are published as NOTAMs and are never printed on charts.
State and local rules. The FAA regulates airspace, but states, counties, cities, and park agencies can regulate where you take off and land, trespass, privacy, and police powers. The National Park Service prohibits launching or landing inside national parks. Check every launch site.
How you must fly
Visual line of sight (107.31). Throughout the flight, the remote PIC, the person on the controls, or a visual observer must be able to see the aircraft with vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, well enough to know its location, attitude, altitude, and direction and to see and avoid other traffic. First-person-view goggles do not count. Binoculars may be used only momentarily.
Visual observer (107.33). Optional, but if used, the remote PIC and VO must maintain effective communication at all times (a radio counts), and the VO must be able to see the aircraft unaided. A VO extends your scanning, not your range.
One aircraft at a time (107.35). A person may not act as remote PIC, VO, or control operator for more than one unmanned aircraft at a time, without a waiver.
Moving vehicles (107.25). You may not operate from a moving aircraft. You may operate from a moving land or water vehicle only over a sparsely populated area and not while carrying someone else's property for compensation.
Right of way (107.37). Yield to all aircraft, airborne vehicles, and launch and reentry vehicles. Yielding means giving way and not passing over, under, or ahead of them unless well clear. A manned aircraft always wins. Also, no operating so close to another aircraft as to create a collision hazard.
Careless or reckless operation and dropped objects (107.23). You may not operate in a careless or reckless manner that endangers life or property, and you may not allow an object to be dropped in a way that creates an undue hazard.
Hazardous materials (107.36). Prohibited, and not waivable.
Transporting property. Allowed for compensation within a state if everything else in Part 107 is met: under 55 lb total, VLOS, not from a moving vehicle. Carriage across state lines for hire falls under other economic regulations, which is why the FAA limits it to intrastate.
Safe condition and preflight (107.15, 107.49). The aircraft must be in a condition for safe operation; discontinue the flight if continuing would be hazardous. Before every flight the remote PIC must assess the weather, airspace, and ground hazards, brief every participant, verify the control link, confirm there is enough power, and secure any payload.
Operations over people (107.39 and Subpart D)
By default you may not fly over a human being unless that person is directly participating in the operation, or is under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that can protect them from a falling aircraft. Since April 2021 there are four aircraft categories that allow flight over people without a waiver:
| Category | Aircraft requirement | Over open-air assemblies? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.55 lb or less including everything attached; no exposed rotating parts that could lacerate skin; no safety defects | Yes, sustained flight allowed only with Remote ID |
| 2 | FAA-accepted declaration of compliance: injury severity at or below 11 ft-lb of kinetic energy on impact, no exposed lacerating parts, no safety defects | Yes, with Remote ID |
| 3 | Declaration of compliance at or below 25 ft-lb; same other conditions | No. Over people only at a closed or restricted-access site where everyone is on notice, or with no sustained flight over any person not under cover |
| 4 | Airworthiness certificate under Part 21, maintained per its approved program | Yes, with Remote ID |
Operations over moving vehicles (107.145) follow the same pattern: Categories 1 through 3 only within a closed or restricted-access site where people are on notice, or with no sustained flight over the vehicle; Category 4 under its operating limitations.
Night and civil twilight (107.29)
Night operations are allowed without a waiver if two things are true: the remote PIC has completed the current initial test or recurrent training (which includes night knowledge), and the aircraft has anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. The same lighting is required during civil twilight, defined in the contiguous United States as 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset. The remote PIC may reduce the light's intensity only if it is in the interest of safety.
Registration (Part 48) and Remote ID (Part 89)
Every aircraft flown under Part 107 must be registered, regardless of weight (the 250 gram exemption is only for purely recreational flying). Register at FAADroneZone: $5 per aircraft, valid 3 years, and mark the registration number legibly on an external surface. Carry proof of registration.
Registered aircraft must broadcast Remote ID. Three ways to comply: standard Remote ID built into the aircraft (broadcasts aircraft and control station location); a broadcast module attached to the aircraft, listed on the registration, with the aircraft kept within VLOS of the operator (broadcasts the takeoff location instead); or operating only within an FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA). The requirement took effect September 16, 2023; the FAA's enforcement discretion ended March 16, 2024.
Accidents, emergencies, and inspections
Accident reporting (107.9). Within 10 calendar days, report to the FAA (through FAADroneZone or a FSDO) any operation that results in serious injury to a person or loss of consciousness, or damage to property other than the aircraft of $500 or more (repair cost or fair market value, whichever is lower). Damage to your own drone never counts.
In-flight emergencies (107.21). The remote PIC may deviate from any rule of Part 107 to the extent necessary to meet the emergency, and must file a written report if the FAA asks.
Inspection (107.7). You must present your certificate, the aircraft registration, and any other required document, and make the aircraft and records available for inspection or testing, upon request from the FAA, NTSB, TSA, or any federal, state, or local law enforcement officer.
Falsification (107.5). False statements on any application, report, or record are grounds for denial, suspension, or revocation.
Waivers (Subpart E)
The FAA can waive specific rules if you show the operation can be conducted safely under the terms of a certificate of waiver (107.200). Apply through FAADroneZone. Waivable rules (107.205) include operation from a moving vehicle, parts of the night rule, VLOS, visual observer, multiple aircraft, yielding right of way, operations over people, operations in certain airspace, and the operating limitations in 107.51. Not waivable: alcohol and drugs, careless operation, hazardous materials, and the certification requirements.
Test tips for regulations questions
- Many questions are scenarios. Find the rule being tested, then check each answer against the exact wording. "Sparsely populated" is not "rural"; "serious injury" is not "any injury".
- Watch units: feet AGL vs MSL, statute miles vs nautical miles, knots vs mph, calendar days vs days.
- If an answer says a rule can never be waived, check the 107.205 list in your head.
- The FAA's own sample questions (free, on the resources page) show the exact style.