Drone law
Can you use a drone camera at night?
Yes, night flying and filming are legal if the drone has anti-collision lighting visible for 3 miles. Since the FAA rule took effect on April 21, 2021, a drone may fly, and film, at night without a waiver, as long as it carries lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles (14 CFR 107.29) and the pilot has completed the updated recurrent training. The same lighting rule covers civil twilight at dawn and dusk. Recreational flyers may also fly at night with the same lighting. One thing the FAA rule does not govern is the camera: what you may lawfully record is a separate matter for state privacy and voyeurism laws. Every rule here is attributed to the FAA or the CFR, not a DEPLOY estimate.
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Yes. Using a drone, including its camera, at night is legal in the United States. The key rule is about how you fly after dark, not about the camera.
Before 2021, a Part 107 pilot needed a specific waiver to fly at night. The FAA rule that took effect on April 21, 2021 removed that: routine night operations are now allowed without a waiver, provided the drone carries the required lighting and the pilot has completed the updated recurrent training. Filming at night is legal on exactly the same terms as flying at night.
The lighting requirement is specific. Under 14 CFR 107.29, a drone flown at night must have lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. The pilot may dim it for safety but may not switch it off. The same requirement applies during civil twilight, the periods just before sunrise and just after sunset. Recreational flyers may fly at night too, and the FAA still expects the anti-collision lighting and visual line of sight.
What the FAA rule does not touch is what your camera records. Whether a given night photo or video is lawful is a question of state privacy, voyeurism, and harassment law, not FAA rules. The FAA does not license the camera itself. DEPLOY cites the flight rule and links the source; it makes no recommendations.
The rules for flying after dark
Each entry is a real federal rule or FAA guidance, dated and attributed to the CFR section or FAA page it comes from.
- Night flying is legal without a waiver since April 2021.
Before the 2021 rule, a Part 107 pilot needed a waiver to fly at night. The FAA rule that took effect on April 21, 2021 allows routine night operations without a waiver, provided the drone carries the required anti-collision lighting and the pilot has completed the updated recurrent training. Filming at night is legal on the same terms as flying at night.
- The drone needs anti-collision lights visible for 3 miles.
14 CFR 107.29 requires that a drone operated at night carry lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. The pilot may reduce the brightness for safety but may not turn the lighting off.
- The same lighting rule covers civil twilight.
14 CFR 107.29 applies the identical anti-collision lighting requirement, visible for 3 statute miles, to operations during civil twilight, the periods just before sunrise and just after sunset. So dawn and dusk flights need the same lights as full night.
The night rules at a glance
The same rules as a dated list.
- Apr 21, 2021Night flying is legal without a waiver since April 2021.FAA rule
Before the 2021 rule, a Part 107 pilot needed a waiver to fly at night. The FAA rule that took effect on April 21, 2021 allows routine night operations without a waiver, provided the drone carries the required anti-collision lighting and the pilot has completed the updated recurrent training. Filming at night is legal on the same terms as flying at night.
- Apr 21, 2021The drone needs anti-collision lights visible for 3 miles.Federal rule
14 CFR 107.29 requires that a drone operated at night carry lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. The pilot may reduce the brightness for safety but may not turn the lighting off.
14 CFR 107.29 (Operation at night)Cornell Law (14 CFR) - Apr 21, 2021The same lighting rule covers civil twilight.Federal rule
14 CFR 107.29 applies the identical anti-collision lighting requirement, visible for 3 statute miles, to operations during civil twilight, the periods just before sunrise and just after sunset. So dawn and dusk flights need the same lights as full night.
14 CFR 107.29 (Operation at night)Cornell Law (14 CFR)
How we know this
Every rule on this page comes from the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR 107.29) or the FAA's own guidance pages. Here are the sources behind each figure.
Every rule is attributed to the FAA or the CFR section that sets it. Privacy of what a camera records is a matter of state law, not FAA rules. DEPLOY makes no recommendations.
Common questions
Can you fly a drone at night legally?
Is it legal to film with a drone at night?
What lights does a drone need to fly at night?
Do you need a waiver to fly a drone at night?
Does the night rule apply at dawn and dusk?
Can recreational flyers use a drone at night?
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