DJI Mini 4 Pro
Remote ID is on only with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, not with the standard battery.
The drone
How to start a drone business
Almost every drone business flies under Part 107, the FAA's default rule for drones under 55 pounds.
- Knowledge test fee at a testing center, approximately
- $175
- Part 107 registration, valid for 3 years
- $5/ drone
- Youngest age for the remote pilot certificate
- 16years
- The test or free training keeps you current for
- 24months
How to start a drone business: the steps at a glance
Before the first paid flight you get the remote pilot certificate, register each drone and make sure it broadcasts Remote ID; then come the steps the SBA and the IRS list for any new business, such as registering the business and getting a free EIN.
What you need to know before the first paid flight, in the order the steps depend on each other: the FAA's steps first, because every other row needs the remote pilot certificate, then the steps the SBA and the IRS list for any new business. Each row names who asks for it and the rule or page that says so, as read on November 14, 2026.
What this page is
This guide explains what each agency asks before a drone business flies for pay, in order, and gives a fee only where the agency itself states one. It is not business advice: it names no bank, insurer or lender and promises no income.
21 steps to start a drone business, the FAA's first, then the SBA and IRS steps for any new business: who asks for each, the rule or page that says so, and the fee where the agency states one. Read November 14, 2026.
The FAA's steps before the first paid flight
- Drone license guide
Part 107 or for fun?
Decide whether your flights are Part 107 or recreational: business, paid and goodwill flights are Part 107.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 107.1(b); FAA Recreational Flyers page; AC 91-57D 2.2.1.1. Fee the agency states: None stated. Get an FTN
Create an IACRA profile to get an FAA Tracking Number (FTN).
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot, Step 1. Fee the agency states: None stated.- Practice test
Pass the knowledge test
About $175Pass the Unmanned Aircraft General - Small (UAG) knowledge test at an FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center (the certificate needs you to be 16 or older).
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 107.12, 107.61; FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot, Steps 2-3. Fee the agency states: About $175, which the FAA says testing centers charge; no FAA fee of its own. Apply for the certificate
Apply for the remote pilot certificate on FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA; after the TSA security background check you print a temporary certificate, and the permanent one comes by mail.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA; the TSA runs the background check. Rule or page: FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot, Steps 4-6. Fee the agency states: None stated.Carry it on every flight
Carry the certificate and an ID on every Part 107 flight.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 107.7(a). Fee the agency states: None stated.- Registration helper
Register each drone
$5 per droneRegister each drone under Part 107 in FAADroneZone, whatever it weighs, and mark it with its number.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 48.100, 48.205; FAA register page. Fee the agency states: $5 per drone, valid for 3 years. - Remote ID guide
Remote ID
Make sure each drone broadcasts Remote ID (a Standard Remote ID drone or a broadcast module), or fly only inside an FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA).
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 89.105, 89.110, 89.115; FAA Remote ID page. Fee the agency states: None stated.
More FAA steps: later, or when a job needs it
- LAANC guide
Airspace near airports
Get airspace authorization before flying in Class B, C or D airspace or the surface area of Class E airspace at an airport (LAANC or FAADroneZone).
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA air traffic control. Rule or page: 14 CFR 107.41; FAA LAANC and Airspace Authorizations pages. Fee the agency states: None stated. Over people and vehicles
Fly over people or moving vehicles only as subpart D allows (Categories 1 to 4).
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 107.39, 107.110-107.145. Fee the agency states: None stated.Night and twilight
For night flight: the test or training taken after April 6, 2021 and anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles; for civil twilight, the same lighting.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 107.29. Fee the agency states: None stated.Waivers
For a flight outside a waivable rule, apply for a certificate of waiver in the FAA's AIS Services.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 107.205; FAA Part 107 Waivers page. Fee the agency states: None stated.Keep current
No costKeep current: pass the test or finish recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR 107.65; FAA, Keep Your Remote Pilot Certificate Current. Fee the agency states: No cost for the FAA's online recurrent training (ALC-677, ALC-515).- Spraying rules
Spraying: Part 137
Spraying or dispensing (agriculture, disinfectants): a Part 137 UAS certificate with an exemption.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: 14 CFR part 137; FAA Dispensing Chemicals page. Fee the agency states: None stated. Delivery: Part 135
Package delivery for hire: a Part 135 certificate plus an exemption or waiver to fly beyond visual line of sight.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA. Rule or page: FAA Package Delivery by Drone (Part 135) page; 14 CFR 107.25, 107.205(a), (c). Fee the agency states: None stated.
