Part 107 Cheat Sheet: The Rules and Numbers on One Page
Last updated October 5, 2026
The Part 107 numbers to know by heart: fly no higher than 400 feet above ground level, no faster than 87 knots (100 mph), with at least 3 statute miles of visibility, and stay 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds (14 CFR 107.51). Report a serious injury, a loss of consciousness, or damage to other property costing more than $500 to repair or replace within 10 calendar days (14 CFR 107.9; AC 107-2A, para 4.4). The tables below cover the rest, each with its section number.
Every rule here is taken from the current text of 14 CFR part 107 and 14 CFR part 89 (Remote ID) as of October 2026, with plain-English notes from Advisory Circular 107-2A (AC 107-2A, the FAA’s guidance on part 107).
How to use this sheet
- Learn the numbers first: 400, 87, 3, 500, 2,000, 10 days, $500, 8 hours, 0.04. Cover the “Rule” column and quiz yourself.
- Learn each rule with its exception, such as the 400-foot limit together with the structure exception.
- Then read the section itself. The citations point to 14 CFR part 107 on ecfr.gov. Regulations are 48% of the test as of October 2026 (PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, effective September 29, 2025, p. 4), and our Regulations topic page has practice questions.
Remote pilot certificate and eligibility
| Item | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age for the certificate | 16 | 14 CFR 107.61(a) |
| Minimum age to take the knowledge test | 14 | ACS FAA-S-ACS-10B, p. A-2 |
| Language | Read, speak, write and understand English | 14 CFR 107.61(b) |
| Medical | No known physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe operation | 14 CFR 107.61(c) |
| How to qualify | Pass the initial knowledge test, or (part 61 pilots, not student pilots, current on their flight review) complete the training | 14 CFR 107.61(d) |
| Staying current | Initial test or recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months | 14 CFR 107.65 |
| Retest after a fail | Wait 14 calendar days | 14 CFR 107.71 |
| Temporary certificate | Up to 120 calendar days | 14 CFR 107.64(a) |
| Flying without a certificate | Only under the direct supervision of a remote pilot in command who can take direct control immediately | 14 CFR 107.12(a)(2) |
The aircraft
| Item | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Weight limit | Less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything on board or attached | 14 CFR 107.3 |
| Registration | Register under part 47 or part 48 before flying under part 107 (online at faadronezone.faa.gov) | 14 CFR 107.13; AC 107-2A, para 5.4 |
| Condition | Must be in a condition for safe operation; check it before each flight | 14 CFR 107.15 |
| Hazardous material | May not be carried | 14 CFR 107.36 |
| Transponder and ADS-B Out | Transponder off and ADS-B Out not transmitting, unless the FAA authorizes otherwise | 14 CFR 107.52 and 107.53 |
Remote ID basics (part 89)
After September 16, 2023, unless the FAA authorizes otherwise, a drone that is registered or required to be registered may only fly if it meets one of these three options (14 CFR 89.101 and 89.105):
| Option | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Remote ID drone | Broadcasts the Remote ID message from takeoff to shutdown; its serial number is on the registration certificate (or in a notice of identification) | 14 CFR 89.110 |
| Broadcast module | A module on a drone without built-in Remote ID; you must be able to see the drone at all times | 14 CFR 89.115(a) |
| FAA-recognized identification area (FRIA) | No Remote ID equipment, but the drone and the pilot stay inside the FRIA and the pilot can see the drone at all times | 14 CFR 89.115(b) |
If the broadcast stops in flight, land as soon as practicable (14 CFR 89.110(a)(2) and 89.115(a)(4)).
