Build, Hire, or Go Into Business
What It Takes to Spray Vegetation With Drones
Flying the drone is the easy part to picture. Spraying with one also involves aviation approvals, pesticide licensing, product labels, insurance, and enough steady work to support it all. Whether you plan to build an in-house program, hire a provider, or start a spray business, these are the issues to understand first.
For awareness only. This is an overview, not a compliance checklist or legal advice. Requirements differ by state, aircraft, product, and operation, and they change over time. Items link to the agencies that set the rules. Confirm details there and with your own advisors.
Start Here
The Five Issues That Matter Most
These apply whether you build, hire, or go into business. They are also the ones people most often underestimate.
FAA authority to spray
Spraying from a drone needs more than a standard drone pilot certificate. It is an agricultural aircraft operation, with its own certificate and an FAA exemption.
State pesticide license
Herbicide applicators are licensed by the state under pesticide rules, often by category. Drone work is commonly treated as aerial application, and right-of-way work may have its own category.
The product label
The label is the law. The product generally has to allow aerial application, and its rates and spray volumes have to fit the drone setup.
Insurance that covers aerial application
Many general liability policies exclude aircraft. Coverage needs to specifically include spraying from the air.
Enough steady work
Aircraft, certificates, and trained people make the most sense when there is recurring work across the season within a practical travel range.
Which Describes You?
What to Focus On for Your Situation
The five issues land differently depending on who carries them.
Building an in-house program
For utilities, pipeline operators, agencies, and others managing their own rights-of-way.
You carry
- All five issues, owned inside your organization
- A named chief supervisor for the FAA certificate
- Applicators licensed in the right state categories
Key questions
- Does an existing drone program give you a head start?
- Is there enough recurring work to justify the investment?
- Who owns safety, records, and maintenance?
Hiring a provider
For organizations that want the method without standing up every piece themselves.
The provider carries
- FAA certificate and exemption
- State applicator licensing
- Aerial application insurance
Ask to see
- Their FAA certificate and exemption
- State license and categories for your project area
- Proof of insurance that covers aerial application
- The application records you will receive
Starting a spray business
For drone pilots and applicators planning to offer spraying as a service.
You carry
- All five issues, before your first paid job
- Licensing in each state you plan to work in
- Customer records the FAA and states expect
Also consider
- Some states license the business separately from the applicator
- Right-of-way customers may require prequalification, safety programs, and higher insurance limits
- Seasonal demand, travel, and cash flow
The Details
Aviation: FAA Approvals
Dispensing products from a drone is an agricultural aircraft operation, which adds requirements beyond everyday commercial drone flying.
Agricultural aircraft operator certificate
Spray operations fall under Part 137, which calls for an Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate and a designated chief supervisor.
FAA: Dispensing chemicals →FAA exemption
Drone spray operations also need an FAA exemption. The path differs for aircraft under 55 lb and 55 lb or more, and many spray drones exceed 55 lb when loaded.
FAA: Dispensing chemicals →Remote pilot certification
Pilots flying drones under 55 lb generally hold an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107).
FAA: Commercial operators →Registration and Remote ID
Each aircraft is registered with the FAA, and the process differs above 55 lb. Remote ID rules also apply.
FAA: Register a drone →Beyond line of sight, night, and multiple aircraft
Long corridors often raise these questions. Each typically requires additional FAA approval beyond the basics.
FAA: Advanced operations →Herbicides and Other Pesticides: Licensing, Labels, and Water
Herbicides are regulated as pesticides, so herbicide work falls under pesticide licensing, labels, and permits. Pesticide rules are largely administered by each state, working with the EPA. Who needs which license can depend on the state and on whose land the right-of-way crosses.
Applicator certification
States certify pesticide applicators, often by category. Drone application is commonly treated as aerial application, and right-of-way work may involve its own category.
EPA: Applicator certification →Product labels
A product generally must allow aerial application, and label rates or spray volumes may not fit every drone setup.
Penn State Extension: Drones and labels →Your state pesticide agency
Each state has a lead pesticide agency. It is the best place to ask how drone application and pesticide businesses are licensed where you operate.
NPIC: State agency directory →Applications near water
Applications to, over, or near water may need pesticide discharge permit coverage from the EPA or your state.
EPA: Pesticide permitting →Operations: People, Equipment, Insurance, and Records
These are the commitments that continue after the approvals are in hand.
Insurance
Coverage that specifically includes aerial application. Many general liability policies exclude aircraft, so raise it with your insurer or risk team early.
Workload
Equipment, certificates, and trained staff tend to pay off with recurring work across the season, within a practical travel range.
People
Certified pilots, a chief supervisor, licensed applicators, and ground crew for mixing, loading, and observation, plus ongoing training.
Equipment
Spray aircraft and spares, batteries and charging or generators, mixing and loading gear, transport, product storage and containment, and protective equipment.
Records and procedures
FAA and state rules call for application records. Most operations also need written procedures for safety, drift, spills, and emergencies.
eCFR: 14 CFR Part 137 →Maintenance
Aircraft and spray-system maintenance, calibration, and the records that go with them.
Important: This page is general information to build awareness of what drone spraying can involve. It is not legal, regulatory, aviation, pesticide-label, insurance, or safety advice, and it may not reflect current requirements in your state. Always confirm with the responsible agencies and your own advisors.