FAA Ends Discretionary Enforcement Policy on Drone Remote Identification

Pilots who operate drones that are required to be registered must comply with the Remote ID Rule.

In September 2023, the FAA issued a policy for exercising discretion in determining whether to take enforcement action for drone operators who were not able to comply with the Remote ID rule. That policy ended on March 16, 2024. Operators who do not comply after that date could face fines and suspension or revocation of their drone pilot certificates.

Congress directed the FAA to develop standards for remotely identifying operators and owners of drones and issue regulations or guidance based on those standards.

Remote ID lays the foundation of the safety and security groundwork needed for more complex drone operations. It acts like a digital license plate and will help the FAA, law enforcement and other federal agencies locate the control station when a drone appears to be flying in an unsafe manner or where it isn’t allowed to fly.

This video provides additional information.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.