North Carolina Dropped Its Drone Permit

North Carolina was the state with its own commercial drone license. Until December 1, 2024, commercial operators needed a state knowledge test and an NCDOT permit on top of their FAA remote pilot certificate. Session Law 2024-15 repealed both. Today the FAA Part 107 certificate is the credential for paid drone work in North Carolina, but the state's surveillance restrictions still apply.

What changed on December 1, 2024?

House Bill 198, enacted as Session Law 2024-15, repealed the sections of Article 10 of Chapter 63 that created the state requirements. The North Carolina statute pages now show §63-95, the state knowledge test, and §63-96, the commercial operator permit, as repealed effective December 1, 2024.

What North Carolina law still applies?

G.S. 15A-300.1 remains. Unless an exception applies, no person may use a drone to:

• conduct surveillance of a person, or of a dwelling occupied by a person and its curtilage, without consent;
• conduct surveillance of private real property without the consent of the owner, easement holder or lessee;
• photograph an individual without consent for the purpose of publishing or publicly disseminating the photo.

The photography restriction does not apply to newsgathering, newsworthy events, or events and places to which the general public is invited.

What federal rules matter most in North Carolina?

Charlotte has Class B airspace and Raleigh-Durham has Class C, so metro work often needs prior authorization under §107.41 through LAANC. The coast has military training airspace; the restricted airspace post explains which special-use airspace actually limits a drone.

A worked example

A wedding venue near Raleigh asks for aerial video. In 2024 you would have needed a state permit. Now you need your Part 107 certificate, airspace authorization if the venue is inside controlled airspace, and attention to operations over people. Under 15A-300.1, the wedding is not an event to which the general public is invited, so on our reading the publication exception does not cover it. Get consent before publishing footage where guests are identifiable.

What this means for the exam

Nothing on the FAA test. If you were putting off Part 107 because of the extra state permit, that step no longer exists.

Other states are compared in the state drone laws guide.