One Registration Number or One Per Drone? Part 107 vs. Recreational
This is one of the most common points of confusion for new drone pilots, and it trips people up because the answer is different depending on why you fly. The recreational rule and the Part 107 rule are genuinely not the same, and applying the wrong one is a real compliance problem — so here’s the distinction, with the sections.
The short version: if you fly recreationally, you register once and mark all your drones with that one number. If you fly under Part 107, every aircraft needs its own separate registration number. Buying a second drone for commercial work means a second registration.
Why the two rules differ
Under the recreational exception, the FAA registers the person. You pay once, you get one number, and you can put that number on every drone you own and fly recreationally.
Part 107 registers the aircraft. Each drone is registered individually under 14 CFR Part 48, and each one gets its own registration number. A photography business with four drones has four registrations, not one. This is the rule that catches people who started out flying recreationally and then got their Part 107 — the habit from the recreational side doesn’t carry over.
So when someone asks “I bought a second drone, can I just reuse my number?” the honest answer is another question: are you flying it under Part 107? If yes, it needs its own number.
The weight exemption is also not the same
You’ve probably heard that drones under 250 grams (0.55 pounds) don’t need to be registered. That’s true — but only for recreational flying.
Under 14 CFR 48.15, the sub-250-gram exemption applies only to aircraft flown exclusively under the recreational exception. The moment you fly any aircraft under Part 107, it must be registered regardless of weight. A 0.4-pound drone taking paid promotional photos has to be registered, even though the same drone flown purely for fun would not.
Airspace doesn’t change this either. Registration under Part 107 is required whether you fly in Class G or in controlled airspace — the class has nothing to do with it.
What registration actually requires
A few specifics that show up on the knowledge test and matter in practice:
It lasts three years. A small unmanned aircraft registration under Part 48 is valid for three years, then it has to be renewed.
The number has to be visible. The registration number must be displayed legibly on an external surface of the aircraft. Since 2019 it can no longer be tucked inside an enclosed battery compartment — it has to be readable from outside.
You have to be able to prove it. If the FAA asks for proof of registration during an operation, the Certificate of Aircraft Registration — on paper or as a legible electronic copy — is what satisfies the request. A purchase receipt or the manufacturer’s warranty card does not count.
A broadcast module doesn’t get its own number. If you add a Remote ID broadcast module to an aircraft, you don’t register the module separately. You list its serial number in that aircraft’s existing registration record in FAA DroneZone.
Registration is not waivable
One more thing worth knowing, because it comes up when people go looking for exceptions. Part 107 lets you apply for a waiver of certain rules — visual line of sight, for instance, which is the basis of BVLOS operations. But 14 CFR 107.205 lists which provisions can be waived, and registration is not on that list. There is no waiver that lets you fly an unregistered aircraft under Part 107.
Practice questions on this
1. A photography business owns four small unmanned aircraft used under Part 107. Regarding registration, the business must:
A. Register only the aircraft that weigh more than 0.55 pounds
B. Register each aircraft individually, each receiving its own registration number
C. Register once and apply the same number to all four aircraft
Answer: B. Aircraft operated under Part 107 must each be registered individually under Part 48, each with its own number. The “register once, mark all aircraft” option applies only to recreational flyers, and the 0.55-pound exemption does not apply to Part 107.
2. A 0.4-pound (under 250 g) drone is used to take paid promotional photos under Part 107. Regarding FAA registration, the aircraft:
A. Is exempt because it weighs 0.55 pounds or less
B. Must be registered only if flown in controlled airspace
C. Must be registered, because the weight exemption applies only to aircraft flown exclusively for recreation
Answer: C. The 0.55-pound exemption in 48.15 applies only to aircraft operated exclusively under the recreational exception. Any aircraft operated under Part 107 must be registered regardless of weight, and airspace class is irrelevant.
3. Under 14 CFR Part 48, the registration number of a small unmanned aircraft must be:
A. Filed with the local police department
B. Stored in the aircraft’s battery compartment on a printed label
C. Displayed legibly on an external surface of the aircraft
Answer: C. Part 48 requires the number to be maintained legibly on an external surface. Since 2019 it may no longer be placed only inside an enclosed compartment.
The short version
- Recreational: register once, put that one number on every drone.
- Part 107: every aircraft gets its own registration number. A second drone means a second registration.
- The sub-250-gram exemption applies to recreational flying only — under Part 107, register regardless of weight.
- Registration lasts three years, must be displayed on an external surface, and must be provable with the Certificate of Aircraft Registration.
- A broadcast module’s serial goes in the aircraft’s existing record; it doesn’t get its own number.
- Registration cannot be waived under 107.205.
Want to practice the whole regulations section this way? The free 90-question Regulations drill runs in your browser, and every answer names the section it comes from — the same way this article does.
← Back to the Part 107 Study Hub for the free drill and more plain-English guides to the regulations.
Study aid only. Not flight instruction and not legal advice. Regulations change — always verify against current FAA publications before you fly. These are original questions written to the ACS standards from public FAA material, not FAA exam questions.