FAA Part 107 basics for public safety agencies

If your department is thinking about flying drones for patrol, search and rescue, crash reconstruction, or event coverage, the first question is almost always the same: what certification do we actually need? Here's the practical version, without wading through the full regulation.

Part 107 is the standard path

Part 107 is the FAA rule most public safety agencies use for small-drone operations under 55 pounds. The remote pilot in command must hold an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate. A first-time applicant must be at least 16, meet the FAA eligibility requirements, complete the security-vetting process, and pass the initial knowledge test. To keep using Part 107 privileges, the pilot must complete recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months.

A note on public aircraft operations

Eligible government agencies can also operate under Public Aircraft Operations with an FAA Certificate of Waiver or Authorization. Under that system, the agency takes on more responsibility for pilot qualifications, training, aircraft airworthiness, operational control, and compliance with the COA. Many small and mid-size departments start with Part 107 because the process is more standardized. Some agencies use both pathways for different missions.

The operating rules that actually affect your missions

Once your pilots are certified, day-to-day operations are governed by a short list of limits:

• Altitude: 400 feet above ground level. The exception: if you stay within a 400-foot radius of a structure, you may fly up to 400 feet above that structure's uppermost limit, which is what makes tower, stack, and high-rise work possible.
• Visual line of sight: throughout the flight, the remote pilot in command, the person manipulating the controls, or a visual observer must be able to see the aircraft with unaided vision other than corrective lenses, unless the FAA has authorized a different operation.
• Night operations: permitted under Part 107 without a night waiver when the remote pilot has completed the applicable initial test or recurrent training and the aircraft uses anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. Operations in controlled airspace still require the appropriate airspace authorization.
• Weight: the small unmanned aircraft must weigh less than 55 pounds at takeoff, including everything onboard or attached, unless a different FAA authority applies.

Remote ID is not optional

FAA Remote ID operating requirements are now in effect. A drone that is required to be registered must comply with Remote ID unless it is operated within an FAA-Recognized Identification Area or another specific exception applies. Under Part 107, each aircraft must be registered regardless of weight. Remote ID functions like a digital license plate by broadcasting identifying and flight information while the aircraft is operating.

For most operational fleets, compliance comes through either Standard Remote ID built into the aircraft or an FAA-compliant Remote ID broadcast module attached to an aircraft that was not manufactured with Standard Remote ID. Standard Remote ID broadcasts the control-station location; a module broadcasts its takeoff location. Agencies should verify the aircraft or module declaration of compliance, confirm the serial number is entered correctly in DroneZone, and account for any operational limitations associated with a module.

An FAA-Recognized Identification Area is a fixed, FAA-approved location where a drone without Remote ID equipment may be flown within visual line of sight and within the FRIA's boundaries. A FRIA can support certain training activities, but it is not a mobile exception for field missions.

What's changing: BVLOS and Part 108

Under standard Part 107, routine flight beyond visual line of sight generally requires FAA approval through a waiver. Public-aircraft operations depend on the authority and limitations in the agency's COA, and other specialized FAA approvals may apply to particular operations. The FAA's proposed Part 108 framework is intended to create a separate pathway for scalable BVLOS operations without relying on an individual Part 107 waiver for every operating concept.

As of July 2026, Part 108 is still a proposal. The FAA published it in August 2025 and later reopened the record for more comments on right-of-way and electronic-conspicuity issues. Do not treat any projected effective date or promised approval process as fact until the FAA publishes a final rule and compliance schedule.

The proposal is designed to establish a separate framework for qualifying BVLOS operations rather than simply replacing Part 107. Agencies considering extended search areas, drone-as-first-responder concepts, or long-range infrastructure missions should follow the rulemaking but should plan current operations under the authorities that are in effect today.

The mistakes agencies actually make

• Assuming any employee can fly an official mission. Recreational rules do not apply to department operations. Under Part 107, the remote pilot in command must be certificated, although a person manipulating the controls may operate under that pilot's direct supervision. Public-aircraft operations follow the agency's COA and qualification framework.
• Skipping Remote ID compliance on older equipment, which puts every flight technically out of compliance.
• Letting currency lapse. A Remote Pilot Certificate does not expire, but a pilot may not exercise Part 107 privileges without completing recurrent training within the preceding 24 calendar months.
• Building a program around one person. If your only certified pilot leaves, the program stops. Training more than one officer from the start avoids this.