Real Estate Agents could be fined 10k?
As real estate agents, I’m sure you have or have at least thought about using Ariel photography or videography to help sell your properties. Well did you know that a drone pilot needs to have a special certification to fly a drone commercially? The FAA’s Part 107 is a set of rules for operating a drone commercially (i.e. flying a drone to make money) in the U.S. It is also used to refer specifically to the certification drone pilots must have before they can legally offer professional drone services. To learn more about part 107 click here. Now I’m sure you can imagine that if a pilot was to be caught flying without a part 107 they would have to pay a fine. Yes, that fine can start at $10,000 but what you may not know is that the person who hired that pilot could also be fined $10,000.
It's something I've heard about for many years but I've never seen anything directly from the FAA website. So I decided to call them personally. And this is the email that I received from them.
Mr. Migliorino
Fines of over $10,000 are possible against a company that hires an uncertified operator. However, that’s not, strictly speaking, the only liability they face. There could be criminal, local, or other charges and we do have higher sanctions for certain statutory violations (like interference with firefighting operations). In addition, the penalties have increased because of inflation.
There is no one-size-fits-all enforcement action for violations. All aspects of a violation will be considered, along with mitigating and aggravating circumstances surrounding the violation. In general, the FAA attempts to educate operators who might not be fully aware of their regulatory obligations. However, fines will remain an option when egregious circumstances are present.
FAA UAS Support Center
844 FLY MY UA | 844-359-6982
You also may be thinking “ I have my own drone and I do my own photos”. Well you would be liable for the fine for the pilot and the fine for the person who hired the pilot. So in closing regardless if you hire me or any other drone pilot ask to see their pilot ID card to make sure they are trained in all safety aspects of the job. I also want to add even though it is not illegal to fly your drone without insurance it's not recommended. God for bid the drone was to crash into someone's house and break a window or a windshield in a car who would be liable for that. This is where having insurance will come in to play. Any professional should have drone insurance.
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