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Part 107 Airspace Authorization: How LAANC and DroneZone Work

Last updated October 5, 2026

Under Part 107 you need prior authorization from air traffic control (ATC) before you fly in Class B, Class C or Class D airspace, or inside the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport (14 CFR 107.41). You request it through LAANC, which can approve in near real time at or below the altitudes on the FAA’s UAS Facility Maps, or through FAADroneZone, which is processed manually. Other airspace does not need ATC authorization under 107.41, although restricted areas and temporary flight restrictions have their own rules (14 CFR 107.45 and 107.47).

For the airspace classes and their chart symbols, see Part 107 Airspace Classes Explained. This guide covers the authorization itself.

What 107.41 says

The whole rule is one sentence: “No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC)” (14 CFR 107.41).

What that means in practice:

  • Four places need it: Class B, Class C, Class D, and a Class E surface area for an airport. On a sectional, a Class E surface area is a magenta dashed line and Class D is a blue dashed line (Aeronautical Chart Users’ Guide, July 9, 2026 edition, pp. 16-17).
  • Other Class E and all Class G do not need it. In most cases a remote pilot will not need ATC authorization in Class E, and never in Class G (Remote Pilot Study Guide, FAA-G-8082-22, chapter 2, p. 6). Unless the flight is in controlled airspace, no notification or authorization is needed to fly at or near an airport (Advisory Circular 107-2A, para 5.10.1).
  • ATC can say no. The FAA can approve or deny operations based on traffic density, controller workload or communication issues, among other things (AC 107-2A, para 5.10).

Quick decision checklist

  1. Find your site on a current sectional chart (AC 107-2A, para 5.10.4).
  2. List the airspace from the ground up to your highest planned altitude. Your limit is above ground level (AGL) (14 CFR 107.51(b)), but Class B and C floors and ceilings are charted above mean sea level (MSL) (Chart Users’ Guide, p. 16). Add the ground elevation before you compare.
  3. Is any of it Class B, C, D or a Class E surface area? If yes, you need authorization (14 CFR 107.41).
  4. Does the airport offer LAANC? If yes, check the UAS Facility Map altitude for your spot. If no, use FAADroneZone.
  5. Do you also need a waiver? Then apply for both through FAADroneZone (see below).
  6. Before launch: check NOTAMs and stay clear of airport traffic (AC 107-2A, para 5.10.3; 14 CFR 107.43).

LAANC step by step

LAANC stands for Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, a collaboration between the FAA and industry. Pilots apply through desktop and mobile apps built by FAA-approved companies called UAS Service Suppliers (FAA LAANC page, last updated September 29, 2026). LAANC is open to Part 107 pilots and recreational flyers, and as of September 29, 2026 the FAA lists it as available at 726 airports (LAANC page).

Each request is checked against FAA data, including UAS Facility Maps, special use airspace, airports and airspace classes, TFRs and NOTAMs. If it is approved, the authorization can arrive in near real time (LAANC page).

There are two kinds of LAANC request:

Near-real-time request Further coordination request
Altitude At or below the UAS Facility Map altitude Above the map altitude, up to 400 feet
Who decides Automated approval The Air Traffic Manager for that airspace
When to apply On the date you wish to fly At least 72 hours before the start time, and up to 90 days ahead
Who can use it Part 107 pilots and recreational flyers Part 107 pilots only

Sources: FAA Part 107 Airspace Authorizations page, last updated October 1, 2026; LAANC page.

Two more details:

  • Part 107 pilots can use further coordination even where the map shows 0 feet, except for operations on the airport itself (Part 107 Airspace Authorizations page).
  • Unless the authorization specifically asks you to, you do not need to notify the tower before you fly (LAANC page).

What LAANC does not do. In the FAA’s words, “LAANC provides airspace authorizations only.” You must still check NOTAMs and weather and obey all airspace restrictions (LAANC page). The FAA’s facility map FAQ adds that Part 107 operators are responsible for making sure the flight stays outside all 14 CFR 99.7 TFRs and special use airspace (UAS Facility Maps FAQ, last updated June 5, 2025, question 22).

