The Short Version

For a typical full-size agricultural spray-drone operation, the compliance path usually involves several separate pieces:

1. Maintain the FAA pilot credential and aeronautical-knowledge currency required for your operation.
2. Register the aircraft correctly for its weight and operating authority.
3. Obtain a Section 44807 exemption when the operation falls outside Part 107, including most agricultural drones weighing 55 pounds or more at takeoff.
4. Obtain the required Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate for regulated agricultural dispensing operations.
5. Operate under the applicable exemption conditions, COA and airspace authorizations.
6. Hold the pesticide certifications and licenses required by the state where you are applying.
7. Follow the pesticide label and all applicable federal and state use restrictions.

1. FAA Remote Pilot Certificate & Currency

The FAA identifies a Remote Pilot Certificate as a basic requirement for UAS agricultural operations under its current Part 137 guidance. For Part 107 privileges, the Remote Pilot Certificate itself does not expire, but the pilot must complete the appropriate recurrent training every 24 calendar months to maintain aeronautical-knowledge recency.

FAA: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot

2. Register the Aircraft Correctly

The registration path changes with aircraft weight. The FAA’s current agricultural-UAS guidance says drones weighing less than 55 pounds including the substance being dispensed may operate under Part 107 and use an FA-number through FAA DroneZone. Agricultural drones weighing 55 pounds or more are operated under Parts 91 and 137 and use an N-number through the FAA aircraft-registration system.

Most of the large agricultural aircraft TJ Aerosense works with fall into the 55-pound-and-over side of that divide once configured for the job, so do not assume normal small-drone registration is enough.

3. Section 44807 Exemption

Part 107 applies to drones weighing less than 55 pounds at takeoff. When an aircraft exceeds that limit, or the operation requires relief from rules that cannot be waived under Part 107, the FAA provides a path through 49 U.S.C. § 44807 and the Part 11 exemption process.

An exemption is not just a permission slip to own the aircraft. The conditions and limitations in the actual exemption matter, and operators need to follow the version that applies to their operation.

FAA: Section 44807

4. Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate

14 CFR Part 137 governs aircraft operations that dispense certain agricultural substances, including economic poisons and substances intended for plant nourishment, soil treatment, plant propagation, pest control, and other activities directly affecting agriculture, horticulture, or forest preservation.

The FAA now uses a streamlined UAS Part 137 process. Its current guidance says applicants complete FAA Form 8710-3 and submit their exemption number to the FAA’s UAS Part 137 certification team. The applicant name on the form must match the exemption holder.

FAA: Dispensing Chemicals and Agricultural Products (Part 137) with UAS

5. COA, Airspace & Your Operating Conditions

A Section 44807 exemption does not erase airspace requirements or the conditions written into your operating authority. The FAA notes that qualifying 44807 operators may receive a blanket COA for operations at or below 400 feet in Class G airspace, but the actual exemption, COA, airspace authorization, and operating limitations control what you may do.

This is one reason we tell new operators to read the entire approval package instead of treating the exemption number as the finish line.

6. South Dakota Pesticide Certification & Licensing

FAA approval is only the aviation side. South Dakota Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources administers pesticide applicator certification and licensing in the state.

For aerial pesticide application, South Dakota currently identifies Category 17 – Aerial Pest Control. DANR states that all applicators, including private applicators, who use pesticides aerially must pass that category exam. Commercial aerial applicators also need Category G – General (core) plus any additional commercial categories that apply to the work they will perform.

If you apply pesticides for hire in South Dakota, DANR requires a commercial pesticide applicator license. Commercial certification and licensing requirements are separate from your FAA approvals.

South Dakota DANR: Pesticide Applicators & Dealers

7. The Pesticide Label Still Controls the Application

Having the drone, pilot credentials, exemption, Part 137 certificate, and state license does not mean every pesticide can automatically be applied however you want. EPA pesticide labels are legally enforceable. Application site, rate, timing, restrictions, buffers, droplet requirements, carrier volume, and other directions on the applicable labeling still matter.

The simple rule: read the label for the product and the application you are actually making.

EPA: Introduction to Pesticide Labels

Where TJ Aerosense Can Help

We have gone through this process for our own agricultural-drone operation, so we can help customers understand the general path, talk through aircraft and registration questions, and point them toward the current FAA and state resources. We do not replace the FAA, your state pesticide agency, or legal counsel, and we will not promise that buying a package from us automatically makes an operation compliant.

If you are starting a spray-drone operation, it is much easier to plan the aircraft, operating authority, charging system, trailer, insurance, and licensing together than to discover a missing piece after the equipment arrives.