How do you start a drone spraying business?
To start a drone spraying business, you’ll generally need an FAA Part 107 certificate, an FAA exemption, a Part 137 operator certificate, a state pesticide applicator license and chemical liability insurance before you spray one paid acre. Here’s the order, the lead times, and the acres it takes to make an ag drone business pay.
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What do you need to start a drone spraying business?
Four approvals, a registered drone and the right insurance, as of November 2026:
| Step | Who issues it | Rough lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate | FAA, after a test and a TSA background check | Iowa State’s 2026 prep course ran two days. Test results can take up to 48 hours to post. |
| Drone registration | FAA: an FA-number under 55 pounds, an N-number at 55 pounds and up | Step one on the FAA’s list. We found no published time. |
| FAA exemption (Section 44807 at 55 pounds and up) | FAA, through its public docket | File at least 120 days ahead. Five standard 2026 grants we read took 20 to 54 days. |
| Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate (Part 137) | FAA, with Form 8710-3 and your exemption number | Only after the exemption. We found no published time. |
| Pesticide applicator license | Your state’s pesticide agency | Depends on your state’s exams and paperwork. |
| Chemical liability insurance | A specialty insurer | Insurers typically want your Part 137 paperwork first. |
FAA pages, public FAA dockets and extension guidance, checked November 5, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency.
Our spray drone financing guide covers what these rules mean and what drones cost.
What order do the steps go in?
Start with the company and the pilot certificate, and expect to buy the drone in the middle of the FAA work. The FAA lists a registered drone as step one and wants its make, model, registration number and owner before it issues an exemption. You can file before the drone ships, but you won’t get a decision without them.
- Form your company. The name on your operator certificate application has to match your exemption, and the FAA won’t accept a P.O. box address. An attorney and your CPA can help with the structure.
- Earn your Part 107. Pass the knowledge test ($175, per Penn State Extension) and the TSA check. We need a copy of the operator’s FAA Part 107 certificate on every drone deal, so do this early.
- Pick the drone and line up the purchase. Check the FAA’s list of approved drones, since aircraft without prior approval may take longer. On an equipment finance agreement you own the drone from day one, so it’s registered in your company’s name.
- File your exemption petition. Name your chief supervisor, pilot in command and aircraft. The FAA can close a petition if you don’t answer its requests for information.
- Get your operator certificate. Email Form 8710-3 with your exemption number. You need both before you spray.
- Get your state license. Call your state’s pesticide agency early, because this varies. Pennsylvania wants a business license and proof of insurance. Mississippi wants your FAA credentials.
- Bind your insurance. Chemical liability usually comes after your Part 137, since insurers want that paperwork. You’ll usually need to insure the drone and name the funder as loss payee sooner, so call an agent early.
The grants we read require an operations manual, a training program and documented Part 137 tests. Recent ones ask for a third-class medical only for night or manual flying. And flying a multirotor closer than 500 feet to vehicles or structures takes, among other conditions, 25 hours spraying as pilot in command, which can rule out some field edges for a brand-new pilot. Your own grant sets your conditions, so ask the FAA or an attorney if anything’s unclear.
How long does FAA approval take for a spray drone?
Plan on about four months for the exemption, even though it often comes sooner. The FAA asks for your petition at least 120 days ahead and says it strives to decide within 120 days of a complete request. That count doesn’t start until it has everything it asked for.
We read eight new 2026 exemptions for drones of 55 pounds or more and counted the days from petition to grant:
- Five standard requests: 20, 21, 44, 48 and 54 days.
- Two with limited flights beyond visual line of sight: 119 and 127 days.
- One the FAA couldn’t process as filed in January 2025: granted September 2, 2026, after a new letter that June.
That’s a small sample, not a promise. A complete, standard request can move quickly, and an incomplete one can sit for a long time.
We found no published FAA time for the operator certificate, and your state sets its own pace. So plan on more than four months before your first paid acre. You may beat that, but I wouldn’t bet a season on it.
How much does it cost to start a drone spraying business?
Most of the startup cost is equipment. University of Missouri Extension’s March 2025 custom-operator model came to $94,500: two drones with chargers, five batteries, a generator, a trailer, a pump system and a quarter of a $50,000 truck. Count the whole truck and it’s $132,000. Those figures used a $23,000 drone package, and prices have moved, so start from the 2026 listed prices in our guide and a written dealer quote.
Don’t forget insurance: Purdue Extension says a spray drone premium can run $4,000 to $5,000, only a handful of U.S. companies write it, and general liability won’t cover what comes out of the tank.
The drone, batteries, charging gear, spreader and tender trailer can all go on one agreement. Used drones work too. There is no age limit, though older equipment can be tougher to get done.
Budget for exams, FAA paperwork help and insurance too. And don’t empty your savings on the drone: our post on paying cash for startup equipment explains why.
How much do drone spraying businesses charge per acre?
About $15 an acre for liquid work, though the range is wide. Here’s Ohio State’s 2026 survey:
| Job | Average per acre | Low to high | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drone, chemical (fungicide and similar) | $14.98 | $8 to $20 | 42 |
| Drone, seed | $15.64 | $11 to $22 | 25 |
| Airplane or helicopter, chemical | $14.84 | $11 to $20 | 40 |
Ohio Farm Custom Rates 2026, Ohio State University Extension, checked November 5, 2026. One state’s survey, not a price list.