Reading a UAS Facility Map

UAS Facility Maps show the maximum altitudes around airports where the FAA may authorize Part 107 operations without additional safety analysis. They do not authorize anything: you must still request an authorization through LAANC or FAADroneZone (FAA UAS Facility Maps page, last updated April 12, 2023).

From the FAA’s FAQ (UAS Facility Maps FAQ, questions 3, 13, 14, 17 and 19):

  • Maps exist for all Class B, C and D airspace and Class E surface areas.
  • Each grid square is 30 seconds of latitude by 30 seconds of longitude.
  • Map altitudes are AGL, and the maximum altitude in your authorization is the most you may fly above the ground.
  • Asking for the map altitude does not guarantee approval, and the FAA can cancel an approved authorization if conditions change.

FAADroneZone requests

FAADroneZone is the manual route. It handles airports that are not LAANC-enabled and can also be used at LAANC airports, but it does not give near-real-time approval. FAA Air Traffic Service Centers process every request by hand. Requests at or below the map altitude are approved by the Service Center; requests above it, up to 400 feet, are coordinated with the facility that manages the airspace (Part 107 Airspace Authorizations page).

The application asks for a clear operation title, a responsible party (who need not be the pilot), dates, times and how often you will fly, a detailed location, and your maximum altitude AGL. It covers day and night flights. Plan ahead: the FAA says processing has historically taken up to eight weeks, and you are not authorized to fly until you are approved (Part 107 Airspace Authorizations page).

Authorization or waiver?

An authorization is ATC’s permission to fly in the airspace that 107.41 covers. A certificate of waiver lets you deviate from a rule on the 14 CFR 107.205 list (14 CFR 107.200(a)). Section 107.41 is on that list, and so is 107.51, the operating limits rule (14 CFR 107.205(h) and (i)).

  • A waiver request must describe the whole operation and justify why it is safe (14 CFR 107.200(b)).
  • The FAA encourages applying at least 90 days ahead and strives to decide within 90 days, but the time varies with how complex the request is (AC 107-2A, para 5.20.2).
  • The FAA’s Air Traffic Organization does not approve or deny requests based on equipment beyond what Part 107 requires, such as geo-fencing. If your case rests on that equipment, apply for a certificate of waiver instead (AC 107-2A, para 5.10.2).
  • If you need a waiver and an airspace authorization, apply for both through FAADroneZone (LAANC page).

Rules that still apply with an authorization

  • Airport traffic: you may not interfere with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport or seaplane base (14 CFR 107.43). A drone hovering 200 feet above a runway that makes an aircraft delay takeoff has interfered, even without a right-of-way conflict (AC 107-2A, para 5.10.1.1).
  • Prohibited and restricted areas need permission from the using or controlling agency (14 CFR 107.45).
  • TFRs: you must comply with 14 CFR 91.137 through 91.145 and 99.7 (14 CFR 107.47), and check NOTAMs before each flight (AC 107-2A, para 5.10.3).
  • Preflight: your assessment must include local airspace and any flight restrictions (14 CFR 107.49(a)(2)).

Worked example (original): two sites under a Class C shelf

Situation: An airport with elevation 800 feet MSL has Class C airspace. On the sectional, the inner circle is labeled 48 over SFC and the outer ring is labeled 48 over 20. Both of your sites are in the outer ring, 7 nautical miles from the airport, with no dashed line around them and inside an area edged by a magenta vignette (Class E starting at 700 feet AGL). Site 1 is in a valley at 900 feet MSL. Site 2 is on a ridge at 1,750 feet MSL. You want to fly at 400 feet AGL. Do you need authorization?

Step 1, decode the chart. Class C figures are in hundreds of feet MSL with the last two zeros dropped, so the outer ring runs from 2,000 feet to 4,800 feet MSL (Chart Users’ Guide, p. 16). That fits the usual shape: an outer circle from 1,200 feet to 4,000 feet above the airport elevation (Study Guide, chapter 2, p. 6).

