Part 107 Regulations Study Guide
The complete FAA Part 107 regulations guide: general rules, operating limits, certification, and waivers, every claim citing its exact CFR section.
Regulations is 48% of the current FAA Part 107 knowledge test — by far the single largest content area, more than double the next-biggest (UAG_Information_Bulletin.pdf, p. 4). It maps to ACS Area of Operation I, which the Airman Certification Standards splits into six tasks: General, Operating Rules, Remote Pilot Certification, Waivers, Operations Over People, and Remote Identification (uas_acs.pdf, pp. 2–8). This guide covers the first four — the core rules every applicant studies first. Operations Over People and Remote ID get their own dedicated guides, since each carries enough detail (categories, Declaration of Compliance, broadcast requirements) to stand alone.
Task A: General
14 CFR part 107 applies to civil small unmanned aircraft — defined as an unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 lb. on takeoff, including everything attached to it — registered and operated within the United States (14-cfr-107.txt, §§ 107.1, 107.3). It does not apply to air carrier operations, aircraft already covered by a part 91 airworthiness certificate, or operations conducted under a separate exemption (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.1(b)).
A few general-duty rules apply before any operating rule does:
- Falsification, reproduction, or alteration of a certificate, rating, authorization, or required record carries certificate consequences — the FAA can suspend or revoke a certificate obtained or renewed through a falsified record.
- Accident and safety event reporting: a remote PIC must report to the FAA within 10 calendar days any operation involving serious injury or loss of consciousness to any person, or property damage exceeding $500 in repair cost or fair market value (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.9).
- Inspection and testing: a remote PIC, owner, or person manipulating the controls must have the remote pilot certificate accessible and present it on request to the FAA, NTSB, or law enforcement, and must allow the Administrator to inspect or test the aircraft and system on request (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.7).
- Record retention and rules for previously manufactured or multiple-category sUAS are also part of this task (uas_acs.pdf, UA.I.A.K6–K8).
Task B: Operating Rules
This is the task with the most individually testable numbers. Start with the operating limitations in 14 CFR § 107.51 — these four limits govern every part 107 flight:
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Groundspeed | 87 knots (100 mph) maximum |
| Altitude | 400 ft. AGL maximum, or within 400 ft. of a structure and no higher than 400 ft. above that structure’s uppermost point |
| Flight visibility | 3 statute miles minimum, observed from the control station |
| Cloud clearance | 500 ft. below and 2,000 ft. horizontally minimum |
(14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.51.)
Who’s responsible. The remote pilot in command (PIC) must be designated before or during every flight, is directly responsible for and the final authority over the operation, and must ensure the aircraft poses no undue hazard to people, aircraft, or property if control is lost (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.19). A person may manipulate the controls without holding a certificate only under the direct supervision of a remote PIC who can immediately take control (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.12(a)(2)). No person may act as remote PIC, or allow their flight controls to be manipulated, while they know or have reason to know of a physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe operation (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.17), and alcohol/drug limits follow 14 CFR §§ 91.17 and 91.19 (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.27).
Hazardous operations are flatly prohibited: operating in a careless or reckless manner, or dropping an object in a way that creates an undue hazard to persons or property (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.23). A small UA may not operate from a moving aircraft, and may only operate from a moving land or water vehicle over a sparsely populated area and without carrying another person’s property for compensation (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.25). Only one unmanned aircraft may be controlled by a given remote PIC, person manipulating the controls, or visual observer at a time (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.35), and a small UA may never carry hazardous material as defined in 49 CFR § 171.8 (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.36).
Seeing and being seen. Visual line of sight (VLOS) means the remote PIC, the person manipulating the controls, or a visual observer must be able to see the aircraft, unaided except by corrective lenses, well enough to know its location, attitude, altitude, and direction, and to determine it isn’t endangering anyone (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.31). If a visual observer is used, the remote PIC, controller, and observer must maintain effective communication and coordinate airspace scanning throughout the flight (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.33). Every aircraft must yield right-of-way to all manned aircraft and may not operate so close as to create a collision hazard (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.37).