Operating limits
| Limit | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 400 feet AGL maximum | 14 CFR 107.51(b) |
| Structure exception | Higher than 400 feet AGL is allowed within a 400-foot radius of a structure, up to 400 feet above the structure’s immediate uppermost limit | 14 CFR 107.51(b)(1) and (2) |
| Speed | Groundspeed no more than 87 knots (100 mph) | 14 CFR 107.51(a) |
| Visual line of sight | You (or a visual observer) must see the drone for the whole flight with no aid except glasses or contact lenses | 14 CFR 107.31 |
| Visual observer | Optional; must keep effective communication with the pilot at all times | 14 CFR 107.33 |
| Number of aircraft | One at a time, as pilot, controls operator or visual observer | 14 CFR 107.35 |
| Moving vehicles | Never from a moving aircraft. From a moving land or water vehicle only over a sparsely populated area, and not carrying someone else’s property for pay | 14 CFR 107.25 |
| Right of way | Yield to all aircraft, airborne vehicles, and launch and reentry vehicles; do not pass over, under or ahead unless well clear | 14 CFR 107.37(a) |
| Careless flying | No careless or reckless operation; do not drop objects in a way that creates an undue hazard | 14 CFR 107.23 |
| Airports | Do not interfere with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport or seaplane base | 14 CFR 107.43 |
Daylight, civil twilight and night
| Time of day | What you need | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Day | No lighting requirement | AC 107-2A, para 5.7.2.2 |
| Civil twilight (30 minutes before official sunrise to sunrise, and sunset to 30 minutes after official sunset, outside Alaska) | Lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision | 14 CFR 107.29(b) and (c) |
| Night | The same lighting, plus you passed the initial test or completed training after April 6, 2021 | 14 CFR 107.29(a) |
You may dim the anti-collision lighting for safety, but you may not turn it off (14 CFR 107.29(a)(2) and (b)).
Weather minimums
| Minimum | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Flight visibility | At least 3 statute miles, observed from the control station | 14 CFR 107.51(c) |
| Below clouds | At least 500 feet | 14 CFR 107.51(d)(1) |
| Horizontally from clouds | At least 2,000 feet | 14 CFR 107.51(d)(2) |
The FAA’s guidance adds that you cannot fly above any cloud, and that if no local aviation weather report is available you cannot fly until you confirm the minimums by other reliable means (AC 107-2A, para 5.12.3). Your preflight assessment must include local weather conditions (14 CFR 107.49(a)(1)). Our Weather topic page covers reading the reports.
Airspace
| Airspace | ATC authorization needed? | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Class B, C, D | Yes, prior authorization | 14 CFR 107.41 |
| Class E surface area designated for an airport | Yes, prior authorization | 14 CFR 107.41 |
| Other Class E | Not under 107.41; in most cases no | 14 CFR 107.41; Remote Pilot Study Guide, FAA-G-8082-22, chapter 2, p. 6 |
| Class G | No | Study Guide, chapter 2, p. 6 |
| Prohibited and restricted areas | Permission from the using or controlling agency | 14 CFR 107.45 |
| Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) | Comply with 14 CFR 91.137 to 91.145 and 99.7; check NOTAMs before each flight | 14 CFR 107.47; AC 107-2A, para 5.10.3 |
For how each class looks on a sectional chart, see our guide to Part 107 airspace and the Airspace topic page.
People and moving vehicles
You may not fly over a person unless that person is directly participating, is under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that gives reasonable protection, or the flight meets one of the four categories in subpart D (14 CFR 107.39).
| Category | Aircraft must | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weigh 0.55 pounds or less (including everything on board), with no exposed rotating parts that would cut skin | 14 CFR 107.110 |
| 2 | Not cause injury as severe as a transfer of 11 foot-pounds of kinetic energy from a rigid object; no exposed rotating parts that would cut skin; no safety defects; be on an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance and labeled Category 2 | 14 CFR 107.115 and 107.120 |
| 3 | Same as Category 2 but 25 foot-pounds, labeled Category 3; never over open-air assemblies; over people only at a closed- or restricted-access site with people on notice, or with no sustained flight over anyone not directly participating or sheltered under a covered structure or in a stationary vehicle | 14 CFR 107.125 and 107.130 |
| 4 | Have an airworthiness certificate under part 21, with operating limitations that do not prohibit flight over people | 14 CFR 107.140 |
Categories 1, 2 and 4 may make sustained flight over open-air assemblies only when meeting the Remote ID rules in 14 CFR 89.110 or 89.115(a) (14 CFR 107.110(b), 107.115(b) and 107.140(a)(2)). Over people inside moving vehicles, Categories 1 to 3 must either stay within or over a closed- or restricted-access site with people on notice, or make no sustained flight over moving vehicles (14 CFR 107.145).
