In mid-December, the FAA issued an interim final rule establishing registration and marking requirements for small unmanned aircraft used recreationally – i.e., drones. Like other drone owners, owners of drones that weigh between .55 pounds and 55 pounds (Ben Wittes, this means you!) must register their drones before operating them in the national airspace. But for these small non-commercial drones, the rule creates a system by which drone owners can register their drones online and pay a $5 fee. In the first two days that the site was up, 45,000 people registered. Owners must also mark their registration numbers on their drones. The expectation is that the FAA will work with local law enforcement to enforce these rules.
Citation
Ashley S. Deeks, FAA Drone Regulations: What’s Left for States?, Lawfare (January 6, 2016).