The SBA and IRS steps for any new business
Business structure
Choose a business structure (you are a sole proprietorship automatically if you register as nothing else).
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: State law, as the SBA's guide puts it. Rule or page: SBA, Launch your business: Choose a business structure. Fee the agency states: None stated.Register the business
Less than $300Register the business or its name with the state and local governments, unless you work under your own legal name.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: State and local governments, as the SBA's guide puts it. Rule or page: SBA, Launch your business: Register your business. Fee the agency states: Less than $300 in most cases, the SBA says; varies by state and business structure.Get an EIN
FreeGet an Employer Identification Number (EIN) online from the IRS (form an LLC or corporation with the state first).
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: IRS. Rule or page: IRS, Get an employer identification number; SBA, Get federal and state tax ID numbers. Fee the agency states: Free: “You never have to pay a fee for an EIN” (IRS).State tax ID
Varies by stateGet a state tax ID number where the state requires one.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: The state's revenue department, as the SBA's guide puts it. Rule or page: SBA, Get a state tax ID number. Fee the agency states: None stated; varies by state.Licenses and permits
VariesApply for licenses and permits; for aircraft operation the federal issuing agency is the FAA.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: FAA (federal); state and local governments. Rule or page: SBA, Apply for licenses and permits, federal table row Aviation. Fee the agency states: Varies by activity and location, the SBA says.Business bank account
Open a business bank account: a step in the SBA's guide, which cites no rule for it.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: Listed in the SBA's guide. Rule or page: SBA, Launch your business: Open a business bank account. Fee the agency states: None stated.Business insurance
Get business insurance: a step in the SBA's guide, which cites no rule for it.
Who asks, and the rule
Who asks: Listed in the SBA's guide. Rule or page: SBA, Launch your business: Get business insurance. Fee the agency states: None stated.
- None stated: the agency's own page names no fee for that step. It does not mean the step is free.
- The SBA's guide: a business bank account and business insurance are steps in the SBA's “Launch your business” guide, which cites no rule for either. This page names no bank, insurer or product.
Is your drone business flying under Part 107?
Almost always. A small unmanned aircraft is one under 55 pounds at takeoff, counting the drone and equipment on board, and the FAA calls Part 107 the default rule for it: almost all flying that is not recreational falls under it.
Part 107 does not apply to a flight under the recreational exception of 49 U.S.C. 44809, and the two rule sets stay separate: one flight cannot mix them.
- Flying for fun (49 U.S.C. 44809)
The FAA's Advisory Circular 91-57D says recreational purposes leave out flights for compensation, “monetary or otherwise”, and flights “in furtherance of a business”.
Not for business - Part 107
The FAA's own examples of Part 107 flights are taking photos to help sell a property or service, roof inspections, and pictures of a high school football game for the school's website.
Part 107 - Unpaid work
Pay alone does not decide. The FAA says compensation “is not what determines” whether a flight was recreational, and goodwill can be non-recreational too, such as volunteering a drone to survey coastlines for a non-profit.
Can be Part 107 - Outside Part 107
The FAA lists commercial package delivery beyond visual line of sight and agricultural spraying as non-recreational Part 91 examples; their rules are in the business types below.
Part 91
When in doubt
The FAA's advice when unsure: “When in doubt, assume Part 107.” Our drone license guide sorts the kinds of flying by the rules each falls under.
Step 1: the remote pilot certificate
No one may act as remote pilot in command of a flight under Part 107 without a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating and current knowledge (14 CFR 107.12).
Someone without it may work the controls only under the direct supervision of a certificated remote pilot in command who can take over.
- Who can hold it
You must be at least 16 and able to read, speak, write and understand English (14 CFR 107.61).
16+ - The FAA's steps
Get an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) by creating an IACRA profile, book the test at an FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center, pass the Unmanned Aircraft General - Small (UAG) test, then complete FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA. After the TSA security background check you print a temporary certificate; the permanent one comes by mail.
- Pilots of crewed aircraft
Holders of a Part 61 certificate take the FAA's online course ALC-451 instead of the test, then apply in IACRA.
- The fee
The FAA says Knowledge Testing Centers charge “approximately $175” for the initial test; it names no fee of its own.
About $175 - Staying current
Operating as remote pilot in command needs the initial test or recurrent training passed within the previous 24 calendar months (14 CFR 107.65), and the FAA's recurrent training courses, ALC-677 and ALC-515, cost nothing.
No cost - On every flight
The certificate and an ID must be with you and readily accessible (14 CFR 107.7).
Ready for the test?
