Part 107 for wedding and event videographers
Filming weddings and events with a drone is Part 107 work. The rules that matter most: guests overhead, venue permission, evening light and event TFRs.
Updated
A drone shot of the first dance or the venue at sunset is client work, so it falls under Part 107 even when the couple are friends. Events also bring together the rules most likely to trip a pilot up: a crowd, a venue with its own policies, evening light, and sometimes a temporary flight restriction.
Which rules come up at a typical event?
| Situation | Rule | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Guests below the flight path | Operations over people | Operations Over People |
| Venue near an airport | Controlled airspace needs authorization | LAANC guide |
| Golden hour and sunset exits | Lighting in civil twilight, night rules after | Civil twilight |
| Event at or near a stadium, air show or big festival | Possible TFR | Drone TFRs |
| Couple asks for one more risky pass | You are the final authority | Client is not the remote PIC |
| A second shooter wants to fly | Only one drone per pilot | Rules people forget |
How do you film people without flying over them?
Plan angles that keep the drone beside or behind the crowd instead of above it. People who are directly participating in the operation, such as a visual observer, are not the issue; guests are. A covered tent or a crowd inside a reception hall also changes the picture, because §107.39 allows flight over people under a covered structure. If you want overhead shots of the crowd, check whether your aircraft and operation fit one of the operations over people categories before you promise them to the client.
What about evening shots?
Sunset exits are a wedding staple. For the 30 minutes after official sunset, Part 107 treats it as civil twilight, which requires anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles. After that, night rules apply, including a knowledge test or training completed after April 6, 2021. The civil twilight calculator gives the exact times for the venue and date.
Many venues, parks and municipalities have their own rules about launching drones. The FAA says only it can restrict airspace, but local governments can restrict takeoff and landing on their property. Ask the venue early and get it in writing.
How should an event videographer study?
You already know framing and light. What is new is regulations, airspace and operations, which together carry most of the test. Start with the free diagnostic, then work through the handbook by ACS area and run the exam simulator until your score is stable well above 70%.
Breaking news and documentary work bring TFRs and crowds of their own: see Part 107 for news and journalism.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a Part 107 certificate to film weddings with a drone?
- Yes. Filming an event for a client is business use, so the recreational exception does not apply. The pilot needs a remote pilot certificate, and the drone must be registered under Part 107 and broadcast Remote ID.
- Can I fly over the guests at a wedding?
- Only within the operations over people rules. Under 14 CFR 107.39, flight over people who are not directly participating is limited to people under a covered structure or in a stationary vehicle, or to operations that meet one of the four categories, each with its own aircraft and operating requirements.
- Does the venue's permission let me fly?
- It covers using the property. It does not replace an airspace authorization, and the FAA notes that a local No Drone Zone restriction on takeoff and landing is not overridden by an airspace authorization either.