Commercial drone operations in Ocean County require FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification. LAANC authorization needed near Ocean County Airport (KMJX) and for overlap with Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst restricted airspace. Real estate and beach photography are major commercial uses. Oceanfront and Barnegat Bay surveys require CAFRA-area awareness. NJDEP may require permits for aerial surveys affecting wildlife.
FAA Part 107 governs commercial drone use (14 CFR Part 107) requiring a Remote Pilot Certificate obtained via FAA knowledge test, renewed every 24 months. Ocean County's heavy coastal real estate market drives commercial demand for aerial photography. Controlled airspace near Robert J. Miller Airport (KMJX, Berkeley Township) requires LAANC pre-authorization. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst prohibited/restricted airspace covers parts of Jackson, Manchester, and Plumsted — no-fly without DOD clearance. Flights over people, moving vehicles, and night operations require specific Part 107 waivers (107.29 night, 107.39 over people, 107.31 visual observer). NJ municipalities may impose additional permit requirements for commercial filming — Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant Beach require film permits for boardwalk aerial shoots. Coastal surveys within the CAFRA area (N.J.A.C. 7:7) are permitted but flights disturbing threatened/endangered species (piping plovers on LBI dunes, black skimmers) may violate NJDEP Endangered and Nongame Species Act. Commercial operators also need general NJ business registration and Toms River/Brick local business licenses for consistent operations.
Operating without Part 107: FAA civil penalty up to $32,666 per violation. Unauthorized airspace entry: federal criminal charges, fines up to $250,000. NJ endangered species disturbance: $500 to $10,000 per N.J.S.A. 23:2A-10. Film permit violations: $250 to $1,000 plus permit revocation.
Ocean County, NJ
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