Step 2, convert your height. Ground elevation comes from the chart’s contour lines and color tints (Chart Users’ Guide, pp. 10-11).

Site 1 (valley) Site 2 (ridge)
Ground 900 ft MSL 1,750 ft MSL
Top of flight at 400 ft AGL 1,300 ft MSL 2,150 ft MSL
Class C floor 2,000 ft MSL 2,000 ft MSL
In Class C? No, 700 ft below the floor Yes, top 150 ft is inside

Step 3, apply 107.41. At Site 1 you stay below both the Class C floor and the Class E floor (900 + 700 = 1,600 feet MSL), so you are in Class G and need no ATC authorization (Chart Users’ Guide, p. 17; Study Guide, chapter 2, p. 6). At Site 2 you would enter Class C, so you need authorization (14 CFR 107.41). Your other choice is to keep the whole flight below 250 feet AGL, which keeps you under the 2,000-foot floor.

Step 4, choose the route at Site 2. Say the facility map grid over the ridge shows 300. That is AGL (UAS Facility Maps FAQ, question 17). LAANC can approve up to 300 feet in near real time; for 400 feet, send a further coordination request at least 72 hours ahead, or apply through FAADroneZone well in advance (Part 107 Airspace Authorizations page).

The lesson: same shelf, same distance from the airport, different answers, because shelf floors are MSL and your limit is AGL. Inside the inner circle (floor SFC, the surface) you would need authorization at any height.

How the test checks this

Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements is 20% of the test items (PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, effective September 29, 2025, p. 4). In the Remote Pilot ACS, FAA-S-ACS-10B, the relevant elements are UA.II.A.K1 (Classes B, C, D, E and G), UA.II.A.K3 (other airspace, including TFRs) and UA.II.A.K4 (ATC and the NAS) on p. 9, and UA.II.B.K2 (ATC authorizations and related operating limitations), UA.II.B.K3 (operations near airports) and UA.II.B.K5 (the NOTAM system) on p. 10.

From October 26, 2026, the test adds image-based questions using current sectional chart images that are not in the testing supplement (FAA Airman Testing Community Advisory, September 2026 Special Edition, p. 6). The FAA’s published sample image question for this test pairs naming the airspace at an airport with whether ATC authorization is required (p. 9). The supplement stays available until a removal date that has not yet been set (p. 5). For more on chart reading, see How to Read a Sectional Chart for Part 107.

Short study plan

  1. Read 14 CFR 107.41 to 107.51 and 107.200 to 107.205, then AC 107-2A paragraphs 5.10 and 5.20.
  2. Read Study Guide chapter 2, pp. 5-6, and Chart Users’ Guide pp. 16-17 next to a current sectional.
  3. Repeat the worked example on three Class B or C shelves near you.
  4. Practice with the airspace topic questions.

Common mistakes

  • Treating the facility map as permission (UAS Facility Maps page).
  • Comparing an AGL height with an MSL floor without adding the ground elevation.
  • Thinking LAANC checked the TFRs for you. You still check NOTAMs (LAANC page).
  • Asking for an authorization when you need a waiver, for example when your case depends on geo-fencing (AC 107-2A, para 5.10.2).

Common questions

Do I need LAANC to fly in Class G airspace?

No. Class G needs no ATC authorization (Study Guide, chapter 2, p. 6). The other Part 107 rules, including TFRs and the 400-foot limit, still apply.

How fast is a LAANC approval?

Requests at or below the facility map altitude are typically approved in near real time. Further coordination requests above it must go in at least 72 hours before the start time (Part 107 Airspace Authorizations page).

Can an airspace authorization take me above 400 feet?

The FAA describes both LAANC and FAADroneZone authorizations as going up to 400 feet (Part 107 Airspace Authorizations page). The 400-foot limit is in 14 CFR 107.51, which is on the waiver list (14 CFR 107.205(i)).

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