Do I need a license for a drone under 250 grams?

Not to fly just for fun: you need no FAA pilot certificate, but even under 250 grams you must pass the free TRUST test.¹²³ The 250-gram line is a registration rule: a drone of 0.55 pounds or less flown only for fun needn’t be registered.⁴⁵ Almost all other flying falls under Part 107, which needs a remote pilot certificate and registration whatever the drone weighs.⁶⁷⁸⁹

Flying just for fun

The recreational exception is federal law, 49 U.S.C. 44809.¹ It lets you fly without specific certification or operating authority from the FAA, if you meet all of its conditions.¹

One is passing an aeronautical knowledge and safety test and keeping proof to show the FAA or law enforcement on request.¹ The others cover flying strictly for recreation, a community-based organization’s safety guidelines, line of sight, giving way to manned aircraft, airspace, altitude and registration.¹

The test is TRUST, and the FAA says the law requires all recreational flyers to pass it.³ It’s free and online, through FAA-approved test administrators.³ TRUST has no minimum age or other eligibility requirements, and it’s taken once, with no recurrent testing.²

When you pass, you get a completion certificate from the test administrator you chose.³ If you lose it, you must retake TRUST, and administrators keep no record of it.³ You can carry it on paper or electronically.¹⁰

The 250-gram line is about registration

Under 14 CFR 48.15, you may not fly a small drone unless it’s registered and marked, or one of two exceptions applies.⁴ The one that matters here covers a drone flown only under the recreational exception that weighs 0.55 pounds or less on takeoff.⁴ That weight includes everything on board or attached to the drone.⁴

The rule sets the limit in pounds, and the FAA’s registration page gives “0.55 pounds or less” as “less than 250 grams.”⁴⁵ Its recreational flyers page says to register a drone of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) or more.⁶

Remote ID’s operating rules cover anyone flying a drone that’s registered or required to be registered.¹¹¹² The FAA’s 2021 Remote ID rule says most drones of 0.55 pounds or less may not need registering, so wouldn’t need to meet them.⁹ But one you register anyway is covered.¹¹¹²

Flying for any other reason

The FAA says compensation isn’t what decides whether a flight is recreational.⁶ If you’re not sure which rules apply, it says to assume Part 107.⁶

Part 107 defines a small unmanned aircraft as one weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, with no lower limit.¹³ Under it, you can’t act as remote pilot in command without a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating.⁷ The FAA calls this the Remote Pilot Certificate, and the AIM also calls it the “Part 107 Certificate.”¹⁴²

The registration exception doesn’t apply, because it covers only drones flown exclusively under the recreational exception.⁴ The FAA says federal law requires all drones operated under Part 107 to be registered.⁸ Its Remote ID rule says a drone of 0.55 pounds or less flown under Part 107 must also meet the Remote ID operating rules.⁹

A drone registered as recreational can’t be flown under Part 107.⁵ If you hold a Part 107 certificate and want to fly under the recreational exception, the AIM says you must pass TRUST too.²

At any weight, both paths require prior authorization in Class B, C or D airspace, or an airport’s surface Class E area.¹¹⁵

For each step to the certificate, from the knowledge test to the TSA check, see the Part 107 drone license guide.

StudyWren is an independent study tool and isn’t affiliated with the FAA or PSI.

Sources

1. 49 U.S.C. 44809, “Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft,” subsection (a), Office of the Law Revision Counsel, United States Code (text in effect through Public Law 119-136, October 22, 2026). https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-136/t49/s44809/#a Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. FAA, “Aeronautical Information Manual” (Change 3, effective 7/9/2026; Chapter 11, Section 5, paragraph 11-5-1, “UAS Pilot Certification and Requirements for Part 107 and Recreational Flyers”). https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap11_section_5.html Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. FAA, “The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST)” (page last updated August 21, 2026). https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers/knowledge_test_updates Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. 14 CFR 48.15, eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-48.15 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

5. FAA, “How to Register Your Drone” (page last updated March 18, 2024). https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/register_drone Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. FAA, “Recreational Flyers & Community-Based Organizations” (page last updated October 14, 2026). https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. 14 CFR 107.12(b), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-107.12 ↩ ↩²

8. FAA, “Do I need to register my drone and if so, how do I register?” (Drones FAQ). https://www.faa.gov/faq/do-i-need-register-my-drone-and-if-so-how-do-i-register Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩²

9. FAA, “Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft,” final rule, 86 FR 4390 (January 15, 2021; preamble section XIV.B.4, page 4450, and section XV, page 4465). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/15/2020-28948/remote-identification-of-unmanned-aircraft#p-844 Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. FAA, “Why is it necessary to carry proof of passage when flying?” (Drones FAQ). https://www.faa.gov/faq/why-it-necessary-carry-proof-passage-when-flying Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩

11. 14 CFR 89.101(a), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-89.101 ↩ ↩²

12. FAA, “Remote Identification of Drones” (page last updated March 19, 2025). https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/remote_id Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩²

13. 14 CFR 107.3, definition of “small unmanned aircraft,” eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-107.3 ↩

14. FAA, “Become a Certificated Remote Pilot” (page last updated June 9, 2026). https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩

15. 14 CFR 107.41, eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-107.41 ↩