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 of the federal aviation regulations covers commercial and government drone operations under 55 pounds. For most agencies, the pilot flying the mission needs a Remote Pilot Certificate earned through Part 107, which requires being at least 16 years old, passing TSA vetting, and passing a 60-question knowledge test on airspace, weather, and operating rules. Certification isn't a one-time event either. Pilots need to complete recurrent training every 24 months to stay current.

A note on public aircraft operations

Government agencies technically have a second option: operating under Public Aircraft Operations (PAO) authority instead of Part 107. In practice, most departments still choose the Part 107 route, because PAO comes with its own self-certification and oversight burden that's usually more overhead than it's worth for a small or mid-size program. Part 107 is well-documented, consistent, and the FAA has already built the infrastructure to support it.

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: the pilot (or a visual observer) must be able to see the aircraft, unless operating under a waiver.
• Night and twilight operations: permitted without a waiver, provided the aircraft has anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles and the remote pilot has completed the updated recurrent training. This covers most search and rescue and patrol scenarios.
• Weight: aircraft must be under 55 pounds, which covers the vast majority of public safety drones on the market.

Remote ID is not optional

Since September 2023, every drone that must be registered, which under Part 107 means every drone you fly at any weight, has to broadcast Remote ID. Think of it as a digital license plate: while airborne it transmits a unique identifier, the aircraft's position and altitude, its velocity, and a time mark.

There are two ways to comply. Standard Remote ID is built into the aircraft and also broadcasts the control station's position. A broadcast module attaches to older hardware and broadcasts the takeoff location instead. If your department is buying new equipment, Standard Remote ID is almost certainly built in already. If you're flying legacy airframes, budget for modules before those aircraft are legal to fly.

The one carve-out is an FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA), a fixed, pre-approved site where drones without Remote ID may still fly. FRIAs are useful for training. They are not a solution for missions.

What's changing: BVLOS and Part 108

Right now, flying beyond visual line of sight requires a case-by-case waiver from the FAA, which is exactly the kind of paperwork that slows down real search and rescue missions. The FAA's proposed Part 108 rule is designed to change that, making routine BVLOS operations possible without a waiver for every flight.

Where it stands: the proposed rule was published in August 2025, the initial comment period closed that October, and the FAA reopened the record in January 2026 on right-of-way and electronic conspicuity questions. A final rule is still pending. Treat any specific effective date you see quoted as speculation until the FAA publishes one.

Part 107 isn't going away. Part 108 will sit alongside it for higher-risk, longer-range operations. If your agency is thinking about extended search patterns or infrastructure inspection, this is the rulemaking to watch.

The mistakes agencies actually make

• Assuming any officer can fly for the department. Recreational flight rules don't apply once a drone is being used for official duties, even informally.
• Skipping Remote ID compliance on older equipment, which puts every flight technically out of compliance.
• Letting certifications lapse. The 24-month recurrent training requirement gets missed more often than you'd expect, especially in departments where the certified pilot has since transferred or retired.
• 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.