The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday laid out new registration requirements for owners of recreational drones, just in time for Christmas. The rules apply to Americans with a drone weighing between half a pound and 55 pounds — which means nearly all recreational drones.
If you are an owner of one of these high-flying machines — or might be in the coming weeks — here is what you need to know:
1. Anyone who owned a drone before Dec. 21 will be required to register the machine by Feb. 19, 2016. People who get a drone after Dec. 21 will be required to register before their first flight.
2. The F.A.A. said it would introduce the website for registration, faa.gov/uas/registration, on Dec. 21; registering will be free for the first 30 days. After that period, the fee for each individual drone user will be $5 for a three-year certificate of registration. There will be an option for owners to register by mail or in person, and the rules apply only to people over the age of 13, though children are permitted to fly under a parent’s registration.
3. The users are then required to put their registration numbers on any drone they own and have their registration card on them when they take a drone out for a flight.