Drone license: who needs an FAA drone pilot license and how to get one

Flying only for fun needs no license: pass the FAA's free TRUST test and register a drone over 0.55 lb.

Read in the law and the FAA's own pages, November 13, 2026

Knowledge test fee, about: $175
Questions on the test: 60
Score to pass: 70%
Age to hold the certificate: 16yrs

Do you need a drone license? Recreational drone flying, work, or a public agency

Any other flying, paid or not, needs the FAA remote pilot certificate under Part 107, and a public agency flies under Part 107 or a COA.

What decides is why you fly, not the drone and not the money. Federal law lets you fly a small drone without any FAA certificate when the flight is strictly for recreation and meets all eight conditions of 49 U.S.C. 44809(a). A flight that does not meet them follows the rules that apply to drones in general, which for a small drone, under 55 pounds at takeoff, means 14 CFR part 107, and its pilot in command needs the FAA remote pilot certificate. Your intent to fly decides it flight by flight, and the pilot is the one responsible for getting it right.

For fun only
No FAA certificate. Stay within the eight conditions of the recreational exception, pass the free TRUST test, and register a drone over 0.55 lb.
No license
The exact rule
… a person may operate a small unmanned aircraft without specific certification or operating authority from the Federal Aviation Administration if the operation adheres to all of the following limitations: (1) The aircraft is flown strictly for recreational purposes.49 U.S.C. 44809(a), Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft
What it means: fly only for fun and within all eight conditions, and you need no FAA certificate. Among the eight: fly within visual line of sight, give way to manned aircraft, get prior authorization in controlled airspace, stay at or below 400 feet in uncontrolled (Class G) airspace, pass the Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) and register the drone when the rules ask for it.
For work, paid or not
The remote pilot certificate. A flight outside the eight conditions falls under Part 107, and its pilot in command needs the certificate.
Certificate
The exact rule
This part does not apply to the following: … (2) Any aircraft subject to the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 44809;14 CFR 107.1(b), Applicability (eCFR)
What it means: a recreational flight under section 44809 is outside Part 107 and needs no certificate; the other cases the section lists are air carrier operations, flights under an exemption and drones with an airworthiness certificate flown under part 91. The statute says the same from the other side: a flight outside the eight conditions “must comply with all statutes and regulations generally applicable to unmanned aircraft” (44809(b)).
A public agency
Part 107, or a COA: a public aircraft operation under a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization, only for governmental functions.
107 or COA

A pilot flies a DJI Flip with a screen controller over a meadow below snowy peaks — Why you fly decides it, flight by flight: not the drone and not the money.

Find your case. Each row is one kind of flying, with the rules it falls under and what it needs, as the law and the FAA's own pages put it on November 13, 2026.

13 kinds of flying and what each needsFrom 49 U.S.C. 44809, 14 CFR parts 48 and 107 and the FAA's own pages, read November 13, 2026.
Who flies, and why	Flying under	TRUST test	Registration	Remote pilot certificate
Flying for fun
For fun (hobby, personal enjoyment)	Recreational (44809)	Yes	Only over 0.55 lb	No
For fun, but the videos go on a channel that earns money	Decided flight by flight	Yes, if recreational	As for fun, or Part 107	Not settled: see below
A school (elementary, secondary or college) flying for education or research	Recreational (44809 note)	Yes, under the exception	Only over 0.55 lb	No; yes under Part 107
A club (model aviation club or CBO) flying for fun	Recreational (44809)	Yes	Only over 0.55 lb	No
A foreign visitor flying for fun	Recreational (44809)	Yes	Notice of Identification	No
A person under 16 flying for fun	Recreational (44809)	Yes	Over 0.55 lb, by someone 13+	No
Flying for work, a non-profit or an agency
Real estate photos for a friend, for free	Part 107	No	Yes, Part 107, any weight	Yes
A business (any flying for work, paid or not)	Part 107	No	Yes, Part 107, any weight	Yes, plus recurrent training
A volunteer flying for a non-profit (goodwill)	Part 107	No	Yes, Part 107	Yes (when in doubt, Part 107)
A public safety or government agency	Part 107, or a COA	No	Yes under Part 107	Part 107: yes; COA: self-certified
A foreign visitor flying for work	Part 107	No	Notice of Identification	Yes, or direct supervision
A person under 16 flying for work	Part 107, supervised	No	Yes, Part 107, by the owner	Not until 16; supervised only
A drone of 0.55 lb (249 g) or less flown for work	Part 107	No	Yes, Part 107, any weight	Yes

