Regulations
The 55-Pound Limit: What Counts Toward It
✓ Reviewed against current FAA sources on October 22, 2026
In this guide
In short
Part 107 governs small unmanned aircraft systems weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything that is on board or otherwise attached to the aircraft. The weight is assessed at takeoff, and payload, batteries, mounts and anything tethered to the aircraft all count toward it.
Fifty-five pounds is the boundary of Part 107 itself. Above it, the rule does not apply and a different certification path begins, so the definition matters more than its simplicity suggests.
The definition
A small unmanned aircraft is one weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything that is on board or otherwise attached to the aircraft. The definition sits in Section 107.3 (opens in a new tab) and is repeated in the applicability section, Section 107.1 (opens in a new tab).
What "otherwise attached" sweeps in
The phrase does more work than people expect. It includes:
- the battery or batteries fitted for the flight;
- the camera, gimbal and any mount;
- a payload of any kind, including a delivery item;
- landing gear extensions, guards and covers; and
- a tether, where one is used, together with whatever it connects to the aircraft.
Less than 55, not 55 or less
The threshold is written as less than 55 pounds. An aircraft at exactly 55 pounds is not a small unmanned aircraft under this definition. This is a distinction examiners use, because the parallel registration threshold in Section 48.15 (opens in a new tab) is written the other way, as 0.55 pounds or less. The two thresholds are worded differently on purpose and candidates frequently transpose them.
Assessed at takeoff
The weight is the takeoff weight. An aircraft that burns no fuel does not become lighter in flight, but one that releases a payload does, and the figure that matters is the one at the moment it leaves the ground.
Above 55 pounds
An unmanned aircraft of 55 pounds or more falls outside Part 107 entirely. Operations in that class proceed under other authorities, such as an exemption or a special airworthiness certificate, and the remote pilot certificate alone does not cover them.
Where this shows up on the test
Expect a scenario with an aircraft weight and an added payload, and a question about whether the flight may be conducted under Part 107. The arithmetic is trivial; the trap is forgetting that the payload counts.
Sources: 14 CFR 107.1 (opens in a new tab), 107.3 (opens in a new tab); 14 CFR 48.15 (opens in a new tab).