Drone rules for farmers
Drones, within the rules
Farmers can spray and spread with a drone under rules written for crop dusters. Lifting a pallet of seed across the farm with the same aircraft is a different question, and the answer today is on this page, in the FAA's words.
Every row quotes the regulation or the FAA page and links the source. Quotes were checked on October 15, 2026; the CFR text was taken from the govinfo.gov 2025 edition and confirmed against the live eCFR text as of October 13, 2026. Nothing on this page goes beyond the quotes.
What you may do today
| On the farm, with a drone | Today | Authority, in its own words |
|---|---|---|
| Spray, spread or seed with a drone under 55 lb | Permitted with the right certificates A Part 137 agricultural aircraft operator certificate and a Part 107 remote pilot certificate, plus an exemption from the FAA. | 14 CFR Part 137; FAA Part 137 UAS page
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| Spray or spread with a drone of 55 lb or more | Permitted with the right certificates A 49 U.S.C. 44807 exemption on top of the certificate; in sight of the pilot, below 200 feet, Class G airspace, on the grant's conditions. | 49 U.S.C. 44807; 14 CFR Parts 91 and 137
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| Spray your own fields only, under a private certificate | Not confirmed The private certificate exists in the rule for manned aircraft. Every drone grant we read opens with "commercial agricultural operations"; whether the FAA issues a private certificate to a drone operator is not confirmed. | 14 CFR 137.19(b), 137.35
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| Map, scout and count a crop | Permitted Under Part 107 with a remote pilot certificate, for aircraft under 55 lb. | 14 CFR Part 107
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| Lift or carry the farm's own materials with a drone under 55 lb, in sight | Permitted Under Part 107 if the load is securely attached; no hazardous material. | 14 CFR Part 107; FAA Part 107 summary
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| Carry someone else's goods for pay, under 55 lb, within one state, in sight | Permitted Under Part 107, when the aircraft, payload and cargo together weigh under 55 lb and the flight stays inside one state. | 14 CFR Part 107; FAA Part 107 summary |
| Carry for pay beyond the pilot's sight | Permitted with the right certificates Only as a Part 135 air carrier. | 14 CFR Part 135; FAA package delivery page
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| Lift or carry with a drone of 55 lb or more | No rule to fly under Part 137 covers dispensing only. Each operation would need its own 44807 exemption, and we found none granted for farm lifting. Cargo petitions for the DJI FlyCart 30 filed in June 2026 were pending. | 14 CFR 137.3; 49 U.S.C. 44807
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| Spray beyond the pilot's sight | Not confirmed Not by rule. The standard grant condition requires line of sight; an amendment to a grant is the only route today, and the FAA text of any such amendment is not confirmed. | 44807 exemption conditions; Part 108 pending
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| Dispense anything in a hazardous manner, or a pesticide off-label | Not permitted The rule forbids it for any agricultural aircraft, drone or not. | 14 CFR 137.37, 137.39
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| Spray without the certificate | Enforced On Aug 7, 2026 the FAA proposed a $289,215 civil penalty against a Stevenson, Washington operator. Proposed, not final. Since April 2026 most drone violations go straight to legal enforcement. | 14 CFR 137.11; FAA enforcement policy
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| Buy a new foreign-made spray drone | Depends on the model Foreign-produced drones are on the FCC Covered List, so new models cannot get equipment authorization unless exempt. Already-purchased aircraft are not affected by the pending proposal. | 47 U.S.C. 1601; FCC DA 25-1086, DA 26-758
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The gap in one sentence: Part 137 defines an agricultural aircraft operation as dispensing, so a 227-lb spray drone can work a farm under a 44807 exemption while the same farm's 210-lb cargo drone has no rule to fly under at all. Two things are open rather than settled: whether the FAA issues a private, own-farm certificate to a drone operator, and whether any FAA statement exists on heavy-lift farm work outside dispensing. We found neither.
Pesticide rules beyond the FAA
Spraying a registered pesticide by drone also runs through the EPA label and your state's applicator licensing. The FAA rule in 137.39 (quoted above) independently forbids dispensing contrary to the label.
- Oregon Department of Agriculture, pesticide newsletter:
All pesticide applications conducted aerially in Oregon, including those conducted using drones (UAV/UAS), require two separate Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) licenses
· oregon.gov · capture 396 · checked October 15, 2026 - EPA, Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Committee meeting summary (Jan 2024):
She said it is not formal guidance.