Seven cases the table raises, in the FAA's words

Unpaid work is still work: photos to help a friend sell a house are a Part 107 flight even when free. The FAA says “Compensation, or the lack of it, is not what determines if a flight was recreational”; its other examples are roof inspections and pictures of a high school football game for the school's website.
Volunteering: goodwill can be non-recreational too. The FAA's example is volunteering a drone to survey coastlines for a non-profit.
Schools: by statute, recreational purposes include drones flown by an elementary school, a secondary school or a college for education or research, and the FAA's Advisory Circular 91-57D agrees. One FAA page, Educational Users, still reads more narrowly and cites the 2021 law; this page follows the statute.
Clubs: you do not have to join a community-based organization to fly under its safety guidelines, and whether a club event is recreational is still decided case by case.
Under 16: the eight conditions name no minimum age for flying for fun. For work, a person under 16 cannot hold the certificate and may work the controls only under the direct supervision of a certificated remote pilot in command who can take over at once.
Visitors: the FAA recognizes no foreign remote pilot certificate, and all its testing centers are in the U.S. A drone registered abroad needs a Notice of Identification in FAADroneZone; flown for business, it also needs a foreign aircraft permit from the U.S. Department of Transportation (apply at least 15 days ahead; it can take about 30 days).
Public agencies: a government, law enforcement or public safety agency flies under Part 107, or as a public aircraft operation with a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA), which is only for flights performing governmental functions.

Videos on a channel that earns money

No FAA text we read answers this case directly, so this page gives the FAA's words and no verdict of its own. The flight must be “strictly for recreational purposes”. The FAA's guidance excludes compensation “monetary or otherwise” and flights “in furtherance of a business”, says one flight cannot mix recreational and business purposes, and decides each case on its facts. Its advice for any unclear case: “When in doubt, assume Part 107.”

What the FAA drone license is, and what it allows

It is the FAA's remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, and it lets you fly a small drone for anything that is not purely recreational.

What people call a drone license, a Part 107 license or a commercial drone license is the FAA's remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating; the FAA's own guidance notes that it calls licensing “certification”. To fly under the Small UAS Rule, Part 107, you get this certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The exact rule

Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, no person may act as a remote pilot in command unless that person has a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating …14 CFR 107.12(b), Requirement for a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating (eCFR)

What it means: on every Part 107 flight, the remote pilot certificate is required for the person in command, who must also be current (14 CFR 107.65). Someone without it may work the controls only under that person's direct supervision. Paragraph (c) lets the FAA authorize a foreign pilot.

What the drone license allows: acting as remote pilot in command of a small drone for work, for a business, for an agency or for any other purpose that is not purely recreational, within the Part 107 rules. Commercial drone pilots, volunteers and agency crews flying under Part 107 all need this one certificate. The certificate itself does not expire; what lapses is your currency, renewed by free online training every 24 calendar months.

Some Part 107 rules can be waived with a certificate of waiver. 14 CFR 107.205 lists them, among them visual line of sight (107.31), operation over human beings (107.39), operation in certain airspace (107.41) and the operating limits of 107.51. Waiver applications now go through the FAA's Aviation Integrated Safety (AIS) Services, while airspace authorizations stay in FAADroneZone, and the FAA aims to decide a waiver within 90 days.

A drug conviction, an act the alcohol and drug rules of 14 CFR 91.17(a) and 91.19(a) prohibit, or refusing an alcohol test can be grounds to deny an application for up to one year, or to suspend or revoke the certificate (14 CFR 107.57 and 107.59).

