The rules covering drone flights are like many other things controlled by the USA government. Only in the USA can there be a “Paperwork Reduction Act”, a law to simplify income taxes, that literally quadrupled the paperwork on your Form 1040. Flying your drone does now require paperwork!!
Fortunately the rules for drone pilots did not go through a similar “Reduction”, and are actually fairly simple. And if you do choose to get licensed, the process isn’t that complicated, or difficult to learn the rules and pass the FAA Part 107 license test.
The FAA rules on drone are fairly simple. If your drone weighs over 249 grams (0.55lbs) it needs to be registered. If you are only flying for your own personal enjoyment you are done after registering (Register here: Register Your Drone (faa.gov))
All drones over 249 grams (0.55lbs) need to be registered, and any drone regardless of weight flown for non-recreational purposes needs to be registered at the same site noted above.
The question on licensing or being a certified remote pilot really is, are you flying for your personal recreation or not? Many more people are not technically flying recreationally, and it’s likely those people are flying in violation of FAA rules, and you can be monetarily fined for doing so.
