# Public Safety Drone Programs > *Archived legal-authority source. The public original was independently acquired and preserved on 2026-08-10.* ## Source metadata - **Publisher or court:** Federal Aviation Administration - **URL:** https://www.faa.gov/uas/public_safety_gov/drone_program - **Resolved URL:** https://www.faa.gov/uas/public_safety_gov/drone_program - **Archived:** 2026-08-10, from unauthenticated public access - **Wayback snapshot:** save failed 2026-08-10; retry pending - **Source class:** primary public record or court opinion ## Proposition boundary Government operators may use Part 107 or public-aircraft COA pathways. ## Extract In This Section Operate a Drone, Start a Drone Program Government agencies (including Federal, State, and tribal), law enforcement, and public safety entities have two options for operating drones under 55 pounds. Fly under 14 CFR part 107, the small UAS rule . Part 107 allows operations of drones or unmanned aircraft system ( UAS ) under 55 pounds at or below 400 feet above ground level ( AGL ) for visual line-of-sight operations only. Fly under the statutory requirements for public aircraft (49 U.S.C. §40102(a) and § 40125). Operate with a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization ( COA ) to be able to self-certify UAS and operators for flights performing governmental functions. Download our Drones in Public Safety: A Guide to Starting Operations ( PDF ) Emergency Authorizations & Operations To support first responders and other entities affiliated with them, the FAA can quickly issue authorizations for natural disaster and other emergency situation response. Read about Waivers and Authorizations Supporting Emergency UAS Operations to learn more. Last updated: Thursday, June 2, 2022 **Wayback failure**: Save Page Now did not return a response during the bounded 2026-08-10 capture pass. Retry pending. ## Notes - Tier: 2 - primary public record or court opinion. - Cited by: [[Arkansas Law-Enforcement Drone Authority]], [[Law-Enforcement Drone and UAS Programs]].