Gloved hands hold a DJI screen controller as a Mavic 4 Pro flies over snow — The certificate is for the pilot in command of every Part 107 flight.

Who can get a Part 107 license

Anyone 16 or older who can read, speak, write and understand English, passes the knowledge test and clears a TSA check.

Age
At least 16 years old to hold the certificate (14 CFR 107.61(a)). You can take the Part 107 test from 14.
16+
English
You must be able to read, speak, write and understand English. If a medical reason prevents one of these, the FAA may put operating limits on the certificate instead.
Required
Physical and mental condition
The rule names no FAA medical certificate. It asks only that you not know, or have reason to know, of a physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe operation.
No medical
Knowledge
Pass the initial aeronautical knowledge test, or, if you hold a part 61 pilot certificate (not a student pilot certificate) with a current flight review, complete the FAA's free online course ALC-451 instead.
Test or course
No course needed
No rule we read requires a paid course before the test; the rule asks only that you pass it.
Not required
Security check
The TSA vets every applicant before a temporary certificate is issued. An applicant it disqualifies may appeal to the TSA.
TSA
ID at the test
Identification that shows your photo, signature, date of birth and permanent mailing address, plus a residential address if the mailing address is a post office box.
Photo ID

How to get your drone pilot license, step by step

Obtaining a drone license for the first time takes nine steps, from an FAA Tracking Number in the IACRA system to the card in the mail. Each card says where the step happens, what it costs and who sets the price, and the time the FAA gives for it.

The first-time path in 9 steps, as the FAA and its rules set it out, read November 13, 2026.

Get an FAA Tracking Number
No fee named
Create an IACRA profile to get an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) before registering for the test.
Where, cost and time
Where
IACRA (Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application), FAA website
Cost
No fee named in the FAA documents we read
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; Advisory Circular 107-2A
Book the test
About $175
Register, schedule and pay for the knowledge test; age 14 or older to test; bring government-issued photo ID with photo, signature, date of birth and address.
Where, cost and time
Where
PSI Services (the FAA's testing vendor), at an FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center
Cost
About $175, paid to PSI, the FAA's testing vendor; the FAA does not set it
Time the FAA gives
You can register several weeks ahead
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; Airman Certification Standards FAA-S-ACS-10B; FAA FAQ on the cost of the certificate; PSI Services for FAA Testing Programs; 14 CFR 107.67
Pass the test
In the test fee
Take and pass the initial test Unmanned Aircraft General - Small (UAG): 60 questions, 70% to pass; get the Airman Knowledge Test Report.
Where, cost and time
Where
Knowledge Testing Center, in person (all in the U.S.)
Cost
Included in the test fee (step 2)
Time the FAA gives
Up to 2 hours
Source
Airman Certification Standards FAA-S-ACS-10B; FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; 14 CFR 107.61
If you fail
Fee not stated
If you fail step 3: Wait 14 calendar days, then retest and bring the failed test report; no instructor endorsement needed.
Where, cost and time
Where
Knowledge Testing Center (PSI)
Cost
A retest fee is not stated in the documents we read
Time the FAA gives
14 calendar days before retesting
Source
14 CFR 107.71; Airman Certification Standards FAA-S-ACS-10B
Apply in IACRA
No fee named
Apply: complete FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA (Start New Application, Pilot, Remote Pilot), enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID, sign and submit.
Where, cost and time
Where
IACRA
Cost
No fee named in the FAA documents we read
Time the FAA gives
The test may take up to 48 hours to appear in IACRA; a passing test report can be used to apply for 24 calendar months
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; 14 CFR 107.63; Airman Certification Standards FAA-S-ACS-10B
The TSA check
No fee named
Wait for the TSA security background check; an email then explains how to print the temporary certificate.
Where, cost and time
Where
TSA vetting, started by the FAA after the application; notice by email from IACRA
Cost
No fee named by the FAA
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; Advisory Circular 107-2A
Print the temporary certificate
No fee named
Print the temporary remote pilot certificate from IACRA (online applications only; a paper application gets none).
Where, cost and time
Where
IACRA
Cost
No fee named by the FAA
Time the FAA gives
Valid for up to 120 calendar days, or until the permanent certificate arrives
Source
14 CFR 107.64; FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; Advisory Circular 107-2A
The card by mail
No fee named
Receive the permanent remote pilot certificate by mail.
Where, cost and time
Where
FAA, by mail
Cost
No fee named by the FAA
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”
Register the drone
$5 per drone
Before flying for work: register each drone for Part 107 (any weight), mark it and meet Remote ID.
Where, cost and time
Where
FAADroneZone
Cost
$5 per drone, set by FAA rule (14 CFR 48.30)
Time the FAA gives
Registration lasts 3 years
Source
FAA “How to Register Your Drone”; 14 CFR 48.30; 14 CFR 48.100; 14 CFR 89.101; Advisory Circular 91-57D
Carry it when you fly
No fee
Carry the certificate and ID whenever you fly; show them on request to the FAA, NTSB, TSA or any Federal, State or local law enforcement officer.
Where, cost and time
Where
In the field
Cost
None
Time the FAA gives
Whenever exercising the certificate's privileges
Source
14 CFR 107.7; FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”