Night and twilight. Night operations have been allowed without a waiver since April 6, 2021, provided the remote PIC has completed training covering night operations and the aircraft has lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles with a flash rate sufficient to avoid collision; the same lighting is required during civil twilight (30 minutes before sunrise to sunrise, and sunset to 30 minutes after) (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.29). The light’s intensity may be reduced but never extinguished.
Airspace and location restrictions get a full treatment in the companion Airspace guide, but the rules live here in part 107: no operation in Class B, C, or D airspace or the surface area of an airport’s Class E without prior ATC authorization (§ 107.41); no interference with airport traffic patterns (§ 107.43); no operation in prohibited or restricted areas without permission from the controlling agency (§ 107.45); and compliance with NOTAM-based flight restrictions under 14 CFR §§ 91.137–145 and 99.7 (§ 107.47). Before every flight, the remote PIC must assess weather, airspace restrictions, and ground hazards, brief every participant, and verify control links and power are sufficient for the planned flight (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.49).
Two equipment prohibitions round out this task: no operating a small UA with an ATC transponder on, and no operating with ADS-B Out in transmit mode, unless the Administrator authorizes otherwise (14-cfr-107.txt, §§ 107.52–.53; uas_acs.pdf, UA.I.B.K27–K28).
Task C: Remote Pilot Certification
Full eligibility criteria and the step-by-step application process — FTN/IACRA registration, scheduling the test, Form 8710-13, TSA vetting — are covered in How to Get Your Part 107 Certificate. The rules worth knowing for the test itself:
- A conviction for an offense involving alcohol or drugs, or a refusal to submit to or furnish results of an alcohol test requested under § 91.17, is grounds for denying an application for up to 1 year, or for suspending or revoking an existing certificate (14-cfr-107.txt, §§ 107.57, 107.59).
- Aeronautical knowledge recency: a remote PIC may not exercise certificate privileges unless, within the previous 24 calendar months, they’ve passed an initial or recurrent knowledge test, or — if they hold a part 61 pilot certificate and meet § 61.56 currency — completed training covering the same knowledge areas (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.65).
- Retesting after failure: an applicant who fails the knowledge test may not retake it for 14 calendar days (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.71).
- Knowledge tests cover 13 specific areas, from applicable regulations and airspace through physiological effects of drugs/alcohol and aeronautical decision-making (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.73) — this breakdown is also what each ACS area of operation is built around.
Task D: Waivers
The FAA may issue a certificate of waiver authorizing deviation from a specific regulation if the applicant shows the proposed operation can be conducted safely under the waiver’s terms; a request must fully describe the operation and justify its safety (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.200). Only ten regulations are on the waivable list (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.205):
- § 107.25 — operation from a moving vehicle or aircraft (never waived for carrying another person’s property for compensation)
- § 107.29(a)(2) and (b) — anti-collision lighting at night/twilight
- § 107.31 — visual line of sight (same compensation restriction as above)
- § 107.33 — visual observer
- § 107.35 — operation of multiple small UA
- § 107.37(a) — yielding right-of-way
- § 107.39 — operation over human beings
- § 107.41 — operation in certain airspace
- § 107.51 — operating limitations
- § 107.145 — operations over moving vehicles
Everything not on this list — registration, the operating-limitations numbers, the certification requirements themselves — cannot be waived at all.
Drill these rules with Regulations practice questions, or keep reading with the Airspace guide for ACS Area II.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the maximum altitude for a part 107 drone flight?
- 400 feet above ground level, unless you're within 400 feet of a structure — then you may fly up to 400 feet above that structure's uppermost point (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.51(b)).
- Do I need a waiver to fly at night under part 107?
- No. Since April 6, 2021, night operations are allowed without a waiver as long as the remote PIC has completed training covering night operations and the aircraft has anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.29).
- How many part 107 regulations can the FAA waive?
- Ten, listed in 14 CFR § 107.205 — covering things like moving-vehicle operation, visual line of sight, visual observer use, and the § 107.51 operating limitations. Registration and certification requirements cannot be waived at all.
- How long do I have to wait to retake the knowledge test after failing?
- 14 calendar days from the date of the failed attempt (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.71).