Remote ID for Drones not be enforced on drone makers until December 16, 2022

This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in the Federal Register that Remote ID for Drones compliance will not be enforced on drone makers until December 16th, 2022.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acknowledges in this document that it approved the ASTM F3586-22 means of compliance on August 11, 2022, a little more than a month before the compliance date of September 16, 2022.

Even though the FAA has already received several declarations of compliance from drone makers who are likely to meet the compliance date of September 16, 2022, the agency admits that other manufacturers may not have enough time to design, develop, and test unmanned aircraft and file a declaration of compliance with the FAA on or before September 16, 2022, due to the delayed acceptance of the means of compliance.

So, the FAA will use its own judgment to decide how to handle any apparent noncompliance, taking into account “all circumstances.”

This includes deciding, if necessary, not to take enforcement action for any noncompliance that happens before December 16, 2022.

The agency warns that “the exercise of enforcement discretion herein creates no individual right of action and establishes no precedent for future determinations.”

What are the important Remote ID for Drones deadlines?

There are two important dates for Remote ID for Drones.

September 16, 2022: Drone manufacturers must comply with Remote ID as of this date, meaning that all drones produced by a drone maker must comply with standard RID, although the FAA will not take any enforcement action until December 16, 2022.

September 16, 2023: You will not be allowed to fly your drone after this day unless you have a drone that complies with the Remote ID requirements, you fly exclusively at an FRIA, or you fly a sub-250-gram drone recreationally. The September 16, 2023 date will not change due to the non-enforcement of Remote ID for Drones until December 16, 2022.

Hat tip to Scott Shtofman, Kenji Sugahara, both from the DSPA, and Greg Reverdiau from the Pilot Institute for the heads up.

You can learn more about Remote ID for Drones by watching these two videos.