Airspace classes for drone pilots and when you need LAANC
Class B, C, D, E and G in plain English: which ones need ATC authorization before you fly, and how to request it through LAANC or FAADroneZone.
Say a real estate agent asks you to shoot a listing next Saturday, and the house is a couple of miles from a regional airport with a control tower. Can you just show up and fly? Maybe not. Whether you can depends on one sentence in Part 107, and it’s the same sentence that decides most airspace questions on the test.
Under 14 CFR 107.41, you need prior authorization from air traffic control (ATC) to fly in Class B, Class C or Class D airspace, or within the lateral boundaries of a Class E surface area designated for an airport.
The rest of this guide is about recognizing those areas and getting that authorization. The test checks the rule directly: two of the FAA’s sample questions ask what a remote pilot needs before flying in Class C.
The classes at a glance
| Class | Typical shape | Authorization for Part 107? |
|---|---|---|
| A | 18,000 ft MSL to FL600 | Far above the 400 ft limit |
| B | Surface to 10,000 ft MSL, layered, around the busiest airports | Yes |
| C | Surface to 4,000 ft above airport elevation; 5 NM core, 10 NM shelf from 1,200 ft | Yes |
| D | Surface to 2,500 ft above airport elevation, towered airports | Yes |
| E surface area | Controlled from the ground up at an airport | Yes |
| E elsewhere | Usually from 1,200 ft AGL, in other areas 700 ft AGL or the surface, up to but not including 18,000 ft MSL | In most cases no |
| G | Surface up to the overlying Class E | No |
The FAA Study Guide gives these shapes as general descriptions and says each Class B, C and D area is individually tailored. So read the actual boundary on the chart instead of assuming a textbook radius. On a real job, “about five miles” isn’t good enough when the listing sits right at the edge.
Class B
Class B surrounds the busiest airports. It usually runs from the surface to 10,000 feet MSL (above mean sea level) in two or more layers, stacked like an upside-down wedding cake. On a sectional, each sector shows its MSL ceiling and floor in solid blue figures with the last two zeros dropped.
Those layers matter for drone work because the outer ones start well above the ground. Under an outer shelf, the airspace at your altitude may be Class E or G. Check the floor, convert it to AGL (above ground level), and compare it with your planned altitude.
The solid magenta line 30 NM from a Class B primary airport marks Mode C required airspace, from the surface to 10,000 feet MSL. It’s a separate symbol, not a Class B boundary.
Class C
Class C generally extends from the surface to 4,000 feet above airport elevation. It has a surface area with a 5 NM radius and a 10 NM shelf from 1,200 to 4,000 feet above the airport. On the chart, each sector’s MSL ceiling and floor appear in solid magenta figures.
Class D
Class D surrounds airports with an operating control tower and generally runs from the surface to 2,500 feet above airport elevation. It’s drawn as a dashed blue line. A ceiling written with a minus, like -25, means up to but not including 2,500 feet MSL.
Class D is the one you’re most likely to bump into on everyday jobs, because it starts at the ground. If that Saturday listing sits inside the dashed blue line, you need ATC authorization before the drone leaves the ground, even for a five-minute flight at 150 feet.
Some Class D areas operate less than continuously. The chart marks them with a note pointing you to NOTAMs or the Chart Supplement for the effective hours, so check those before you assume the airspace is inactive.
Class E
Class E is controlled airspace that isn’t A, B, C or D, and there’s a lot of it. In most areas it starts at 1,200 feet AGL. In many other areas it starts at the surface or at 700 feet AGL. A 700-foot floor is shown by a magenta vignette.
The surface version, marked with a dashed magenta line around an airport, is the one Part 107 names: flying inside its lateral boundaries needs ATC authorization. Class E that begins at 700 or 1,200 feet sits above a 400-foot flight in most places, and the FAA Study Guide says that in most cases you won’t need authorization for Class E.
Class G
Class G is uncontrolled airspace, running from the surface up to the floor of the overlying Class E. You don’t need ATC authorization to fly there, though every other Part 107 rule still applies.
Being close to an airport doesn’t trigger a requirement by itself. Unless you’re in controlled airspace, AC 107-2A says no notification or authorization is needed to fly near an airport. You still have to avoid traffic patterns and approach corridors, and you can’t interfere with airport operations.
How to get authorization
The FAA offers two routes for controlled airspace below 400 feet: LAANC and FAADroneZone.
LAANC
LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) runs through UAS Service Suppliers, companies the FAA has approved to offer it in desktop and mobile apps. Your request is checked against UAS Facility Maps, special use airspace, TFRs and NOTAMs.
- Near-real-time approval when you ask for an altitude at or below the UAS Facility Map value for that grid.
- Further coordination requests for altitudes above the map value, up to 400 feet. These are for Part 107 pilots only. File them up to 90 days ahead and at least 72 hours before the flight, and the FAA coordinates them manually.
For the listing shoot, that’s usually good news. If the facility map allows your altitude, you can request authorization in an app and get an answer in near real time. If you need higher than the map allows, file at least 72 hours out, so don’t leave it until Friday night.
The FAA’s LAANC page listed 726 participating airports when it was last updated on August 25, 2026. LAANC grants airspace authorization only. You still have to check NOTAMs and weather and follow every other restriction.
FAADroneZone
For airports without LAANC, you apply through FAADroneZone, which the FAA explains here. Those requests are processed manually, and the FAA asks that you submit them at least 60 days before the operation. If a client’s property sits near one of those airports, tell them early that the drone part needs lead time.
| You want to fly | Route | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| At or below the facility map altitude, LAANC airport | LAANC | Near real time |
| Above the map altitude, up to 400 ft, LAANC airport | LAANC further coordination | 72 hours to 90 days ahead |
| Controlled airspace at a non-LAANC airport | FAADroneZone | At least 60 days ahead |
Airspace that authorization doesn’t cover
Prohibited and restricted areas. These are charted as P- and R- plus a number. Part 107 requires permission from the using or controlling agency, which isn’t the same thing as ATC authorization.
Temporary flight restrictions. A TFR is a type of NOTAM, and you have to comply with it. Only national security TFRs appear on the chart, so check NOTAMs before every flight, including the day of a shoot you booked weeks ago.
Military operations areas and training routes. MOAs are named, not numbered, and military training routes are marked VR or IR. Routes with four-digit numbers have no segment above 1,500 feet AGL. The right-of-way rule applies here as everywhere: a small drone must yield to all aircraft, including a low, fast military jet.
On the test
Airspace is 20% of the test under PSI’s current weighting, and the ACS lists each class, special use airspace, other airspace areas and ATC authorizations as separate knowledge elements. Expect rule questions (“what do you need to fly here?”) and chart questions (“what airspace is at this point?”).
To read the boundaries off a figure, go to how to read a sectional chart. For every limit in one table, see the Part 107 rules cheat sheet.
Check yourself
The quickest way to see whether airspace has clicked is to answer a few questions worded the way the test words them. Take the free 20-question practice test. It gives you a score by area, so you’ll see your airspace result on its own. When you’re ready for the full course, Liftoff is $49 once with lifetime access, every answer cites its FAA or eCFR source, and you can see what’s included.
If you’re pricing listing shoots near an airport, starting real estate drone photography walks through the airspace check before you say yes to the agent.
If you’re still deciding whether any of this is for you, start with how to become a drone pilot, or check whether you need a drone license for the kind of flying you have in mind.