Our drone license guide covers each step in full, the Part 107 study guide lists what to read, and the Part 107 practice test runs the exam's format.
Take the practice testStep 2: register each drone and turn on Remote ID
Under Part 107 every drone is registered, whatever it weighs, each with its own number: $5 per drone, valid for 3 years.
You register in FAADroneZone under “Fly sUAS under Part 107” and mark the drone with its number. A recreational registration cannot be used for Part 107 flights and cannot be transferred. The FAA's own forecast says it plainly: a drone of 0.55 lb (249 g) or less that earns compensation under Part 107 “must be registered regardless of how small it is”.
Since September 16, 2023, a drone that needs an FAA registration number must also broadcast Remote ID, unless it flies inside an FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA). The FAA names three ways to comply: a Standard Remote ID drone, a Remote ID broadcast module, or flying inside a FRIA within visual line of sight. Part 107 pilots register each Standard Remote ID drone or broadcast module separately, each with its own number. The broadcast runs from takeoff to shutdown and carries the drone's serial number or session ID, the position and altitude of the drone and of its control station, its velocity, a time mark and its emergency status.
Three small drones whose Remote ID depends on the battery
Antigravity A1 (U.S.)
With the Standard Flight Battery it broadcasts no Remote ID; with the High-Capacity Flight Battery it does. The maker adds that U.S. commercial use needs Remote ID even under 250 g.
The droneThe broadcast rule
The Remote ID guide covers the broadcast rule and the drones that depend on one battery.
Remote ID guideDoes the drone manufacturer change the FAA rules?
No. The FAA's rules for registration and Remote ID set their conditions by weight, purpose and equipment, not by manufacturer.
Whether a new DJI drone can be bought in the U.S. is a separate question, answered on our DJI ban page.
What needs more than the certificate
Part 107 sets limits that some jobs meet only with a further step: airspace near airports, flight over people, night flight, and anything a waiver covers.
- Controlled airspace
No Part 107 flight in Class B, C or D airspace, or in the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport, without prior authorization from air traffic control (14 CFR 107.41). LAANC automates those authorizations through the apps of FAA-approved UAS Service Suppliers, and Part 107 requests can go in up to 90 days ahead; requests outside LAANC go through FAADroneZone, where the FAA says processing has historically taken up to eight weeks. Our LAANC guide and airspace classes guide cover both.
Authorization - People and moving vehicles
Flying over a person is allowed only if the person takes part in the operation, is under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle, or the flight meets one of the four categories of subpart D (14 CFR 107.39).
Categories - Night
Night flight needs the initial test or training taken after April 6, 2021, and anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles; civil twilight needs the same lighting (14 CFR 107.29).
Lighting - Waivers
A certificate of waiver can cover 107.25, 107.29(a)(2) and (b), 107.31, 107.33, 107.35, 107.37(a), 107.39, 107.41, 107.51 and 107.145 (14 CFR 107.205). Applications go through the FAA's Aviation Integrated Safety (AIS) Services, while airspace authorizations stay in FAADroneZone, and the FAA aims to approve or disapprove a waiver within 90 days of submission.
90 days
The four categories of flight over people
The four categories of flight over people, as subpart D sets them:
- Category 1
A drone of 0.55 lb (249 g) or less with no exposed rotating parts that would lacerate skin; no sustained flight over open-air assemblies unless it meets Remote ID (14 CFR 107.110).
- Category 2
A drone on an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance and labeled for it, built so that an impact would cause less injury than an 11 foot-pound transfer of energy, with no exposed rotating parts that would lacerate skin (14 CFR 107.115, 107.120).
- Category 3
The same with a 25 foot-pound limit; never over open-air assemblies, and over people only inside a closed or restricted-access site where they have been told, or without sustained flight over them (14 CFR 107.125, 107.130).
- Category 4
A drone with a part 21 airworthiness certificate, flown within the limits of its approved flight manual or the limits the FAA sets (14 CFR 107.140).
- Moving vehicles
Categories 1 to 3 only inside a closed or restricted-access site with notice, or with no sustained flight over moving vehicles; Category 4 within its limitations (14 CFR 107.145).
Near an airport?
A job near an airport may sit in controlled airspace. Look up the airspace before you fly.
Can I fly here?Drone business ideas the FAA names, and the rule each one falls under
Each type of drone business falls under the rule its flights fall under, and the FAA sorts the work that way, not by what a drone service is called.
These are the business uses the FAA's own pages and the rule text name, each with the rule it meets: the same rule for every drone service provider that does that work. This page adds no ideas of its own.