No time given: the FAA states no time for steps 1, 5 and 7 of the first-time path (for step 7 it says only: sent once all other FAA-internal processing is complete) or for steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the part 61 path, so the cards show none and this page promises none.

Step 3 is the only one that takes study: the test section below gives its numbers and a free way to check whether you are ready.

Already a pilot? The part 61 route to a professional drone license

A part 61 pilot with a flight review in the previous 24 months skips the test and takes the FAA's free online course ALC-451.

If you hold a part 61 pilot certificate, other than a student pilot certificate, and have had a flight review in the previous 24 months, you do not need to take the Part 107 test. The FAA's free online course “Part 107 Small UAS Initial” (ALC-451) replaces it, and the course is open only to these pilots: a first-time pilot cannot use it. An identity check follows, by an FAA Flight Standards District Office, a designated pilot examiner, an airman certification representative or a flight instructor. All four can check your identity, but a flight instructor cannot issue the temporary certificate.

Hands hold a DJI screen controller as a Mini 4 Pro flies over a mountain river — A free course replaces the test for pilots with a current flight review.

The part 61 pilot's path in 7 steps, read November 13, 2026.

Check that you qualify
No fee named
Part 61 pilot certificate holder (not student) with a flight review in the previous 24 months: create or log into a FAASTeam account.
Where, cost and time
Where
FAASafety.gov (FAA Safety Team)
Cost
No fee named by the FAA
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; 14 CFR 107.61
Take the free course
Free
Complete the online course Part 107 Small UAS Initial (ALC-451) and keep the completion certificate.
Where, cost and time
Where
FAASafety.gov
Cost
Free (FAA)
Source
FAASafety.gov course ALC-451; FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; 14 CFR 107.74
Apply in IACRA
No fee named
Create or log into an IACRA account and complete FAA Form 8710-13 (Pilot, Remote Pilot).
Where, cost and time
Where
IACRA
Cost
No fee named by the FAA
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; 14 CFR 107.63
Book an identity check
Fee not stated
Book an identity check; bring Form 8710-13, proof of the current flight review, photo ID and the course completion certificate.
Where, cost and time
Where
FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), a designated pilot examiner (DPE), an airman certification representative (ACR) or a certificated flight instructor (CFI)
Cost
Not stated in the documents we read
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; 14 CFR 107.63
The temporary certificate
Fee not stated
The representative signs the application and issues a temporary certificate (a CFI cannot issue one).
Where, cost and time
Where
At the FSDO, DPE or ACR appointment
Cost
Not stated in the documents we read
Time the FAA gives
Temporary certificate valid up to 120 calendar days
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; Advisory Circular 107-2A; 14 CFR 107.64
The card by mail
No fee named
Receive the permanent certificate by U.S. mail.
Where, cost and time
Where
FAA, by mail
Cost
No fee named by the FAA
Time the FAA gives
Within several weeks
Source
FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”
Register and carry
$5 per drone
Register each drone for Part 107 and carry the certificate and ID when flying (as in steps 8 and 9 of the first-time path).
Where, cost and time
Where
FAADroneZone; in the field
Cost
$5 per drone, set by FAA rule
Time the FAA gives
Registration lasts 3 years
Source
14 CFR 48.30; 14 CFR 107.7

