How to use this page
Start with the short answer. Open the rule only when you need the edge cases.
These are national U.S. answers. State, local, tribal, and land-manager rules can still control where you launch, land, record, or operate on the ground. Live airspace conditions also change, so a reference page is never flight clearance.
Direct answers
Credentials
Do I need a license to fly a drone in the United States?
You need an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate when the flight is not purely recreational, including paid work and flights that further a business. If the flight is only for personal enjoyment, you do not need Part 107, but you must pass the free Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) and follow every condition of the recreational exception.
Is TRUST a drone license?
No. TRUST is a free safety test and completion certificate for recreational flyers, not a commercial pilot certificate. Every recreational flyer must pass it and carry proof while flying. Non-recreational operations use the Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate instead.
Does a flight have to be paid to require Part 107?
No. The purpose of the flight matters more than whether money changes hands. A flight that supports a business, client, organization, monetized channel, inspection, listing, or other non-recreational goal generally falls under Part 107 even when the pilot is unpaid.
Direct answers
Aircraft
Do I need to register my drone with the FAA?
Every drone flown under Part 107 must be registered, regardless of weight. A drone flown only for recreation is exempt from registration only when it weighs 250 grams (0.55 pound) or less at takeoff. Recreational drones at or above 250 grams must be registered.
How much does FAA drone registration cost?
FAA drone registration costs $5 and is valid for three years. Recreational flyers use one registration number for the drones in their recreational inventory. Part 107 pilots register each aircraft separately. The official registration portal is FAADroneZone; higher-priced third-party forms are not the FAA.
Which drones need Remote ID?
A drone that is required to be registered, or that has been registered, must comply with Remote ID. The normal paths are a Standard Remote ID drone, an accepted broadcast module, or operation inside an FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA). A sub-250-gram drone used only for recreation can remain exempt when it is not registered.
Direct answers
Flight rules
How high can I legally fly a drone?
The normal ceiling is 400 feet above ground level. Under Part 107, a pilot may fly higher than 400 feet above the ground only while remaining within 400 feet of a structure and no more than 400 feet above that structure's immediate uppermost limit. Controlled-airspace authorizations and other restrictions can impose a lower ceiling.
Can I fly a drone beyond visual line of sight?
Not under ordinary recreational or Part 107 rules. The pilot must keep the aircraft within visual line of sight, or use the specific visual-observer arrangement allowed by the applicable rule. A Part 107 operation beyond visual line of sight needs FAA relief or another applicable operating authority before flight.
Can a Part 107 pilot fly a drone at night?
Yes, when the remote pilot has completed the required updated knowledge test or recurrent training and the drone has anti-collision lighting visible for at least three statute miles with a sufficient flash rate. Controlled airspace still requires authorization, and the pilot may reduce the light intensity when safety requires it.
Can I fly a drone over people or moving vehicles?
Only when the complete operation fits an FAA category or an approved waiver. Aircraft category, exposed rotating parts, sustained flight, open-air assemblies, restricted-access sites, notice, Remote ID, and the moving-vehicle conditions all matter. Owning a light drone or adding propeller guards does not create blanket permission.
Direct answers
Airspace
Can I fly a drone near an airport?
Sometimes. Flights in controlled airspace near an airport need FAA authorization before takeoff, commonly through LAANC when the location and altitude are eligible. A nearby airport in uncontrolled airspace does not automatically require authorization, but the drone must remain under the applicable altitude limit, avoid traffic patterns, yield to every crewed aircraft, and never interfere with airport operations.
Can I fly a drone in a national park?
The National Park Service generally prohibits launching, landing, or operating a drone from or on NPS-administered lands and waters. An outside launch is not an automatic green light for an overflight: FAA airspace, temporary restrictions, wildlife protections, visual-line-of-sight limits, and park-specific conditions still need to be checked.
How do I check whether a place is legal for drone flight?
Check both the sky and the ground. Use an FAA-approved B4UFLY service for airspace awareness, confirm any required LAANC authorization, review active TFRs and NOTAMs, then verify permission to launch and land from the property. Weather, people, wildlife, local rules, and site-specific restrictions can still turn a clear airspace map into a no-go.
Direct answers
Part 107 exam
What is on the FAA Part 107 knowledge test?
The Unmanned Aircraft General - Small (UAG) test covers regulations, airspace and sectional charts, weather, loading and performance, and operations. The current PSI administration presents 65 questions in 120 minutes, with 60 scored questions and five unscored validation questions. A passing score is 70 percent on the scored questions.
How much does the Part 107 test cost?
The initial FAA knowledge test costs $175 through PSI. There is no FAA flight test and no required flight-hour minimum for the Remote Pilot Certificate. After passing, the applicant completes the certificate application in IACRA and undergoes TSA security vetting.
Does a Part 107 certificate expire?
The Remote Pilot Certificate itself does not expire, but the pilot must complete the appropriate free online recurrent training within every 24 calendar months to keep Part 107 privileges current. A pilot who misses the window does not start over; completing the current recurrent course restores currency.
Your exact situation
A fact sheet cannot see your aircraft, purpose, or launch point.
Run the license checker first, then build the location-specific preflight packet.