- Aerial photography and videographyPart 107
Part 107. Photos and video for property marketing are a Part 107 flight: the FAA's own example is taking photos to help sell a property or service. Our real estate drone photography guide covers the rules for a listing shoot.
- InspectionPart 107
Part 107. Roof inspections are one of the FAA's own examples. Our drone inspection guide covers line of sight, tall structures and sites near critical infrastructure.
- Carrying propertyLimits
Part 107 bans careless or reckless operation that endangers life or property, and dropping an object in a way that creates an undue hazard (14 CFR 107.23). No flying from a moving aircraft; from a moving land or water vehicle only over a sparsely populated area, and never while carrying another person's property for compensation or hire (14 CFR 107.25). No hazardous material as 49 CFR 171.8 defines it (14 CFR 107.36). And no waiver of 107.25 or 107.31 is issued to carry another person's property for compensation or hire (14 CFR 107.205).
- Package deliveryPart 135
The FAA's Part 135 certification process, plus an exemption or waiver to fly beyond visual line of sight.
- Spraying and dispensingPart 137
14 CFR part 137 governs drones that dispense or spray substances, disinfectants included. For a Part 137 UAS certificate the applicant completes FAA Form 8710-3 and sends its exemption number to the FAA's Part 137 UAS mailbox. Our drones in agriculture guide covers the spraying rules.
- Beyond visual line of sightProposed
A proposed rule, not law. The FAA and the TSA published the proposed part 108 on August 7, 2025 (90 FR 38212, docket FAA-2025-1908), and its comment period closed October 6, 2025; a reopened comment period on electronic conspicuity and right-of-way ran until February 11, 2026, and requests to extend it were denied. The proposal names uses such as package delivery, agriculture, aerial surveying and civic interest operations. On November 14, 2026 the Federal Register listed no final rule under its regulation number (RIN 2120-AL82), and the eCFR had no part 108.
Start a drone business: the SBA and IRS steps
To launch your drone business, the SBA's “Launch your business” guide lists the steps for any new business: pick a location, choose a business structure, choose a name, register the business, get federal and state tax ID numbers, apply for licenses and permits, open a business bank account and get business insurance.
The SBA gives these steps for every state; the details, such as fees and state tax IDs, vary by state.
Before those steps the SBA's guide has a part called “Plan your business”: market research and competitive analysis, writing a business plan and calculating startup costs. The SBA calls the business plan “a roadmap for how to structure, run, and grow your new business”, and of its marketing and sales section it says: “There's no single way to approach a marketing strategy.” This page adds no strategy and no market analysis of its own; the figures further down are the FAA's and the BLS's.
- Business structure
If you do business activities without registering as anything else, you are automatically a sole proprietorship, with no separate business entity.
- Registration
If you do business as yourself under your legal name, the SBA says you won't need to register anywhere; otherwise the business or its name is registered with the state and local governments. In most cases the total cost to register a business is “less than $300”, the SBA says, varying by state and business structure.
Less than $300 - Employer Identification Number
The EIN is the business's federal tax ID. The IRS issues it online, free, in one session: “You never have to pay a fee for an EIN.” The IRS says you generally need one to hire employees, operate a partnership or corporation, or pay sales and excise taxes, and that a corporation or LLC is formed with the secretary of state before applying.
Free - Licenses and permits
The SBA's table of federal licenses lists Aviation (aircraft operation, transport of goods or people by air, aircraft maintenance) with the FAA as the issuing agency. State and local requirements and fees vary by activity and location, and state tax ID numbers are set state by state.
- Bank account and insurance
Both are steps in the SBA's guide, which cites no rule for either. This page names no bank, insurer or product.
State registration is not enough
Registering with the state does not make your drone business legal to fly: under Part 107 the pilot still needs the remote pilot certificate, and each drone its registration and Remote ID.
The certificateMaking money with a drone: the drone industry in FAA and BLS numbers
The FAA counts pilots and aircraft, and the BLS counts wage jobs. Each figure below comes with its date and what it counts; none is a promise or a forecast of what any one drone business will earn.
- Remote pilots
493,396 at the end of 2025, in the FAA's forecast compendium. The FAA's numbers page shows 481,760 certificated remote pilots and carries no date (read November 14, 2026). The FAA forecasts 628,600 remote pilots by 2030.
493,396 - Drones flown under Part 107
The registry held 424,516 active aircraft at the end of 2025, about 24,000 more than a year earlier. The numbers page shows 837,513 drones registered, again with no date.
424,516 - New equipment
In 2025 more than 126,000 nonrecreational operators registered new equipment, down from more than 135,000 in 2024.