The Part 107 test: questions, time, passing score

60 questions in up to two hours, 70% to pass, taken in person at a Knowledge Testing Center.

Questions on “Unmanned Aircraft General - Small”.

Hours, at most, to answer them.

70%

Or better to pass.

Calendar days to wait before a retest.

The Part 107 exam is the FAA's initial aeronautical knowledge test, “Unmanned Aircraft General - Small” (UAG). You take it in person at a Knowledge Testing Center; PSI Services, the FAA's testing vendor, runs hundreds of them across the U.S.

Format
60 questions, up to two hours, and 70% or better to pass.
In person
What it covers
The 13 knowledge areas of 14 CFR 107.73: the regulations, airspace, weather, loading, emergency procedures, crew resource management, radio communication, performance, the effects of drugs and alcohol, aeronautical decision-making, airport operations, maintenance and preflight inspection, and operation at night.
13 areas
Since April 6, 2021
The test covers operations over people, Remote ID and night operations, and free online training replaced the old recurrent test.
No retest
If you fail
Wait 14 calendar days, then test again with the report that shows the failed test. No instructor endorsement is needed.
14 days
Cheating
Unauthorized conduct on a test bars a person from applying for any FAA certificate or taking any FAA test for one year.
1-year bar

Booking the test with PSI, the ID rules and what happens on test day are in our Part 107 exam guide.

Practice test

Before you pay for the test, check whether you are ready. Our practice test has 60 questions in the shares of the FAA's areas, a two-hour clock and the 70% pass line, and it explains every answer.

Take the Part 107 practice test

What a commercial drone license costs and how long it takes

About $175 for the test, paid to PSI; $5 for each drone registered for Part 107; every FAA course is free.

What it costsIn all, a first-time pilot pays about $175 for the test and $5 for each drone registered; the FAA's own courses are free.
What	Cost	Who sets it
The knowledge test (UAG)	About $175	PSI, the testing vendor, not the FAA
Registering a drone for Part 107	$5 per drone, for 3 years	FAA rule (14 CFR 48.30)
ALC-451, the course for part 61 pilots	Free	FAA
ALC-677, recurrent training	Free	FAA
ALC-515, recurrent training for part 61 pilots	Free	FAA

The FAA does not set the test fee. Its answer to “How much does it cost to get a remote pilot certificate?” says Knowledge Testing Centers charge “approximately $175” for the initial aeronautical knowledge test, and PSI lists $175.00 per test voucher, plus applicable tax, for organizations that buy vouchers. The price PSI shows a single test taker appears only at its checkout, behind a login, which we did not open.

Recreational drone pilots pay nothing for TRUST: every FAA-approved test administrator offers it free, online. A recreational registration costs $5, covers all your drones and lasts three years.

The times the FAA does give: up to 48 hours for your test to reach IACRA, a temporary certificate valid for up to 120 calendar days, and “within several weeks” for a part 61 pilot's permanent card. A passing test report can be used to apply for 24 calendar months, and the FAA aims to decide a waiver within 90 days.

Pilot holding a DJI RC 2 controller, the drone flying out over a green valley — The certificate costs about $175 once; the training that keeps it current is free.

Keeping your drone pilot certificate current

The certificate does not expire; your currency does. Renew it with the FAA's free online training every 24 calendar months.

The certificate itself does not expire; what lapses is your currency. To act as remote pilot in command you must have passed the initial test, or completed recurrent training, within the previous 24 calendar months, counted to the end of the month. The training is online and free, the FAA issues no new card for it, and the course completion certificate is your proof of currency. There is no recurrent test any more: it ended on April 6, 2021.

