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United States · Knowledge test

FAA commercial drone license or recreational flying: which rules apply

For work or business, the license you need is the Remote Pilot Certificate under Part 107: the FAA commercial drone license and the Part 107 license are the same certificate. Flying purely for fun is different. It falls under a separate exception in federal law, 49 U.S.C. 44809, and instead of the Part 107 test you take The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST), a free online test from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for flyers of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and carry proof that you passed.

  • No costTRUST, at every approved administrator
  • 16Administrators on the FAA’s TRUST list
  • 250 gramsLighter recreational drones don’t register
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Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

When do you need an FAA commercial drone license?

Whenever the flight isn’t purely for fun or personal enjoyment. The FAA says being paid isn’t what decides it, and that almost all non-recreational drone flying is regulated by Part 107. Its examples of Part 107 flights:

  • Taking photos to help sell a property or service
  • Roof inspections
  • Taking pictures of a high school football game for the school’s website
  • Volunteering your drone to survey coastlines for a nonprofit

When in doubt, the FAA says, assume Part 107 and meet all of its requirements. Its user identification tool walks you through the question. Some operations, such as commercial package delivery beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) or agricultural spraying, may be flown under waivers to Part 91 instead, the FAA says.

FAA: What Kind of Drone Flyer Are You? ↗How to get the remote pilot certificate →Part 107 waivers for flights outside the rules →

Flying for fun: the recreational rules

The FAA lists what the recreational exception asks of you:

  • Fly only for recreation, and follow the safety guidelines of an FAA-recognized community-based organization (CBO)
  • Keep the drone in visual line of sight, or use a visual observer who stands beside you
  • Give way to other aircraft and don’t interfere with them
  • Get authorization through the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) or DroneZone before flying in controlled airspace
  • Stay at or below 400 feet in Class G airspace
  • Pass TRUST and carry proof
  • Register and mark the drone if it weighs 250 grams or more, and carry proof of registration
FAA: Recreational Flyers ↗

The TRUST test

TRUST is the knowledge and safety test the law requires of recreational flyers, and you pass it before you fly. The FAA writes the content and approved test administrators run it online. Every administrator offers it free, and every question can be corrected to 100% before you get your completion certificate.

Download, save or print the certificate: administrators don’t keep a record of it, and if you lose it you have to take TRUST again. You show it if a law enforcement officer asks. TRUST covers recreational flying only; for work you need the Part 107 certificate.

FAA: The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) ↗

Approved TRUST test administrators

The FAA’s TRUST page, last updated August 21, 2026, lists these administrators:

  • Academy of Model Aeronautics
  • Boy Scouts of America
  • Chippewa Valley Technical College
  • Community College of Allegheny County, West Hills Center
  • CrossFlight Sky Solutions
  • Drone Trust
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
  • HSU Foundation
  • Lake Area Technical College
  • Pasco-Hernando State College
  • Pilot Institute
  • Proctorio Incorporated
  • Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
  • Tactical Aviation
  • UAV Coach
  • University of Arizona Global Campus

Registration for work and for fun

Both cost $5 and last three years, but they work differently. A Part 107 registration covers one drone, so each drone, or each Remote ID broadcast module, gets its own number. A recreational registration covers every drone you own under one number. A registration can’t move from one type to the other, and a drone registered for recreation can’t be flown under Part 107.

Recreational drones under 250 grams, 0.55 pounds, don’t need registering. Under Part 107 there’s no such exception: every drone flown under Part 107 must be registered.

FAA: How to Register Your Drone ↗Remote ID and the other Part 107 rules →
Sources: FAA and 4 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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