Accident reporting
| Item | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | No later than 10 calendar days after the flight | 14 CFR 107.9 |
| Injury | Serious injury to any person, or any loss of consciousness | 14 CFR 107.9(a) |
| Property damage | Damage to property other than the drone, unless the repair cost is $500 or less, or the property is a total loss worth $500 or less | 14 CFR 107.9(b) |
| “Serious injury” | Level 3 or higher on the Abbreviated Injury Scale, for example an injury needing hospitalization that can fully heal | AC 107-2A, para 4.4 |
| How to report | Electronically at faa.gov/uas, or by phone to an FAA Regional Operations Center | AC 107-2A, para 4.4.1 |
Alcohol and drugs
Part 107 applies the manned-aircraft rules in 14 CFR 91.17 and 91.19 to the remote pilot, the person on the controls and the visual observer (14 CFR 107.27). In plain English, you may not take part if you (AC 107-2A, para 5.16):
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Drank any alcohol | Within the preceding 8 hours |
| Blood alcohol concentration | 0.04 percent or greater |
| Under the influence | Of alcohol |
| Drugs | Using a drug that affects your mental or physical capabilities |
Waivable rules (107.205)
The FAA can issue a certificate of waiver only for the sections on this list (14 CFR 107.200(a) and 107.205):
| Section | Rule |
|---|---|
| 107.25 | Operation from a moving vehicle or aircraft (no waiver to carry others’ property for pay) |
| 107.29(a)(2) and (b) | Anti-collision lights at night and in civil twilight |
| 107.31 | Visual line of sight (no waiver to carry others’ property for pay) |
| 107.33 | Visual observer |
| 107.35 | More than one aircraft at a time |
| 107.37(a) | Yielding the right of way |
| 107.39 | Operation over people |
| 107.41 | Operation in certain airspace |
| 107.51 | Altitude, speed, visibility and cloud clearance |
| 107.145 | Operations over moving vehicles |
Not on the list, so not waivable under 107.200: for example, alcohol and drugs (107.27), hazardous material (107.36) and accident reporting (107.9).
Documents to show on request
| What | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Carry with you | Remote pilot certificate and identification, in your physical possession and readily accessible | 14 CFR 107.7(a)(1) |
| Who can ask to see them | The FAA, the NTSB, any federal, state or local law enforcement officer, and the TSA | 14 CFR 107.7(a)(2) |
| Preflight check | Certificate, identification, aircraft registration and certificate of waiver (if any) available for inspection | AC 107-2A, para 5.11.1 |
Common questions
Can I fly at night under Part 107?
Yes, if you passed the initial test or completed training after April 6, 2021, and the drone has lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles (14 CFR 107.29(a)). In civil twilight only the lighting is required (14 CFR 107.29(b)).
Do I need ATC authorization to fly near any airport?
Only in Class B, C or D airspace, or the Class E surface area designated for an airport (14 CFR 107.41). Near any airport you must still stay out of the way of traffic patterns and other operations (14 CFR 107.43).
Does my Part 107 certificate expire?
The regulation sets a currency rule: you must have passed the initial test or completed recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months to act as remote pilot in command (14 CFR 107.65). Our guide to the Part 107 test format explains the steps.
Can I fly a drone from a moving car?
Only from a land or water vehicle over a sparsely populated area, and not while carrying someone else’s property for pay. Flying from a moving aircraft is never allowed (14 CFR 107.25). You must still keep visual line of sight (AC 107-2A, para 5.14.1).