Keeping the certificate current, read November 13, 2026.

Free

Any certificate holder

Complete the online recurrent course Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent (ALC-677) and keep the completion certificate as proof of currency.

Where, cost and time

Where: FAASafety.gov
Cost: Free (FAA)
Time the FAA gives: Within every 24 calendar months, counted to the end of the month; the certificate itself does not expire and no new card is issued
Source: 14 CFR 107.65; FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; FAASafety.gov course ALC-677; FAA FAQ on recurrent training; Advisory Circular 107-2A

Free

Part 61 pilots with a current flight review

Complete Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent - Part 61 Pilots (ALC-515).

Where, cost and time

Where: FAASafety.gov
Cost: Free (FAA)
Time the FAA gives: Within every 24 calendar months
Source: 14 CFR 107.65; FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot”; FAASafety.gov course ALC-515

No fee named

After moving

Tell the FAA the new permanent mailing address.

Where, cost and time

Where: FAA website, or a letter to the FAA Airman Certification Branch, Oklahoma City
Cost: No fee named by the FAA
Time the FAA gives: Within 30 days, or the certificate's privileges may not be used
Source: 14 CFR 107.77

How the FAA counts the 24 calendar months, and the recurrent course step by step, are in our Part 107 renewal guide.

What to carry when you fly, and who can ask to see it

Your remote pilot certificate and an ID, on you whenever you fly under Part 107, ready to show the FAA or law enforcement.

Drone pilots flying under Part 107 keep their remote pilot certificate and an identification physically with them and readily accessible whenever they use the certificate (14 CFR 107.7).

Who can ask
The FAA, the NTSB, the TSA, or any Federal, State or local law enforcement officer may ask to see the certificate and ID.
Show it
Records and inspections
Required records go to the FAA on request, and the FAA may test or inspect the drone, the pilot and any visual observer.
On request
The drone's registration
Carry its registration certificate, on paper or digital, and show it to Federal, State or local law enforcement if asked.
Carry
Business accounts
A pilot flying for one carries a copy of the drone's registration and any waivers or authorizations for the flight.
Carry
Recreational flyers
Carry proof of passing TRUST and proof of registration, to show the FAA or law enforcement on request. Test administrators keep no record of TRUST, so if you lose the certificate you take the test again.
Carry

A pilot holds a DJI controller with a phone mounted on it above a mountain lake — Certificate and ID stay with you, readily accessible, on every Part 107 flight.

Can I fly here?

Airspace, ceilings and temporary no-fly zones for the spot and the hour you pick.

Can I fly here?

Registration is a separate step for each type of drone

The certificate is for you and registration is for the drone: $5 for three years in FAADroneZone.

The certificate is for the pilot; registration is for the drone, in FAADroneZone. Under 14 CFR 48.15 a drone must be registered unless it weighs 0.55 pounds or less at takeoff and is flown only under the recreational exception. The FAA's Recreational Flyers page words the line as “250 grams (0.55 lbs) or more”; this page uses the rule's words.

For work
Each drone flown under Part 107 is registered, whatever its weight, with its own number: $5 per drone for three years. A recreational registration cannot be used for a Part 107 flight.
$5 each
For fun
One registration of $5 covers all your drones for three years.
$5 for all
Age
You register at 13 or older; a younger owner's drone is registered by someone 13 or older.
13+
Remote ID
The Remote ID rules of 14 CFR part 89 apply to every drone that is registered or must be, and to foreign civil drones flown in the U.S.
Applies

A DJI Mini 4 Pro and its screen controller on a stone ledge at sunset — A drone flown for work gets its own registration number, whatever it weighs.

Flying for work without a certificate: what the law and FAA drone regulations say

Up to $75,000 per violation for a company and $17,062 for an individual or small business, and the FAA can suspend or revoke a certificate.

