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Drone flying after dark with an anti-collision strobe litNIGHT · 3 SM

Flying legally

How to fly a drone at night, legally

For Part 107 pilots, night flying no longer needs a special waiver. Since a 2021 rule change, you can fly at night routinely as long as you have done the recurrent training and your drone carries proper anti-collision lighting. Here is the standard, and where recreational flyers stand.

Verified June 13, 2026. Educational, not legal advice. FAA rules change, so confirm current requirements at faa.gov/uas before you fly.

Time

10 min read

Cost

Cost of a light (~$15+)

What you need

  • A current Part 107 certificate
  • Anti-collision lights (3 sm visible)
  • 3 sm of flight visibility

What changed in 2021

Before 2021, any night drone operation required a specific FAA waiver. The updated Part 107 rule folded night flying into the routine rules: a certificated pilot who has completed the recurrent training and equips the aircraft with anti-collision lighting can fly at night without applying for anything extra.

“Night” for these purposes means the period after the evening civil twilight and before morning civil twilight. The daylight window runs from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset; the twilight and full-dark periods are where the lighting requirement kicks in.

Fly at night under Part 107, step by step

  1. Hold a current Part 107 certificate

    The routine night allowance is a Part 107 privilege. If you do not have the certificate, see our certification guide . This is one of the concrete reasons the credential is worth it.

  2. Complete the recurrent training

    The free online FAA recurrent training (renewed every 24 months) now covers night operations. Completing it is what unlocks the routine night privilege and keeps your certificate current.

  3. Equip anti-collision lighting

    Fit lights visible for at least 3 statute miles with a flash rate fast enough to avoid a collision. The factory navigation LEDs on most consumer drones are not bright enough; you need a dedicated strobe.

  4. Confirm visibility and keep line of sight

    You still need at least 3 statute miles of visibility from your control station, and you must keep the drone within visual line of sight, which, at night, means relying on those strobes to track it.

The lighting standard, specifically

The requirement is precise: anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. A small clip-on aviation strobe meets this; the dim green/red position lights built into a hobby drone generally do not.

Factory LEDs usually do not qualify

Do not assume your drone's built-in lights satisfy the rule. Buy a strobe rated for 3-statute-mile visibility and mount it where it will not blind your own camera or sensors.

Where recreational flyers stand

The routine night allowance is a Part 107 privilege. Recreational flyers operate under a different framework (the recreational exception), and night flying for hobbyists is governed by the safety guidelines of a recognized community-based organization rather than the Part 107 rule.

Want to fly at night reliably?

The cleanest path to legal, routine night flying is the Part 107 certificate. It removes the ambiguity, and the night privilege is one of its most practical perks.

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