Effective December 21, 2015, any operator of a drone weighing more than 0.55 pounds and less than 55 pounds must register with the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”). If you operated the drone prior to December 21, 2015, you must complete the registration no later than February 19, 2016. If you purchase a drone subsequent to December 21, 2015, you must complete the registration before the first flight of that drone.
In essence, this regulation requires any operator – young or old – of a drone weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds to register with the FAA. There will be a $5.00 processing fee. Should an operator register before January 20, 2016, the FAA website indicates the $5.00 registration fee will be refunded.
In implementing the registration requirements, the FAA adopted many of the recommendations proposed by the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“UAS”) Registration Task Force. The Registration Task Force issued its final report on November 21, 2015.