Regulations
Part 107 Waivers: The 10 Rules You Can Waive
✓ Reviewed against current FAA sources on October 11, 2026
In this guide
In short
A Part 107 waiver is an FAA finding under 14 CFR 107.200 (opens in a new tab) that one specific operation can be conducted safely outside one rule, and 107.200(b) puts the burden of establishing that safety on the applicant. Only the ten provisions listed in 14 CFR 107.205 (opens in a new tab) can be waived: 107.25, 107.29(a)(2) and (b), 107.31, 107.33, 107.35, 107.37(a), 107.39, 107.41, 107.51 and 107.145. No waiver of 107.25 or 107.31 will be issued to allow the carriage of property of another by aircraft for compensation or hire.
A Part 107 waiver is not permission to do something risky. It is a finding by the FAA that a specific proposed operation can be conducted safely outside one particular rule, on stated terms. That framing is the whole of 107.200, and it explains why most refused applications are refused: they describe what the operator wants to do rather than why it is safe.
What 107.200 actually says
Four paragraphs, and each one matters:
- (a) The Administrator may issue a certificate of waiver authorizing a deviation from any regulation specified in 107.205 if the Administrator finds that the proposed operation can safely be conducted under the terms of that certificate.
- (b) A request must contain a complete description of the proposed operation and justification that establishes that it can safely be conducted under the terms of a waiver.
- (c) The Administrator may prescribe additional limitations considered necessary.
- (d) A holder may deviate from the rules to the extent specified in the certificate, and must comply with any conditions or limitations in it.
Read (b) again. The burden of establishing safety is on the applicant. The FAA is not asked to find a reason to say no; the applicant is required to supply the reason to say yes.
The ten provisions you can ask to deviate from
Section 107.205 (opens in a new tab) is a closed list. If a rule is not on it, no waiver exists for that rule, however good the justification.
| Section | What it governs |
|---|---|
| 107.25 | Operation from a moving vehicle or aircraft |
| 107.29(a)(2) and (b) | Anti-collision light required at night and during civil twilight |
| 107.31 | Visual line of sight aircraft operation |
| 107.33 | Visual observer |
| 107.35 | Operation of multiple small unmanned aircraft systems |
| 107.37(a) | Yielding the right of way |
| 107.39 | Operation over people |
| 107.41 | Operation in certain airspace |
| 107.51 | Operating limitations for small unmanned aircraft |
| 107.145 | Operations over moving vehicles |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The two carve-outs inside the list
Two entries carry an express limit, and they carry the same one. Both 107.205(a), for operation from a moving vehicle, and 107.205(c), for visual line of sight, state that no waiver of that provision will be issued to allow the carriage of property of another by aircraft for compensation or hire.
So beyond-line-of-sight delivery of someone else's property for money is not a waiver question at all. The regulation closes that door inside the list of things you may ask for, which is an unusual drafting choice and a reliable exam item.
What is not waivable, and why that matters more
The absences are as examinable as the entries. None of the following appears in 107.205:
- 107.29(a)(1), the requirement that the remote pilot have completed the knowledge test or training after April 6, 2021, for night operations. The light is waivable; the knowledge is not.
- 107.36, carriage of hazardous materials.
- 107.27, the drug and alcohol provisions.
- 107.9, safety event reporting.
- 107.49, the preflight familiarization and inspection duties.
- Part 89, Remote ID, which is a different part entirely and outside 107.205 altogether.
- 107.19, the responsibilities of the remote pilot in command.
Note how 107.29 is split. Paragraph (a)(2) and paragraph (b), the anti-collision lighting, are waivable. Paragraph (a)(1), the training requirement, is not. A question that offers "night operations" as a waivable item without saying which paragraph is testing exactly this.
Airspace authorization is not a waiver
This is the most common confusion in the whole subject. Flying in controlled airspace needs authorization under 107.41, which for most operations comes through LAANC or FAADroneZone and is routine. A waiver of 107.41 is a different instrument, for an operation that cannot meet the terms of an authorization at all.
They share a section number and nothing else. Most operators will request authorization many times and never request a waiver of 107.41. See the Part 107 operating rules for where authorization is required.
Writing one that gets granted
Because 107.200(b) puts the burden on you, a strong request reads like a safety case rather than a permission slip. In practice that means describing the hazards your operation actually presents and the specific mitigation for each, rather than asserting that you are experienced. The FAA can also attach limitations under 107.200(c), so expect the granted waiver to be narrower than the request, and read 107.200(d)(2) before you fly it: the conditions in the certificate are themselves binding, and departing from them puts you outside the waiver entirely.
Sources: 14 CFR 107.200 (opens in a new tab), 107.205 (opens in a new tab); 14 CFR 107.9 (opens in a new tab), 107.19 (opens in a new tab), 107.25 (opens in a new tab), 107.27 (opens in a new tab), 107.29 (opens in a new tab), 107.31 (opens in a new tab), 107.33 (opens in a new tab), 107.35 (opens in a new tab), 107.36 (opens in a new tab), 107.37 (opens in a new tab), 107.39 (opens in a new tab), 107.41 (opens in a new tab), 107.49 (opens in a new tab), 107.51 (opens in a new tab), 107.145 (opens in a new tab).