A Part 107 flight without the certificate breaks the FAA's drone rules, and the FAA tells law enforcement that flying without registration or the necessary airman certification is a violation. Civil penalties come from 49 U.S.C. 46301, and 14 CFR 13.301 sets the most they can be today, after the yearly inflation adjustment:

$75,000

Per violation for a company or other organization that is not a small business.

$17,062

Per violation for an individual or a small business that breaks chapters 447 or 448 of title 49, the ones Part 107 rests on, or their rules (46301(a)(5)(A)).

$1,875

Per violation under 46301(a)(1) for an individual, or an airman serving as an airman.

Each day, or each flight, can count as a separate violation, and the FAA can also suspend or revoke a pilot certificate. When FAA news releases speak of fines “up to $75,000 per violation”, that is the top figure, the one for companies.

Is there a state drone license? Texas and the other states

Texas law creates no drone pilot license, and a Part 107 flight needs the FAA certificate in every state.

Texas law creates no drone pilot license. Its drone chapter, Government Code chapter 423, was read in full, and a scan of every Texas code found no section that creates a drone pilot license or permit. Where Texas law speaks of commercial drone operators, it relies on the FAA: an operator whose flight complies with all FAA rules and authorizations is exempt from two Texas offenses, flying over critical infrastructure and over large sports venues.

What Texas law does regulate is how and where you fly. Using a drone to capture an image of a person or private property with intent to conduct surveillance is a Class C misdemeanor; cities and counties may regulate drones only for special events, their own drone use and, with FAA authorization, near their own facilities; and Penal Code 42.15 makes it an offense to fly over an airport and certain other facilities, with a defense for FAA authorization.

North Carolina's General Statute 63-96 was repealed effective December 1, 2024. We checked Texas and North Carolina, not every state, so this page makes no claim about the others. What holds across the U.S. is the federal part: a Part 107 flight needs the FAA certificate in every state.

A hiker flies a DJI Mini 5 Pro in a mountain meadow — State laws decide how and where you fly; the FAA certificate is the license.

Study and test

The test, the practice and the renewal.

Before you fly

The place, the airspace and the drone.

Work

Flying for pay, and every rule in one place.

Questions about the drone license

Can I get my drone license online?

Partly. The IACRA application, TRUST, the part 61 course and recurrent training are online, but the initial test is taken in person at a Knowledge Testing Center in the U.S.

Can I fly my drone around my neighborhood?

For fun, yes, under the recreational rules, if the airspace allows it: controlled airspace needs prior authorization, and the ceiling is 400 feet in uncontrolled (Class G) airspace. Check your spot with Can I fly here? State laws apply too: in Texas, filming people or private property to conduct surveillance is an offense.

How do I register my DJI drone?

The same way as any other drone, in FAADroneZone, for $5 and three years. Register it for Part 107 at any weight if you fly it for work; for fun, register it when it weighs more than 0.55 pounds.

Is there a drone license in Texas?

Texas has no state drone pilot license: the FAA certificate is the license, and you book the test through PSI at a testing center near you. We read Texas law for this page, not every state's.

How much does a drone license cost?

About $175 for the knowledge test, paid to PSI, the FAA's testing vendor; the FAA does not set it. Part 107 registration is $5 per drone for three years, and every FAA course, recurrent training included, is free. TRUST, for flying for fun, is free too.

What is on the drone license test?

The Part 107 test, “Unmanned Aircraft General - Small”, has 60 questions on 13 knowledge areas, up to two hours and a 70% pass line. Our practice test runs the same format.

Do I need a drone license course?

No course is required before the initial test: the rule asks only that you pass it. Part 61 pilots with a current flight review can take the FAA's free online course ALC-451 instead of the test.

What are the FAA drone license requirements?

Be at least 16, read, speak, write and understand English, know of no physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe flying, and pass the knowledge test (or, as a part 61 pilot, the course). Then apply in IACRA and pass the TSA check: the steps show each one.

Does a drone license expire?

No. The certificate itself does not expire; what lapses is your currency, renewed by free online training every 24 calendar months. Keep the course completion certificate as your proof.

