FAA Part 107 Prep — Certification, RPIC, Registration & Core Part 107 Rules
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson you can:
- State when a small unmanned aircraft operated under Part 107 must be registered, and distinguish registration from weight-based operating limits.
- 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. Every aircraft flown under Part 107 must be registered, regardless of weight. The 0.55 lb (250 g) recreational registration exception does not apply to Part 107 operations. Register every aircraft you operate under Part 107, including a 249 g aircraft, and register each aircraft individually (§107.13; 14 CFR §48.15; FAA registration guidance). Part 107's small-UA scope is under 55 lb; that upper limit is not a registration exemption for lighter aircraft (§107.3).
Weight measured as configured for flight still matters for other rules. For example, takeoff weight including attached equipment is relevant to Category 1 operations over people. Do not carry that weight test over to aircraft registration.
The registrant must be at least 13. Section 48.25(b) says the owner registers the small unmanned aircraft, unless the owner is less than 13 years of age. If the owner is under 13, a person who is at least 13 must register it. That age is not the remote-pilot eligibility age of 16.
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 Modern Part 107 Rules — Remote ID, Ops Over People, Night, Waivers — for now, just know the two records are connected (Part 48; FAA register page; see Modern Part 107 Rules — Remote ID, Ops Over People, Night, Waivers).
Why this matters on the Part 107 exam
Registration questions become straightforward if you memorize three facts and one distinction:
- Any weight — Part 107 aircraft must be registered; 0.55 lb is a recreational exception, not a Part 107 threshold.
- 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 about individual registration, external marking, and the recreational exception. A Part 107 aircraft does not become registration-exempt because it is under 250 g.
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: aircraft registration provisions, including the recreational exception in §48.15, external marking, 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 must also be registered because Maya will operate it under Part 107. The strobe's added weight does not change that registration requirement. It may matter to separate weight-based limits, such as Category 1 eligibility for operations over people.
- 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
- "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.
- "My drone is 249 g, so it never needs registration." That recreational exception does not apply when the aircraft is operated under Part 107. Register it regardless of weight.
- "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.)
- Mixing up the numbers. It is $5 for 3 years, per aircraft. Distractors will offer $5/1 year, $25/3 years, and similar shuffles.
- "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).
- "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 Modern Part 107 Rules — Remote ID, Ops Over People, Night, Waivers.
Quick recap
- Fly it under Part 107 → it must be registered (§107.13).
- Registration applies to every Part 107 aircraft, regardless of weight. The 0.55 lb recreational exception is not a Part 107 exemption.
- Part 107 small-UA scope: under 55 lb. Takeoff weight with attached items matters to other limits, including Category 1 operations over people.
- 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 Modern Part 107 Rules — Remote ID, Ops Over People, Night, Waivers).