‹ Chapter 08 · The waiver system in depth
8.2

What's waivable

What you can waive, and what you cannot

A waiver can only reach a rule that § 107.205 puts on its list — ten sections of Part 107, and no others. Rather than carry ten citations in your head, it helps to see them in four groups by what they govern: the rules that set your flight envelope and equipment, the rules about flying over people and vehicles, the rules about your sight line and crew, and the rules about airspace and right of way. The panel below sorts the whole list that way.

Two of those entries carry a limit written into the list itself. Section 107.25 (operating from a moving vehicle) and § 107.31 (visual line of sight) are both waivable — but § 107.205 states plainly that no waiver of either will be issued to allow the carriage of another person’s property by aircraft for compensation or hire. So even a granted beyond-line-of-sight or moving-vehicle waiver cannot be turned into a license to run a property-delivery-for-hire operation by air; that specific use is walled off. One more precision: the lighting entry waives § 107.29(a)(2) and (b) — the anti-collision light — not the night-qualification requirement of § 107.29(a)(1), which stays in force.

The list also draws a hard outer boundary by what it leaves off. A rule that does not appear in § 107.205 cannot be waived through this process at all — the registration and Remote ID requirements, for instance, are not on the list, so no § 107.200 waiver can lift them. When you are weighing whether an operation is possible, the first question is always whether the rule in your way is even on the list; if it is not, a waiver is not the tool.

Flight envelope & equipment

The operating limitations (§ 107.51), the anti-collision lighting required at night and twilight (§ 107.29(a)(2) and (b)), and operating from a moving vehicle (§ 107.25).

Over people & vehicles

Operation over human beings (§ 107.39) and operations over moving vehicles (§ 107.145).

Sight line & crew

The visual-line-of-sight requirement (§ 107.31), the visual observer rule (§ 107.33), and operating multiple aircraft from one station (§ 107.35).

Airspace & right of way

Operation in certain (controlled) airspace (§ 107.41) and yielding the right of way (§ 107.37(a)) — though for ordinary controlled-airspace flight an authorization, not a waiver, is the usual route.

Key terms

§ 107.205Waivable regulationsCarve-outCarriage of property for hireClosed list

Generated from source textplain-English summary, not legal advicealways verify against the current official rule.