FAA Part 107 Prep — Certification, RPIC, Registration & Core Part 107 Rules

LSN-005: Aircraft Registration

Module: MOD-01 · Topic: TOPIC-003

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you can (OBJ-003, OBJ-093):

• State when a small unmanned aircraft operated under Part 107 must be registered, including the weight threshold and what counts toward it.
• Explain how Part 107 registration works in practice: per-aircraft registration, cost, duration, renewal, and where the registration number must be displayed.

Plain-English explanation

Your remote pilot certificate covers you. Registration covers the drone. They are two separate requirements, and you need both squared away before you fly commercially.

Here is the whole system in plain terms:

1. If you fly it under Part 107, it must be registered. A small unmanned aircraft operated under Part 107 must be registered before flight (§107.13; Part 48). For almost every Part 107 pilot, that means the FAA's online registration system under Part 48.

2. The weight threshold: more than 0.55 lb (250 g), less than 55 lb. Aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds must be registered (§107.13; Part 48). Two things matter here:

• The weight is measured at takeoff and includes everything on board: the payload, the camera, prop guards, lights, and any other attachments or accessories. A 240-gram drone with a 30-gram accessory strapped on is a 270-gram aircraft, and it needs registration (Part 48; FAA register page).
• Part 107 itself only applies to aircraft under 55 lb, so the registration band you care about as a remote pilot is "over 0.55 lb up to under 55 lb" (§107.13; §107.3).

3. Part 107 registration is per aircraft. Under Part 107, each aircraft is registered individually and gets its own unique registration number (Part 48; FAA register page). Three drones means three registrations and three different numbers. This is the single most-tested distinction in this lesson, because it is the opposite of how recreational registration works: a recreational flyer registers once and applies that one number to every drone in their personal fleet. Part 107 pilots do not get that shortcut.

4. Mark the number on the outside. The registration number must be displayed on an external surface of the aircraft, and it must be legible (Part 48; FAA register page). Inside the battery compartment does not count. Permanent marker, engraving, or a durable label all work, as long as it is on the outside and readable.

5. Five dollars, three years. Registration costs $5 per aircraft and is valid for 3 years. You must renew before it expires to keep flying that aircraft legally (Part 48; FAA register page).

One cross-reference: when you register, the FAA's system asks you to list the aircraft's Remote ID serial number. That links your registration to the Remote ID rule, which is covered in MOD-02 — for now, just know the two records are connected (Part 48; FAA register page; see MOD-02).

Why this matters on the Part 107 exam

Registration questions are gift points if you memorize four numbers and one distinction:

• 0.55 lb (250 g) — the registration threshold, including payload at takeoff.
• 55 lb — the top of the small UAS category.
• $5 — the registration fee per aircraft.
• 3 years — how long the registration lasts.
• Per-aircraft vs. fleet — Part 107 registers each drone individually; recreational flyers register once for everything they own. The exam loves to swap these.

Expect scenario questions: "A drone weighs X grams with its camera attached — does it need to be registered?" and trap questions built on the recreational fleet rule.

Official rule / reference

• 14 CFR §107.13 (Registration): a person operating a civil small unmanned aircraft system under Part 107 must comply with the aircraft registration provisions (parts 47/48 as applicable).
• 14 CFR Part 48: the streamlined online registration system for small unmanned aircraft — sets the >0.55 lb threshold, the per-aircraft registration for Part 107, the external marking requirement, and the $5 / 3-year fee and duration.
• FAA drone registration page: https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/register_drone

Real-world drone example

Maya runs a small roof-inspection business with three drones: a 249 g sub-250 quad, a 900 g mapping drone, and a 3.2 kg thermal rig.

• The mapping drone and the thermal rig obviously need registration: each one gets its own $5 registration and its own unique number, marked legibly on the outside of the airframe (§107.13; Part 48).
• The 249 g quad is the interesting one. Bare, it sits just under 0.55 lb. But Maya clips a 40 g strobe to it for a dawn inspection job. At takeoff the aircraft now weighs 289 g — over the threshold — so it must be registered too (Part 48; FAA register page). Under Part 107, "sub-250" stops being sub-250 the moment you add weight. (In practice, many working pilots simply register everything for $5 each and stop worrying about it.)
• Three years later, Maya gets a renewal reminder. She renews before the expiration date, because an expired registration means the aircraft is not legal to fly under Part 107 until renewed (Part 48).

Common traps / misconceptions

1. "I registered once, so all my drones are covered." That is the recreational model. Under Part 107, every aircraft is registered individually with its own unique number (Part 48). Classic exam trap.
2. "My drone is 249 g, so it never needs registration." The threshold applies to the aircraft as flown — payload, camera, accessories, everything attached at takeoff counts toward the 0.55 lb (Part 48; FAA register page).
3. "The number can go inside the battery compartment." No — it must be on an external surface, legible (Part 48). (The old allow-it-inside-the-compartment practice ended years ago; external display is the rule.)
4. Mixing up the numbers. It is $5 for 3 years, per aircraft. Distractors will offer $5/1 year, $25/3 years, and similar shuffles.
5. "My remote pilot certificate covers the drone." Certification and registration are separate. The certificate makes you legal; registration makes the aircraft legal (§107.12 vs. §107.13).
6. "Registration and Remote ID are the same thing." They are linked — you list the Remote ID serial number when registering — but Remote ID is its own requirement, taught in MOD-02.

Quick recap

• Fly it under Part 107 → it must be registered (§107.13).
• Threshold: > 0.55 lb (250 g) up to < 55 lb, weighed with payload/attachments at takeoff.
• Part 107 = each aircraft registered individually, unique number each. Recreational = one registration for the whole fleet.
• Number goes on an external surface, legible.
• $5, valid 3 years, renew before it expires.
• Remote ID serial number is listed during registration (details in MOD-02).