If you fly a drone for any commercial purpose in the United States — including selling aerial photos, shooting real estate, inspecting a roof or filming a wedding — you need an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. No exceptions, no grey areas. The FAA names taking photos to help sell a property as a Part 107 operation, and the same logic applies to any flight where you get paid. The good news is that the certificate is achievable: a single written test, a modest fee, and a study plan that works for anyone willing to put in the hours.

What Part 107 covers

Part 107 is the FAA's rulebook for small unmanned aircraft systems under 55 pounds. It covers the rules that matter on every commercial flight: maximum altitude of 400 feet above ground level, visual line of sight at all times, no flying over people or moving vehicles without meeting specific conditions, no flying in controlled airspace without authorisation, and daylight or twilight operations with anti-collision lighting. Your certificate is valid for 24 months, and renewal is a free online recurrent training course through the FAA Safety Team. The certificate does not expire if you keep up with recurrent training — it is a professional credential, not a one-off test.

The test: what to expect

The Part 107 test costs 175 dollars and is taken at an FAA-approved testing centre. It is a 60-question multiple-choice exam covering airspace classification, weather, drone performance, regulations and flight planning, and you need 70 percent to pass. Most people study for one to three weeks using free FAA materials and an online course, and the pass rate is high for those who prepare properly. The hardest sections are usually airspace — reading sectional charts — and weather, because both require learning new concepts rather than memorising facts. Study the charts until you can read them, and the rest follows.

Registration and Remote ID

Your certificate is only part of the compliance picture. Every drone you fly commercially must be registered with the FAA at DroneZone — 5 dollars per drone, valid for three years — and it must comply with Remote ID, which broadcasts your drone's identity, location and altitude. Most drones made after mid-2022 have Remote ID built in; older drones need an add-on broadcast module costing 30 to 80 dollars. Flying commercially without registration or Remote ID is a federal violation with fines starting above 1,100 dollars per incident, so treat these as part of the licence, not as optional extras.

What Part 107 lets you do — and what it does not

A Part 107 certificate lets you fly for business, but it does not let you ignore the rules. You still need airspace authorisation to fly in controlled airspace, which you request through LAANC, the FAA's automated system. You still cannot fly over people without meeting the requirements for the relevant category, and you still cannot fly at night without anti-collision lighting. The certificate is a licence to operate commercially within the rules, not a licence to ignore them — and the FAA enforces it, with fines and certificate action for pilots who break the rules.

Is Part 107 worth it for photographers?

If you sell even one aerial photo, yes. The certificate costs 175 dollars and a few weeks of study, and it opens up real estate, weddings, inspections, mapping and stock photography as income streams. It also makes you a better pilot: the knowledge of airspace, weather and regulations makes every flight safer, including your recreational ones. Study the free FAA materials, take a practice test until you pass comfortably, and book the exam. A month from now, you could be flying commercially — legally, confidently, and with a credential that clients respect.