Commercial drone operators in Dane County need FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. MSN Airport Class C requires LAANC. Madison film permits (MGO §9.24) may apply for commercial photography. Part 107 waivers needed for night ops and flights over people.
Commercial drone operations across Dane County require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Operators must pass the Part 107 aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA testing center and complete recurrent training every 24 months. Commercial applications include real estate marketing (common around Lake Mendota/Monona shoreline listings), UW-Madison campus surveying, Dane County infrastructure inspections, agricultural monitoring on rural Dane County farms, and wedding videography. Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) Class C airspace requires LAANC authorization in real time; Middleton, Sun Prairie, Verona, and Fitchburg all sit partially within MSN's ceiling rings. Madison requires film permits under MGO §9.24 for commercial shoots on public property; drone-based commercial photography typically falls under this rule. Night operations, operations over people, and beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) require specific Part 107 waivers from the FAA. WI has no specific state commercial drone licensing beyond FAA rules. UW-Madison has internal airspace protocols for research drones.
Operating commercially without Part 107: FAA civil penalty up to $32,666. Madison film permit violation: $100 to $1,000. Airspace incursions: federal criminal referral.
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