Commercial drone work in Orange County requires the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. North Carolina scrapped its extra state operator permit on December 1, 2024, so Part 107 is now the only license. Flights near RDU need LAANC, and N.C.G.S. 15A-300.1 limits aerial surveillance and photography.
Any paid drone flight, real estate, inspection, survey, mapping, needs the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, earned by passing the FAA aeronautical knowledge test. Until late 2024 North Carolina also required an NCDOT UAS operator permit and state knowledge test, but House Bill 198 (Session Law 2024-15) repealed that regime effective December 1, 2024; Part 107 now stands alone. Commercial jobs in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough fall under RDU International's Class C airspace and near Horace Williams Airport, so LAANC authorization is required. State law N.C.G.S. 15A-300.1 still restricts photographing individuals for publication without consent and bars surveillance of private property.
Flying commercially without Part 107 exposes the operator to FAA civil penalties in the tens of thousands of dollars. Publishing a drone photo of a person without consent triggers $5,000 statutory damages per image under N.C.G.S. 15A-300.1.
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