Section 107.205 lists the Part 107 rules a certificate of waiver may authorize deviation from. There are ten entries. Two of them, operation from a moving vehicle and visual line of sight, cannot be waived for carrying another person's property for compensation or hire. Anything not on the list cannot be waived under this section.
The ten waivable sections
- 107.25: operation from a moving vehicle or aircraft
- 107.29(a)(2) and (b): anti-collision lights at night and in civil twilight
- 107.31: visual line of sight
- 107.33: visual observer
- 107.35: operation of multiple small unmanned aircraft systems
- 107.37(a): yielding 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
The two limits
For 107.25 and 107.31, the waiver is not available when the operation is carrying another person's property for compensation or hire. That matters for delivery models. A drone that is flown beyond visual line of sight with a customer's package is not something this waiver path covers, whatever the safety case.
What is not on the list
Several things you might expect are missing. The remote pilot certificate requirement in 107.12 is not on the list. The accident reporting rule in 107.9 is not on it either. You cannot waive your way out of holding a certificate or reporting a serious injury.
Nor is the Remote ID requirement part of Part 107. It sits in Part 89 and has its own rules.
How to think about a waiver request
The text of 107.205 only tells you what may be waived. It does not tell you how the FAA evaluates a request, so read the FAA's current guidance before you apply. As a working approach, teams usually find these steps helpful:
- Name the single rule you need relief from, and the exact operation.
- Describe the hazard that the rule is meant to control, such as collision or people on the ground.
- Describe what you will do instead, in measurable terms.
- Say what stops the operation if the mitigation fails.
- Plan the application well ahead of the job.
Software questions in a waiver
Many waivers rely on technology: a geofence, detect and avoid, a lost link behavior, a Remote ID module. If your safety case leans on software, treat that software like any other safety system. Know which version is installed, keep the configuration under change control, and check the dependencies you ship. A safety case that says the aircraft returns on link loss is only as good as the firmware setting that does it.
Quick check
Can a waiver let an uncertificated person be remote pilot in command?
Section 107.12 is not among the sections listed in 107.205, so a waiver under that section does not reach it.
Is the night lighting rule waivable?
Parts of it are. 107.205 lists 107.29(a)(2) and (b), the anti-collision lighting requirements.
Sources
- 14 CFR 107.205, eCFR: waivable sections and limits.
- 14 CFR 107.12, eCFR: certificate requirement.
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
