Part 137 drone license: what agricultural spray operations require

A part 137 drone license is not a single card you apply for and receive; it is shorthand for a stack of approvals that agricultural spray operations have to assemble before dispensing anything from the air. The name people search for points at the FAA's Part 137, the rule governing agricultural aircraft operations, but that certificate sits on top of a remote pilot certificate, and for heavier aircraft an exemption, and for the chemicals themselves a state applicator license. Understanding the stack is what keeps a spray operation legal, because missing any layer can ground the whole enterprise.

This guide covers what the Part 137 certificate really is, the full set of certificates and approvals a spray operation stacks on top of it, the operating and recordkeeping rules that follow once you are certificated, and how to keep the resulting paperwork audit-ready. The aim is a clear map of what agricultural drone spraying demands, so an operator can build the whole compliance picture instead of discovering a missing approval after the season, an inspection, or an incident has already started.

What a Part 137 drone license really means

Part 137 is the section of the federal aviation regulations that covers agricultural aircraft operations: dispensing pesticides, fertilizers, seed, and other substances for agriculture from an aircraft, which now includes drones. To do that commercially, an operator needs an Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate issued under Part 137. The certificate is not automatic; the FAA reviews the operation and administers a knowledge and skill test covering the safe handling and dispensing of agricultural materials. There is a commercial version for spraying other people's fields for hire and a private version for spraying your own land.

The regulation itself spells out the requirements, and it is worth reading rather than trusting a summary. The FAA's Part 137 agricultural aircraft operations rules define what counts as an agricultural aircraft operation, the certification path, the operating rules, and the records an operator must keep. What trips people up is that Part 137 is written for aircraft generally, so a drone operator meets its terms alongside, not instead of, the small-drone rules under Part 107. The two work together, and a spray operation has to satisfy both.

The certificates and approvals a spray operation stacks

Start with the remote pilot certificate. Anyone flying a drone commercially, spraying included, needs a Part 107 certificate, so that is the base layer. On top of it sits the Part 137 operator certificate for the agricultural work itself. Then comes weight. Most agricultural spray drones, loaded with tank and chemical, exceed the fifty-five-pound limit that Part 107 covers, which means the operator also needs an exemption from the FAA, granted under the authority now found in Section 44807, to fly the heavier aircraft, often paired with a waiver or authorization for the operation.

The stack does not end with aviation rules. The chemicals being sprayed are regulated separately, so a commercial applicator generally needs a state pesticide applicator license, and must follow federal and state rules on what can be applied, where, and how. Aircraft registration is required, and for larger drones that may run through a different registration path than a small hobby aircraft. Each of these approvals comes from a different authority on its own timeline, which is exactly why a spray operation lives or dies on keeping the whole set current.

The operating and recordkeeping rules that follow

Certification is the entry ticket; the operating rules are the ongoing obligation. Part 137 sets requirements around how dispensing is conducted, and it obligates commercial operators to keep records of their work. Those records include who the operation sprayed for and the details of the pilots used, and they must be retained and made available to the FAA on request. On the aviation side, the usual Part 107 duties still apply, including preflight checks and the requirement to produce any required records if the FAA asks.

Public agencies and certain arrangements get some relief from parts of the rule, but a commercial spray business does not, so the recordkeeping burden is real and continuous. Every job generates a paper trail: the field and client, the chemical and rate, the aircraft and pilot, the authorization the flight ran under, and any issue that came up. Kept loosely, that trail becomes a scramble the moment an inspector, an insurer, or a client with a complaint comes asking. Kept deliberately, it is simply there when needed, which is the entire point of good records.

Keeping the paperwork audit-ready

An agricultural spray operation carries more overlapping paperwork than almost any other drone work: two federal certificates, an exemption, aircraft registration, a state applicator license, and per-job application records, each with its own expiration or renewal. The risk is not usually a single missing document but losing track of which approval lapses when, and discovering the gap at the worst moment. A spray operation that cannot immediately show a current, complete set is one that fails an inspection or voids its coverage over a paperwork lapse rather than anything about the flying.

The fix is to treat the whole compliance picture as one managed record instead of a drawer of unrelated documents. Certificates and their renewal dates, the exemption and its terms, each aircraft, and the application records for every job belong in one place where expirations are visible before they arrive. Do that and an audit becomes a matter of pulling a file rather than reconstructing a season from memory. For a business built on flying chemicals over other people's crops, that kind of order is not overhead but protection.

Common mistakes in Part 137 drone operations

Thinking Part 137 is the only approval needed. Agricultural spraying stacks a Part 107 certificate, a Part 137 operator certificate, an exemption for heavier aircraft, registration, and a state applicator license. Treating the Part 137 certificate as the whole requirement leaves major gaps that ground the operation.

Forgetting the aircraft weight problem. Most spray drones exceed fifty-five pounds when loaded, which puts them beyond standard Part 107 limits. Without the exemption to fly the heavier aircraft, the operation is not legal no matter what other certificates are in hand.

Ignoring the chemicals side of the rules. Aviation certificates do not cover pesticide application. A commercial applicator still needs the state license and must follow the rules on what is sprayed, where, and at what rate, or the operation faces penalties beyond the FAA.

Neglecting the required operating records. Part 137 obligates commercial operators to keep records of who they sprayed for and which pilots flew, retained for the FAA. Skipping or losing that documentation is a compliance failure that surfaces the moment an inspector asks.

Losing track of renewal dates. With several certificates and licenses from different authorities, the real danger is an expired approval nobody noticed. A lapsed exemption or license can void a season's work, so every expiration needs to be tracked in one visible place.

FAQ

Is there a single Part 137 drone license?

No. The Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate is one piece, but legal spraying also requires a Part 107 remote pilot certificate, an exemption for aircraft over fifty-five pounds, registration, and usually a state applicator license. People call the whole stack a license loosely.

Do I need a Part 107 certificate to spray with a drone?

Yes. Any commercial drone flight requires a Part 107 remote pilot certificate, and agricultural spraying is no exception. The Part 137 operator certificate covers the agricultural operation itself, but it sits on top of Part 107, not in place of it.

Why do spray drones need an FAA exemption?

Because most agricultural spray drones weigh more than fifty-five pounds once loaded with tank and chemical, which exceeds what Part 107 permits. An exemption granted under Section 44807 authorizes operating the heavier aircraft, often alongside a waiver for the specific operation.

What records does a Part 137 operation have to keep?

Commercial operators keep records of the clients they sprayed for and the pilots used, retained and available to the FAA on request. Alongside those, most operations track the chemical, rate, aircraft, and authorization for each job to stay audit-ready.

Closing thought

A part 137 drone license is really a set of approvals working together: a remote pilot certificate, the Part 137 operator certificate, an exemption for heavier aircraft, registration, and a state applicator license, each with rules and records of its own. Keeping the whole set current is the real job.

If you are standing up an agricultural spray operation under Part 137, FlybyOps was built for the operational record problem at the center of regulated drone work. A document vault that tracks certificates and their expirations, a pilot registry with certification and currency tracking, a risk register, and an append-only audit log are all part of how the platform keeps each spray operation's authorizations, aircraft, and applicator records in one auditable place.