Drone insurance for the way you fly.
Liability, hull and payload coverage for remote pilots who fly for work under Part 107, and a straight answer for hobby flyers on what their home policy does and doesn't do.
Quick answer Commercial drone work isn't covered by personal homeowners or renters policies; for Part 107 operators, coverage comes from a dedicated drone policy with liability for people and property on the ground and hull coverage for the aircraft.
- Anyone acting as remote pilot in command of a non-recreational drone flight needs a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating.
- Flying a drone for a client or a business generally puts the pilot under Part 107, which also changes the insurance needed.
- A homeowners or renters policy may cover injury or damage a recreational drone causes, but some exclude aircraft or drones, and personal policies don't cover commercial use.
- Flying outside federal or local drone rules can undermine drone insurance coverage, and using a drone for illegal activity voids it.
- Under Part 107, a drone flight that seriously injures someone, causes loss of consciousness, or damages other property beyond $500 must be reported to the FAA within 10 calendar days.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed November 2026 · How this page is researched
Hobby flight and paid flight are insured differently
Federal law lets you fly without FAA certification only when the flight is strictly recreational, you follow a community-based organization's safety guidelines, keep the drone in sight, stay at or below 400 feet in uncontrolled airspace and have passed the aeronautical knowledge and safety test. Once there's a client, a paycheck or a business purpose, you're outside that exception, and the remote pilot in command needs an FAA remote pilot certificate.
Insurance follows the same line. A homeowners or renters policy may answer for a hobby drone that hurts someone, depending on the insurer's wording, but personal policies don't cover commercial drone work. For Part 107 operators I place a dedicated drone policy: liability for people and property on the ground, and hull coverage for the aircraft, cameras and sensors.
- Part 107Anyone acting as remote pilot in command of a non-recreational flight needs a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating.
- 24 monthsHow long a passed knowledge test or recurrent training keeps a remote pilot current.
- 10 daysDeadline to report a Part 107 flight that caused serious injury, loss of consciousness, or over $500 of damage to property other than the drone.
- 400 feetThe ceiling for recreational flyers in Class G airspace, along with keeping the drone within visual line of sight.
What underwriters will ask
Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.
- Pilots: each remote pilot's certificate number and date of last recurrent training.
- Drones: make, model, FAA registration and replacement value.
- Payloads: cameras, thermal or lidar sensors and ground equipment, with values.
- Operations: the kind of work you fly and any FAA waivers or authorizations you hold.
- Contracts: what your clients ask for on certificates, including additional insured.
- History: any crashes, reported accidents or claims.
Remote ID: what the drone broadcasts
14 CFR 89.105 says that, after September 16, 2023, no one may operate an unmanned aircraft in U.S. airspace unless the flight meets 89.110 or 89.115, except as the Administrator otherwise authorizes or 89.120 provides. Under 89.101, this applies to drones registered or required to be registered under Part 47 or Part 48. In a September 15, 2023 enforcement policy, the FAA said it would exercise discretion in handling noncompliance that occurred on or before March 16, 2024, including not taking enforcement action where appropriate. That period ended in March 2024.
- Standard Remote ID drone (89.110). The drone broadcasts the 89.305 message elements from takeoff to shutdown; its Remote ID equipment works and has not been disabled; and its serial number is on the Certificate of Aircraft Registration or was given to the FAA in a notice of identification before the flight. If the broadcast stops, the person at the controls lands as soon as practicable.
- Broadcast module (89.115(a)). For drones that are not standard Remote ID. The module's serial number must be listed on an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance, and the registration certificate must include the module's serial number, or the drone's serial number must go to the FAA in a notice of identification before the flight. The pilot checks that the module works before takeoff, must be able to see the drone at all times, and lands as soon as practicable if the broadcast stops.
- FAA-recognized identification area (89.115(b)). Flying without Remote ID equipment is allowed only if the drone and the person at the controls stay within the area's boundaries throughout and that person can see the drone at all times.
What I ask for when I place a policy: the registration certificate and the serial number of each drone or module you list. If you add a module to an older drone or replace an airframe, update the FAA record and send me the new serial so the drones on your schedule match the drones you fly.
