Before flying a drone in the United States, you must register with the FAA. Registration costs $5 and can be done online on the Federal Drone Registry website.  Before this law was passed in 2015, anyone was able to operate a drone with no guidance from the FAA.  At the time, drone operators were asked to register and follow certain guidelines such as keeping the aircraft within the line of flight, flying at specific heights and more. Since then, over 800,000 UAV owners have registered their drones and became part of the national database.

Early this year, a Columbia court of appeals upturned the regulation allowing everyone to fly without registration. The court stated that personal UAVs were not part of the FAA’s compulsory drone registration program. However, on December 12th, a National Defense Authorization Act was passed making this registration compulsory and bringing the law back.

President Trump signed the defense policy bill and restored the requirement. Now all personal drone owners must enroll their aircraft through the website. The $700 billion Act stipulated spending limits and policies for the Department of Defense and is only a small part of the larger bill.

All Unmanned Aircraft Must Be Registered Pronto!

This is not just restricted to drones, but any remote control flying device that fits in with certain criteria. If you own a drone that has not been registered, please visit federaldroneregistration.com to enroll your unmanned aircraft and pay the $5 fee to get listed in the database. You will receive a registration number which must be put on the drone when you are flying it.

The FAA suggests using a permanent marker to write the number on the drone. You can also use a label or etch it on your UAV. If you’re caught flying an unmanned aerial device without a registration number, the penalties are steep. You could get slapped with a fine up to $250,000 including criminal penalties such as a jail sentence!

It’s also stated on the website that all pilots should keep their registration certificate handy just in case an official requests for it while the pilot is flying the aircraft. An FAA official explained that proof of ownership and identification will help keep everybody safe and encourage responsible drone operations.  There are some people who have openly opposed this regulation, but big players in the industry like Google and DJI (One of the largest drone manufactures) support the decision. They believe that the regulation is needed to promote safety and responsible behavior when flying drones.

With the holiday approaching, the regulation is coming back at a truly inconvenient time. Many people are excited about their new drones and can’t wait to hit the skies. But the FAA has clearly stated that there will not be a grace period and that the regulations will take effect immediately.  So if you buy a drone for yourself as a gift to someone else, you might want to consider adding a $5 gift card to cover the registration fee.

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