The four categories at a glance
| Category | Aircraft must | Over non-participants | Open-air assemblies | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weigh 0.55 lb or less with everything attached; no exposed rotating parts that would lacerate skin. No label or declaration. | Allowed | Sustained flight only with Remote ID (§89.110 or §89.115(a)) | 107.110 |
| 2 | Be on an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance and labeled Category 2 (injury no worse than an 11 ft-lb rigid impact; no lacerating parts; no safety defects) | Allowed | Sustained flight only with Remote ID | 107.115, 107.120 |
| 3 | Be on a declaration and labeled Category 3 (no worse than a 25 ft-lb impact) | Sustained flight only in a closed- or restricted-access site with everyone on notice; otherwise transit only | Never | 107.125, 107.130 |
| 4 | Hold a Part 21 airworthiness certificate; fly within its Flight Manual limits; maintained per 107.140(c) | Allowed within limits | Sustained flight only with Remote ID | 107.140 |
No category is needed over people who are directly participating, or who are under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that can protect them (107.39). Over people in moving vehicles, 107.145 adds its own conditions.
Three things most guides get wrong
- “Under 250 g” is not the test. Category 1 is 0.55 lb (249.5 g) at takeoff and throughout the flight, including anything attached, and the aircraft must also have no exposed rotating parts that would lacerate skin. A sub-250 g drone with bare props is not Category 1.
- You can't qualify a drone yourself with a kinetic-energy calculation. The 11 and 25 ft-lb figures are limits the manufacturer must meet with an FAA-accepted means of compliance and declare under 107.160. The energy number this page shows is only for context.
- Transit vs. sustained flight matters. Category 3 and the moving-vehicle rule allow passing over people without a closed site, but not hovering or circling over them. Open-air assemblies limit sustained flight for Categories 1, 2 and 4 to Remote ID aircraft.
Worked example
A 0.53 lb mini drone with bare propellers, filming a street fair (open-air assembly), hovering: not allowed. Bare props rule out Category 1 and it carries no Category 2 label. Add full prop guards and check the weight again: the guards often push it over 0.55 lb, which also rules out Category 1. A Category 2-labeled drone with standard Remote ID could hover over the same crowd (107.115(b)). A Category 3 drone could not fly over the fair at all (107.125(b)).
Sources
- 14 CFR Part 107 Subpart D, Operations over human beings (eCFR; sections 107.39, 107.110-107.145 text checked 2026-10-23)
- 14 CFR Part 89 Remote identification (§89.110 standard RID, §89.115(a) broadcast modules)
- FAA: Operations over people
Planning aid, not legal advice. Night, airspace and waiver rules are separate. Your answers stay in your browser.