California privacy law and aerial shots
California Civil Code 1708.8 is not written about drones, but it names the airspace above land. Subdivision (a), physical invasion of privacy, applies when a person knowingly enters the land or the airspace above the land of another without permission, or otherwise trespasses, to capture an image, sound recording or other physical impression of the plaintiff in a private, personal or familial activity, and the invasion occurs in a manner offensive to a reasonable person. Subdivision (b), constructive invasion of privacy, applies when a person attempts to capture, in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person, that kind of image or recording through any device, with or without a physical trespass, if it could not have been achieved without a trespass unless the device was used.
- Remedies (d). Up to three times the general and special damages proximately caused, possible punitive damages subject to proof under Section 3294, disgorgement of proceeds if the plaintiff proves a commercial purpose, and a civil fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $50,000.
- Whoever hired the flight (e). A person who directs, solicits, actually induces or actually causes another person to violate (a), (b) or (c), whether or not they are the employer, is liable for general, special and consequential damages, and is subject to punitive damages as that subdivision describes and the same civil fine.
Other states have their own privacy and trespass laws, so the rules vary by state. Underwriters may ask how you plan flights near neighboring property; a shot list and flight plan kept for each job show what you set out to capture. When I review a liability or drone policy for you, I read how its wording and exclusions treat invasion of privacy claims. Whether a particular claim is paid is for the insurer to decide, and questions about your legal exposure belong with an attorney.
Drone insurance, answered
Does my homeowners policy cover my drone?
Sometimes, for recreational flying. The liability part of a homeowners or renters policy may cover injury or damage your drone causes, but some policies exclude aircraft or drones, and personal policies don't cover commercial use. I'd read your policy's aircraft wording before relying on it.
If I sell a few photos, am I still a hobbyist?
The recreational exception applies only to flights that are strictly recreational. Flying for a client or a business generally puts you under Part 107, which also changes the insurance you need.
Does a drone policy cover privacy complaints?
It depends on the policy. Accidentally capturing a neighbor on camera is treated differently from intentional intrusion, which isn't covered. Ask about personal injury and invasion of privacy wording when you compare quotes.
What happens to coverage if I break an FAA rule?
Flying outside federal or local drone rules can undermine coverage, and using a drone for illegal activity voids it. Your waivers and authorizations should match the work you insure.
What should I do after a crash?
Under Part 107, a flight that seriously injures someone, causes loss of consciousness, or damages other property beyond $500 must be reported to the FAA within 10 calendar days. Report it to your insurer at the same time.
Is this different from your aviation page?
Yes. Aviation insurance covers manned aircraft, hangars and flight schools. This page is only about drones.
Does a drone under 250 grams need Remote ID?
Part 89's operating rules apply to drones registered or required to be registered under Part 47 or 48 (14 CFR 89.101). Under 14 CFR 48.15, a drone weighing 0.55 pounds or less on takeoff, including everything on board or attached, is exempt from registration only if it is operated exclusively in compliance with 49 U.S.C. 44809; otherwise it must be registered, and Part 89 applies.
Do you offer drone insurance outside California?
Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.
Official sources
- Insurance Information Institute: drones and insurance
- 49 U.S.C. 44809: exception for limited recreational operations
- 14 CFR 107.12: remote pilot certificate requirement
- 14 CFR 107.65: aeronautical knowledge recency
- 14 CFR 107.9: accident reporting
- 14 CFR 89.101, Applicability (Remote ID operating requirements) (Cornell LII)
- 14 CFR 89.105, Remote identification requirements (Cornell LII)
- 14 CFR 89.110, Operation of standard remote identification unmanned aircraft (Cornell LII)
- 14 CFR 89.115, Alternative remote identification (Cornell LII)
- FAA, Enforcement Policy Regarding Operator Compliance Deadline for Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft, 88 FR, Sept. 15, 2023 (GovInfo)
- 14 CFR 48.15, Requirement to register (Cornell LII)
- 14 CFR 107.41, Operation in certain airspace (Cornell LII)
- 14 CFR 107.29, Operation at night (Cornell LII)
- 14 CFR 107.51, Operating limitations for small unmanned aircraft (Cornell LII)
- California Civil Code section 1708.8 (California Public Law)
Tell me what you fly. I'll shop it.
Your drones, their values and the work you fly are enough to start.
Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.
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