· epa.gov · capture 395 · checked October 15, 2026
Washington's drone guidance from WSDA is on file but was not re-verified on October 15, 2026; it is not quoted here.
What is in motion
| Item | Where it stands on October 15, 2026 | In its own words |
|---|---|---|
| Part 108, the beyond-visual-line-of-sight rule (RIN 2120-AL82) | Proposed Aug 7, 2025; comments closed and reopened; the final rule is under White House review with meetings scheduled through Oct 8, 2026; nothing published. The proposal still defines agricultural work as dispensing. | Unified Agenda timetable: Final Rule 07/00/2026· reginfo.gov · capture 390 |
| The proposed Part 108 agriculture permit | Would allow agricultural operations up to 1,320 lb under a permit, framed as seeding, dusting, spraying, fertilizing, crop improvement or pest control. | 90 FR 38212 (Aug 7, 2025), proposed 108.445: conduct agricultural operations involving aerial seeding, dusting, spraying, fertilizing, crop improvement, or pest control with a UA under part 108 without· govinfo.gov · capture 465 |
| Executive Order 14307 (June 6, 2025) | Its 240-day deadline for the final rule passed on Feb 1, 2026. | EO 14307, sec. 4: A final rule shall be published within 240 days of the date of this order, as appropriate.· govinfo.gov · capture 392 |
| Part 137 certification streamlining for drones | FAA Notice N 8900.773 (effective May 15, 2026, cancellation date May 15, 2027) reissues the streamlined process, so it is current. | FAA Notice N 8900.773: This notice reissues and cancels Notice N 8900.741, Title 14 CFR Part 137 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Certification, dated June 9, 2025.· faa.gov · capture 503 |
| Self-administered knowledge and skill tests | Part of the streamlined process since June 9, 2025. | FAA Notice N 8900.741: the 14 CFR § 137.19(e) knowledge and skill tests required in the certification process may now be self-administered.· faa.gov · capture 364 |
| Section 44807 authority | Extended by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024; exemptions in force at sunset run three more years. | 49 U.S.C. 44807(d): terminates effective September 30, 2033.· govinfo.gov · capture 359 |
| FCC Covered List exemptions | Blue UAS and Buy American products stay exempt until Jan 1, 2028. | FCC DA 26-761 (July 21, 2026): PSHSB announces the continued exemption of certain uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS critical components from the Covered List.· docs.fcc.gov · capture 399 |
| Open comment windows | None specific to agricultural drones on Oct 15, 2026. Individual 44807 petitions get a short window when the FAA publishes a summary. | 14 CFR 11.89: We usually allow 20 days to comment on a petition for exemption.· govinfo.gov · capture 357 |
What this page will never say: that lifting with a heavy drone is allowed, that Part 108 is imminent, or that any petition will be granted.
What we are asking for
Ordered by who can grant them and how fast. Each one uses a mechanism the rules already have.
- A written FAA answer on private, own-farm Part 137 certificates for drone operators. The private certificate exists in 137.19 for manned aircraft; nothing published says whether a drone exemption holder can have one. One email to the FAA's UAS137Certificates mailbox settles it.
- One granted 44807 petition for own-farm lifting and carrying with an aircraft of 55 lb or more. On the same conditions the spraying grants already carry: in sight, below 200 feet, Class G, over the operator's own or leased land, no carriage for hire. Under 14 CFR 11.87 the FAA may skip the Federal Register when the relief is identical to exemptions granted previously; the first granted farm-cargo petition is what makes the rest routine.
- A Part 108 agriculture permit that covers moving the farm's own materials, not only dispensing. The proposed permit text is one sentence about dispensing; the ask is one more clause. The docket is closed, so the route is the FAA's UAS Integration Office and the agriculture committees' staff.
- At the FCC, keep the "already-purchased" protection and narrow the "military-grade" definition. So a 55-lb spray drone is not swept in by weight or by the "economic poison" clause. Comments closed Sept 2, 2026; the route is a petition for reconsideration once an order issues.
- From WSDA and ODA, one plain page each on what a drone applicator needs per license. No rule change. Oregon's two-license requirement and Washington's wording are already official, just scattered.
No public comment period specific to agricultural drones was open on October 15, 2026. When one opens, a comment template with the docket number and closing date will appear here.