Maximum drone altitude in United States

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of United States. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• General height limit121.92 mConditional
• Reference datumAGLYes
• Category-specific limitsNot resolved
• Aerodrome-related limitConditional
• Structure exceptionConditional
• Authorised exceedanceConditional
• Conditional limitsConditional
• ExceptionsNot resolved

What changes the answer

• altitude

  Flight altitude above 400 ft

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or below 400 ft

• location

  Radius at or below 5 mi

• other

  Latency at or below 1 seconds

• other

  Vertical accuracy at or below 15 ft

• other

  Vertical accuracy at or below 150 ft

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Class G Airspace Altitude Limit

  In Class G airspace, the aircraft must be flown from the surface to not more than 400 feet above ground level.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Fixed Site Class G Altitude Limits

  Persons operating from an approved fixed site in Class G airspace may operate up to 400 feet AGL without prior authorization, and above 400 feet AGL with prior authorization.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Maximum Altitude Above Ground Level

  The altitude of the small unmanned aircraft cannot be higher than 400 feet above ground level, unless flown within a 400-foot radius of a structure and not higher than 400 feet above the structure's immediate uppermost limit.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Standard Remote ID Broadcast Latency

  The unmanned aircraft must broadcast position and altitude data no later than 1.0 seconds from the time of measurement.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Standard Remote ID Control Station Altitude Accuracy

  The reported geometric altitude of the control station must be accurate to within 15 feet of the true geometric altitude, with 95 percent probability.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Standard Remote ID Unmanned Aircraft Altitude Accuracy

  The reported geometric altitude of the unmanned aircraft must be accurate to within 150 feet of the true geometric altitude, with 95 percent probability.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Take-off Location Geometric Altitude Accuracy

  The reported geometric altitude of the take-off location must be accurate to within 150 feet of the true geometric altitude, with 95 percent probability.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Transmission Latency

  The remote identification broadcast module must broadcast the latitude, longitude, and geometric altitude of the unmanned aircraft no later than 1.0 seconds from the time of measurement to the time of broadcast.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• 49 U.S.C. 44809 - Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft — Federal Aviation AdministrationOpen
• 14 CFR Part 48 - Registration and Marking Requirements for Small Unmanned Aircraft — Federal Aviation AdministrationOpen

Known limitations

• 2 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in United States

• Do I need to register my drone in United States?Registration in United States depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• Do I need Remote ID in United States?Remote identification in United States is tied to the aircraft and the operating category: the published triggers below decide whether a flight must carry or broadcast an electronic identity.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in United States?Drone flights near aerodromes in United States are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Can I fly a drone over people in United States?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in United States: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• Can I fly a drone at night in United States?Night flying in United States is regulated rather than simply allowed or banned: published lighting, category and authorisation conditions below decide whether a given flight may take place after dark.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in United States?BVLOS in United States runs through a defined authorisation pathway rather than an open permission: the published conditions below set out what that pathway requires.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in United States?Whether an operation in United States needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in United States?Remote pilot competency in United States scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.

All drone laws in United States