Commercial drone operators in Louisville must hold an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Most of the metro sits in SDF Class C or Bowman Class D airspace requiring LAANC. Filming permits may be required from Louisville Film Office for commercial shoots.
Commercial drone operations in Jefferson County require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate (14 CFR Part 107), with recurrent training every 24 months and compliance with operating rules including 400-ft altitude ceiling, daylight or civil twilight with anti-collision lighting, and visual line of sight unless waivered. Louisville SDF (Class C) and Bowman Field (Class D) cover most of the urbanized metro, so LAANC authorization is mandatory for nearly every commercial flight in the city core. Operations over people or moving vehicles require Part 107 Subpart D category compliance plus Remote ID broadcast. The Louisville Film Office coordinates commercial filming permits that may include drone filming on public property; private property shoots require landowner consent. KRS Β§183.877 prohibits use of UAS to harass or capture private images β relevant for real estate and event photography. Louisville Metro Police use drones for tactical response under their UAS program.
Operating commercially without Part 107: FAA civil penalties up to $32,666 per violation. Unauthorized airspace entry (SDF): federal criminal exposure. Harassment via drone under KRS Β§525.080: Class B misdemeanor plus civil damages. Film permit violations: Louisville Film Office stop order.
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