The Part 107 55-Pound Limit, Explained

Part 107 is the small UAS rule, and "small" has a precise meaning. 14 CFR §107.3 defines a small unmanned aircraft as one weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything that is on board or otherwise attached to the aircraft. At 55 pounds or more, Part 107 does not apply at all, and no Part 107 waiver changes that.

What counts toward the 55 pounds?

Everything that leaves the ground with the aircraft:

• the airframe and batteries,
• cameras, gimbals and sensors,
• a payload or a spray tank and the liquid in it,
• accessories such as lights, parachutes or a Remote ID module.

The test is takeoff weight. A spray drone that weighs 40 pounds empty and 70 pounds with a full tank is not a small UA when it takes off full.

How do heavier drones fly legally?

Through an exemption. The FAA's Section 44807 page says Part 107 only applies to drones that weigh less than 55 pounds at takeoff, and that to fly a heavier one, or to do something no Part 107 waiver can allow, you may petition for an exemption under 14 CFR Part 11 and 49 U.S.C. §44807. The FAA decides case by case using a risk-based approach.

The FAA lists what a petition should include where relevant: a concept of operations, an operations manual, emergency procedures, checklists, a maintenance manual, a training program, flight history and a safety risk analysis. That is a much larger effort than a Part 107 waiver. The waivers post explains which Part 107 rules can be waived and which cannot.

An exemption covers weight, not weapons. Arming a drone of any size needs a separate authorization under a 2018 statute, explained in the FAA rule on weapons on drones.

What about recreational flyers?

The recreational exception has its own limit. The FAA's advisory circular AC 91-57D says that under 49 U.S.C. §44809(c)(3), unmanned aircraft weighing more than 55 pounds must be operated under the FAA-approved safety guidelines of a recognized community-based organization and solely at an approved fixed site, such as a club field.

What the exam asks about weight

The definition is in the Regulations area, UA.I.A.K2, definitions used in Part 107. Expect a question that hands you a weight with a payload and asks whether Part 107 applies, or that confuses 55 pounds with the 0.55-pound registration threshold. Loading questions on the same aircraft, such as load factor and center of gravity, are in the load factor post. The proposed Part 108 for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations is a separate track, covered in the Part 108 post.

At the other end of the scale, the sub-250 gram post covers the 0.55-pound registration line.