Drone compliance is the first question producers should ask, not the last. The cost of skipping it shows up as a TFR violation, a denied COI, a location pulled at 6 AM, or a network risk department refusing to approve the aerial unit two days before the shoot. None of those are recoverable inside a production schedule.
Here is the compliance checklist producers should expect from any drone vendor in Los Angeles, what each item covers, and what happens when one is missing.
1. FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
Part 107 is the FAA’s commercial small UAS certification. Every pilot operating a drone for compensation has to hold it. There is no exception for film and TV. The 333 Exemption era ended in 2016, and the rules consolidated under Part 107 with subsequent updates.
What it covers: legal authority to operate small unmanned aircraft commercially. Knowledge of airspace classes, weather minimums, aircraft loading, emergency procedures, and FAA regulation.
What it does not cover: night flight, operations over people, operations beyond visual line of sight, or operations in controlled airspace without separate authorization.
How to verify: ask for the pilot’s FAA airman certificate number and the date of currency. Part 107 currency requires either a 24-month recurrent test or completion of the FAA online refresher. The pilot’s name should match the airman certificate.
2. Night Flight Waiver
The FAA’s night flight allowance under Part 107 (added via 14 CFR ยง107.29 in 2021) covers basic night operations if the aircraft has appropriate anti-collision lighting. For film and TV production, that base allowance is often not enough. Productions that require night sequences with specific lighting setups, or that operate in airspace where the night provisions are more restrictive, need a waiver.
What it covers: legal authority to fly at night under conditions beyond the default Part 107 allowance.
What it does not cover: airspace authorization, which is separate.
How to verify: ask for the waiver number and effective dates. Active waivers have an FAA case number and a stated expiration.
3. Operations Over People (Category 2 or Category 3)
If the shot involves talent in frame, crew on the ground beneath the aircraft, or any flight path that crosses non-participating people, the operation requires Category 2 or Category 3 sUAS compliance. This is not the same as a waiver. It is a manufacturer-certified aircraft compliance status combined with operational rules.
What it covers: legal authority to operate the drone over people who are not direct participants in the shoot.
What it does not cover: shooting talent inside a closed set is a different regulatory question than flying over the public. If your shoot has crowd extras, the analysis is more involved.
How to verify: ask which aircraft are Category 2 or 3 compliant. Not all heavy-lift drones are certified. Verify the manufacturer’s declaration and the operator’s documentation.
4. LAANC Airspace Authorization
Los Angeles airspace is among the most congested controlled airspace in the United States. LAX, Bob Hope (BUR), Long Beach (LGB), Van Nuys (VNY), Hawthorne (HHR), and Santa Monica (SMO) all generate Class B or Class C airspace that requires authorization before drone operations. LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) is the system that grants this authorization.
What it covers: legal authority to operate in specific airspace bins at specific altitudes for specific time windows.
What it does not cover: airspace that LAANC does not auto-approve. Some Class B and Class D operations require manual coordination with the controlling facility, which takes days rather than minutes.
How to verify: ask the operator to walk you through the LAANC submission for your specific location and dates. If they have not pulled an authorization or cannot show you a recent example, that is a flag.
5. Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs)
TFRs are airspace restrictions that override LAANC authorizations. They are issued by the FAA for specific reasons: presidential movements, wildfire response, security events, major sporting events, or emergency air operations. A TFR can pop up the day of your shoot and ground the aerial unit on a moment’s notice.
What it covers: legal restriction of drone operations during the TFR’s effective period.
What it does not cover: itself. A TFR is the restriction, not the authorization. There is no “TFR waiver” available to commercial drone operators in most cases.
How to verify: ask how the operator monitors TFRs and what their contingency plan is if one is issued. If the answer is “we’ll check on the day,” that is the answer of an operator who has not been bitten yet.
6. FilmLA Permits
FilmLA is the permitting authority for film and television production in the City of Los Angeles, parts of unincorporated LA County, and several contracting cities. If your shoot is on a public street, public land, or many private properties in LA, you need a FilmLA permit. The drone unit is named on the permit separately from the rest of the production.
What it covers: legal authority to operate the production at a specific location, including the drone unit.
What it does not cover: FAA airspace authorization, which is independent.
How to verify: ask whether the drone operator handles FilmLA permitting in-house or asks production to handle it. In-house handling is faster and reduces handoff risk.
7. Production Insurance and COIs
The Certificate of Insurance (COI) is the document that names the production company as an additional insured on the drone operator’s aviation liability policy. Studio risk departments will not approve aerial work without this. The coverage limits matter.
What you should expect to see: aviation liability of $5 million or higher, with hull coverage on the aircraft. Standard production endorsement language. The COI should be issued by an aviation insurance carrier, not a general business liability policy.
How to verify: ask for a sample COI before booking. The carrier name, the limits, and the endorsement language should match what your production’s risk department requires.
What happens when one is missing
Each missing item has a different failure mode.
No Part 107 means the operator is operating illegally. Any footage shot is regulatory-risk and the production is exposed.
No night waiver means the shoot stops at sunset or the operator violates the regulation. Either way the schedule breaks.
No Operations Over People certification means the shot list either changes or the talent goes off camera during aerial passes.
No LAANC authorization means the operator cannot legally fly. The aerial unit has to wait for retroactive approval, which is not always granted.
No TFR awareness means the operator could fly into a restriction and trigger FAA enforcement.
No FilmLA permit means the location pulls the production. The drone unit becomes the reason the day blows up.
No COI means studio risk refuses to approve the aerial unit. The shoot proceeds without aerial or stops entirely.
How to verify quickly
Producers do not need to memorize the regulations to vet a drone operator. Three questions cut through:
First, ask the operator to send their compliance package as a single PDF. A working operator can produce this in under an hour. The package should include the Part 107 certificate, any active waivers, the Operations Over People declaration, a sample LAANC authorization, a sample FilmLA permit, and a sample COI.
Second, ask how they handle the day-of-shoot compliance check. The answer should describe a checklist that runs the morning of the shoot.
Third, ask for a reference from a recent production at a comparable scale. If the operator has done compliant work for Netflix, HBO, or a major studio recently, the references back up the documentation.
How we operate
Drone Tech Aerial is FAA Part 107 certified, holds active night flight waivers, is Operations Over People compliant, and handles FilmLA permitting and LAANC airspace authorization in-house. We are a Netflix Approved Vendor and carry $5 million aviation liability with hull coverage. COIs are issued the day production requests them.
If you are vetting drone operators for a Los Angeles production, see our Part 107 crew, our drone pilot Los Angeles service page, or request a quote and we will walk through the compliance package for your specific show.