How old do you have to be to get a drone license?

At least 16 years of age to hold the remote pilot certificate; you can take the test from 14. To fly a drone only for fun, the law sets no minimum age, and a drone that needs registering is registered by someone 13 or older.

Do I need a license for a drone under 250 grams?

For fun, no: you still pass TRUST, and a drone of 0.55 lb (249 g) or less needs no registration. For work, yes: Part 107 has no lower weight limit, so you need the certificate and a Part 107 registration whatever the drone weighs.

Sources Named, not linked. Checked November 14, 2026.

Documents are named, not linked. Each was read on November 13, 2026, and the FAA pages, fees and federal rules that could have moved were read again on November 14, 2026.

Laws and regulations

49 U.S.C. 44809, Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft, and its statutory note on educational use (Pub. L. 115-254 sec. 350, as amended in 2024)
49 U.S.C. 46301: civil penalties
14 CFR part 107, sections 107.1, 107.3, 107.7, 107.12, 107.57 to 107.77 and 107.205 (eCFR, up to date as of November 12, 2026)
14 CFR 48.15, 48.25, 48.30 and 48.100: registration; 14 CFR 89.101: Remote ID
14 CFR 13.301: inflation-adjusted civil penalties

FAA pages

FAA “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot” (last updated June 9, 2026)
FAA “Recreational Flyers & Community-Based Organizations” (October 29, 2026) and “The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST)” (August 21, 2026)
FAA “Getting Started” (December 19, 2024), “How to Register Your Drone” (March 18, 2024) and “Educational Users” (March 13, 2026)
FAA “Part 107 Waivers” (October 29, 2026) and “Information for International UAS Operators” (December 16, 2024)
FAA “Operate a Drone, Start a Drone Program” (June 2, 2022), “Understand Your Authority: Handling Sightings and Reports” (April 10, 2026) and the FAA's “What kind of drone flyer are you?” tool
FAA Frequently Asked Questions: “How much does it cost to get a remote pilot certificate?” and the answer on recurrent training
FAA news releases of August 23, 2024 and February 6, 2026 on drone enforcement

Guidance, the test and courses

FAA Advisory Circular 91-57D, Exception for Limited Recreational Operations of Unmanned Aircraft (June 24, 2025)
FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A, Small Unmanned Aircraft System (February 1, 2021)
Remote Pilot - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-10B (April 2021)
FAA “Changes to Testing for a Remote Pilot Certificate with a Small Aircraft Rating” (April 5, 2021)
FAASafety.gov course pages for ALC-451, ALC-677 and ALC-515
PSI “PSI Services for FAA Testing Programs”: test voucher price and validity

State law

Texas Government Code chapter 423, Use of Unmanned Aircraft, and Texas Penal Code 42.15
Texas Legislature statute downloads: every code scanned for drone sections
North Carolina General Statute 63-96 (repealed)

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Do you need a drone license? Recreational drone flying, work, or a public agency

Videos on a channel that earns money

What the FAA drone license is, and what it allows

Who can get a Part 107 license

How to get your drone pilot license, step by step

Get an FAA Tracking Number

Book the test

Pass the test

If you fail

Apply in IACRA

The TSA check

Print the temporary certificate

The card by mail

Register the drone

Carry it when you fly

Already a pilot? The part 61 route to a professional drone license

Check that you qualify

Take the free course

Apply in IACRA

Book an identity check

The temporary certificate

The card by mail

Register and carry

The Part 107 test: questions, time, passing score

Practice test

What a commercial drone license costs and how long it takes

Keeping your drone pilot certificate current

Any certificate holder

Part 61 pilots with a current flight review

After moving

What to carry when you fly, and who can ask to see it

Can I fly here?

Registration is a separate step for each type of drone

Flying for work without a certificate: what the law and FAA drone regulations say

Is there a state drone license? Texas and the other states

Related pages

Study and test

Before you fly

Work

Questions about the drone license

Laws and regulations

FAA pages

Guidance, the test and courses

State law