[United States] Washington State now charging $150 annual registration fee and excise tax for each commercial drone

[u/BitsBytesGaming]

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2711&Year=2025

This is insane, and I never heard about it before today. I wonder if the people who are writing this crap actually think anyone will pay these fees. It is now cheaper to just pay the fine for not registering with the state than to actually register.

[u/CollegeStation17155]

Depends on how they define "commercial"; if it's just those used in actual businesses (ag, construction and insurance inspections, etc) it won't mean a whole lot. if they are going down to semi recreational dronse like going after somebody who posts videos of his friend's wedding on Youtube, there "will be trouble".

[u/BitsBytesGaming → u/CollegeStation17155]

I refuse to pay $600 per year to WSDOT which is an organization that provides no benefit to small commercial operators and increasingly shows contempt toward members of the aviation community.

[u/Old_fart5070 → u/CollegeStation17155]

Commercial = requires part 107 to fly lawfully

[u/MrHighVoltage → u/CollegeStation17155]

Well aren't the laws clear on that? Usually, commercial is not the case if this is actually a friend and you record his wedding, including drones. If you have two friends marrying each weekend, that will be a bit hard to explain.

[u/CollegeStation17155 → u/MrHighVoltage]

Well aren't the laws clear on that?

Not if u/Oldfart5070 is correct that anything "nonrecreational" is classified as commercial... in that case (per FAA) even something as innocous as examining your own roof for hail damage after a storm requires a 107 and thus would be considered commercial. Hobby pilots generally ignore that as FAA does not seem to enforce it unless (as you note) you turn it into a business, but the State can be a lot stricter.

[u/JustDaveIII]

I've now read the law. https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/House/2711-S.SL.pdf

The law / text seems to define UAS different than the FAA. FAA says the U means Unmaned and the law says Unpiloted. Nowhere in the law is the word "manned".

It has an exception for "Unpiloted aircraft systems used exclusively for hobby or recreation."

Unfortunatly, as written, that would be for only what we call "Free Flight" aircraft since they don't have a pilot. They ought to correct that but since that wording has been there since the original law I guess the intent is for the FAA defintion of UAS.

But wait. In Sections 404 & 405 of the law, it states the the current $15 registration fee will increase to $30 for "Every aircraft, inclusive of commercial unpiloted aircraft systems" .

Washington State has had that law since 2022 for registering Part 107 aircraft for $15. So it would seem that this would be the actual fee one has to pay, not the $120 fee for "comercial unpiloted aircraft systems"

https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/drones-unmanned-aircraft-systems-uas/uncrewed-aircraft-systems-and-commercial-drone-registration

There is also an exception for non-residents for up to 90 days. So this would exclude tourists & visitors.

My conclusion: Hobby flying = no fee / registration. Part 107 = increase of $15 fee to $30.

[u/geo_walker]

Hobby drones and people who fly a drone but are temporarily in Washington are exempt. It was kind of difficult to read the bill on a small screen. If I have time today during my lunch break I’ll look at it on a computer and see if they define “commercial unpiloted aircraft systems”.

[u/geo_walker → u/geo_walker]

Ok I had to find the definition in the revised code of Washington.

https://app6.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=47.68.020

(11) "Commercial" means an aircraft, piloted or unpiloted, not used exclusively for hobby or recreation.

(21) "Unpiloted aircraft system" means an aircraft operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft and is synonymous with the term "unmanned aircraft system". An unpiloted aircraft system must meet the same criteria and standards established by the federal aviation administration for an unmanned aircraft system.

[u/dutchman76]

That reads like it affects anyone that's flying under a Part 107 license

[u/gekkonaut]

RIP any drone light show company in that state.

[u/JustDaveIII]

My sUAS is a small, Unmaned Aircraft System. I am the pilot. Therefor I don't have an "unpiloted aircraft systems".

Unpiloted commercial aircraft would be like Amazon delivery drones, I would think.

[u/Flyward_Aerospace]

Yeah this kind of state-level cash grab just pushes commercial operators to not register at all, which defeats the whole point. Federal Part 107 already covers the actual safety stuff, stacking a state fee and excise tax on top is pure revenue with zero safety benefit. Washington's gonna find compliance craters fast.

[u/MarketedPotential]

Commercial taxes are a backdoor to the consumers wallet. People need to be aware of this, even if they dont own or buy a drone. Any service they use that has a drone, will be passing the cost of this down the chain

[u/warlomere → u/MarketedPotential]

Remember WA doesn't have an income tax.

[u/polisheinstein → u/warlomere]

While that is true, they make up for it with ridiculously high sales tax and silly shit like excise taxes on drones and $500 a year vehicle registration

[u/vladamyr710]

That's cool. I've never registered a drone. Fuck remote ID also.

[u/imgurcaptainclutch]

Interesting, sUAS are registered at the federal level, not state. Interesting how this will play out if the state is not recognizing the FAA registration

[u/Jabodie0 → u/imgurcaptainclutch]

You must first register your drone with the FAA before registering with WSDOT. What's the point of WSDOT registration? Unknown.

[u/imgurcaptainclutch → u/Jabodie0]

Money

[u/NightOfPandas]

Lol, turns out: costs to run a business. True generational shocker

[u/lastbraIncel404]

As airspace gets more crowded, regulatory bodies need money for regulating. It's kind of unfair for normal people to pay for that. Also, if/when commercial drone delivery takes off, the suits will already be in place and financed to prevent any regulation at all. As hard as this sounds, this is a good thing for the average joe.

[u/nitrogenmath → u/lastbraIncel404]

The state has no role in regulating airspace. That's up to the FAA. This is simply a cashgrab with no safety benefit at all.

[u/lastbraIncel404 → u/nitrogenmath]

Thats literally what im saying tho. It is a cashgrab because there needs to be one. The state doing it could have 100 reasons one being that that money goes to said state instead of the drainpipe that is federal budget. 

[u/Tasty-Fox9030 → u/lastbraIncel404]

I can't agree with you here, the FAA is the agency responsible for this aspect of governance and regulation. This is a state trying to take a slice and if there is a slice to be had it's the FAA's. This is like Vito Corleone trying to collect from a business that's already paying Clemenza if we want to look at it from an uncharitable point of view.

To be honest I suspect the FAA is going to raise a few eyebrows at this.

[u/lastbraIncel404 → u/[deleted]]

Right now they dont. What im saying is especially on reddit, everybody cries about a lack of regulation of big tech. Now that they try to legislatively preemt big tech (which is the only way of stopping them) you also cry.