- The FAA's forecast
In its base case the Part 107 registry grows to 540,845 aircraft by the end of 2030, 5.0 percent a year, with 470,039 in the low case. The high case, 1,491,153, counts cumulative new registrations, not active aircraft.
- Drone operators' wages
The job title Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator is a direct match to BLS occupation 17-3024; in May 2025 that occupation had 15,520 jobs and a median of $73,900 a year, most of them mechatronics technicians, not drone pilots.
$73,900 - Photographers' wages
Occupation 27-4021 had 51,760 wage-and-salary jobs in May 2025 and a median of $44,660; about two thirds of photographers are self-employed and outside that count. In the BLS Handbook's words, “Photographers who commercially operate drones, commonly known as unmanned aerial vehicles, must obtain certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).”
$44,660
Drone pilot salary
Our drone pilot salary guide shows the full BLS figures and what each code includes and leaves out.
The salary figuresCommon mistakes the rule text answers
Three common mistakes to avoid, each answered by the rule itself.
- Registering only drones over 0.55 lb
Under Part 107 every drone is registered, whatever it weighs.
Mistake - Using a recreational registration for paid flights
It cannot be used for Part 107 flights and cannot be transferred; each drone gets a Part 107 registration of its own.
Mistake - Flying a Mini 4 Pro or Mini 3 for work on the standard battery
Their Remote ID is on only with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, so on the standard battery the flight needs a broadcast module or a FRIA.
Mistake
Related pages
The certificate, the registration, and the guides to the jobs most drone businesses do.
Registration and Remote ID
Where you can fly
Questions about starting a drone business
How do I start a drone photography business?
The FAA lists taking photos to help sell a property or service as a Part 107 flight. So the steps are the ones in the steps at the top of this page: the remote pilot certificate, a Part 107 registration for each drone, Remote ID, then the SBA and IRS steps for any new business. Our real estate drone photography guide covers the rules for a listing shoot.
What is the 1:1 rule for drones?
Part 107 has no rule by that name: the phrase does not occur in the part's text.
How much does it cost to get licensed to fly a drone?
The FAA says Knowledge Testing Centers charge approximately $175 for the initial test, and the FAA names no fee of its own. Registration under Part 107 is $5 per drone, valid for 3 years, and the FAA's recurrent training courses cost nothing.
Sources Documents are named, not linked. The steps were read on November 14, 2026, and the page's facts were last checked on November 14, 2026.
Rules
- 14 CFR part 107: sections 107.1, 107.3, 107.7, 107.12, 107.23, 107.25, 107.29, 107.36, 107.39, 107.41, 107.61, 107.65, 107.110 to 107.145 and 107.205 (eCFR)
- 14 CFR parts 48 and 89: registration and Remote ID (eCFR)
- FAA Advisory Circular 91-57D, Exception for Limited Recreational Operations of Unmanned Aircraft
- Federal Register, Normalizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations: the proposed rule, 90 FR 38212, August 7, 2025; the reopening of comment, 91 FR 3695; the denial of extension requests, 91 FR 5880
FAA pages
- FAA, Recreational Flyers & Community-Based Organizations, last updated October 29, 2026
- FAA, Certificated Remote Pilots including Commercial Operators, last updated March 25, 2025
- FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot, last updated June 9, 2026
- FAA, How much does it cost to get a remote pilot certificate? (FAQ)
- FAA, How to Register Your Drone, and FAA, Remote Identification of Drones
- FAA, LAANC, FAA, Part 107 Airspace Authorizations and FAA, Part 107 Waivers
- FAA, Package Delivery by Drone (Part 135) and FAA, Dispensing Chemicals and Agricultural Products (Part 137) with UAS
- FAA, FAA By the Numbers (no date on the page), and the Compendium to FAA Aerospace Forecast 2026-2046, Emerging Aviation Entrants
SBA, IRS and BLS
- U.S. Small Business Administration, Launch your business, modified August 28, 2026
- U.S. Small Business Administration, Plan your business: Write your business plan, read November 14, 2026
- Internal Revenue Service, Get an employer identification number, reviewed or updated October 16, 2026
- BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (17-3024 and 27-4021), and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Photographers
Makers
- DJI Mini 4 Pro User Manual and DJI Mini 3 User Manual v1.2: the Remote ID notes
- Antigravity A1, U.S. product page: the FAQ on Remote ID
Photos: DJI press images. Product photos by Antigravity. Wikimedia Commons: Warren LeMay (CC BY-SA 2.0).