Missouri Extension said custom drone work typically ran around $16 an acre in March 2025. Ohio’s report warns that an average may not cover a provider’s total costs, so run your own numbers.
Drones and manned aircraft averaged within 14 cents of each other, so sell timing. Iowa State lists wet ground, tall crops and tight weather windows among the reasons farmers look at drones.
How many acres do you need to make money?
About 1,150 acres a year just to cover costs at $15 an acre, if your costs look like Missouri’s two-drone model. Real money starts well past that:
| Acres a year | Revenue at $15 an acre | Model’s cost per acre | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $15,000 | $16.54 | About −$1,500 |
| 2,000 | $30,000 | $10.41 | About $9,200 |
| 4,000 | $60,000 | $7.39 | About $30,400 |
Our math on the University of Missouri Extension custom-operator model (2025) at its default inputs, checked November 5, 2026. “Left over” is before overhead and income taxes. An illustration, not a forecast.
At Ohio’s $20 high, the model covers its costs at about 800 acres. At the $8 low, it takes about 3,350.
Two cautions. The model carries about $782 a year for taxes, insurance and housing combined, so a $4,500 premium adds roughly 400 acres to the break-even at $15, by our math. And it’s fast: two drones at 52 acres an hour, or 4,000 acres in about 77 hours. AgriNews reported in August 2026 on an Illinois farmer covering 160 acres with one drone between 6 a.m. and lunch, close to that pace per drone.
So flying 4,000 acres takes about a dozen full days. Getting farmers to commit to them is the hard part, and I’d spend my first winter on it. Call ag retailers too: a quarter of them were contracting drone work out in the 2024 CropLife/Purdue survey.
When should you start for the 2027 season?
Right now, if you want paid acres next year. The work comes in bursts: that AgriNews report had corn fungicide in late July and cover crop seeding in late August.
The FAA’s 120 days puts a March 3, 2027 deadline on a petition for a July 1 start. I’d file well ahead of that, because the operator certificate, state license and insurance still have to follow.
Approvals are sized to seasonal windows, and a late-winter application for spring spraying is routine. A brand-new operator should talk to us sooner, because the FAA needs your registered drone before it issues the exemption. Ask about pushing the first payment back until the season starts. Approvals stay open for a set time, so apply once you have your Part 107 and a dealer quote.
What makes a startup file stronger?
Under a year in business, you’re underwritten as a startup, so the decision rests on you. Every drone deal needs a copy of the operator’s FAA Part 107 certificate. Beyond that, the programs we place these deals with typically look for:
- Personal credit of 700 or better. A co-signer doesn’t change that.
- Spraying experience you can prove, with W-2 history, licenses or records from a farm, co-op or ag retailer.
- Working capital left after the purchase, and usually some money down.
- Acres already lined up. Signed or pending season contracts carry more weight than a business plan alone.
- A recognized drone with dealer support and a real resale market.
Our startup programs aren’t built for a new company whose owner has no background in the work and no cash left after the purchase. If that’s you today, work a season for a farm, co-op, retailer or applicator, keep your records and build your cash.
A profitable farm or business you already own can stand behind the new company as a corporate co-guarantor, though your own credit still has to clear 700. Our startup equipment financing guide, qualification guidelines and commercial drone financing page have the rest. If your file isn’t ready, we’ll say so.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a Part 137 certificate to spray with a drone?
Yes. The FAA requires an Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate to dispense pesticides and other farm products from any aircraft, drones included. You apply after you get your exemption number. Check your own setup with the FAA or an attorney.
How long does it take to get an FAA exemption for a spray drone?
The FAA asks for your petition at least 120 days ahead. Five standard 2026 grants we read took 20 to 54 days, and two with limited beyond visual line of sight flights took 119 and 127.
How much do drone spraying businesses charge per acre?
Ohio State University Extension’s 2026 survey averaged $14.98 an acre for drone chemical application, with responses from $8 to $20.
How many acres does a drone spraying business need?
At $15 an acre, Missouri Extension’s two-drone model covers its costs at about 1,150 acres a year. At 4,000 acres it leaves about $30,400 before overhead and income taxes.
How much does it cost to start a drone spraying business?
University of Missouri Extension’s March 2025 model put a two-drone custom operation at $94,500 in equipment, or $132,000 counting a whole truck. Prices have moved since, so get a current dealer quote.
Can a new drone spraying business get financing?
Yes, selectively. Under a year in business, the file is underwritten as a startup, which typically means 700+ personal credit, documented experience, working capital left after the purchase and usually some money down, plus a copy of the operator’s FAA Part 107 certificate.
Got your Part 107 and a dealer quote?
Send them with one short application. A soft credit inquiry starts it, and a dedicated funding professional takes it from there to funding.
This article is general information about starting a drone spraying business and financing the equipment, not tax, legal, insurance or accounting advice or a commitment to finance. Per-acre figures are survey results and a university cost model, not a forecast of what your business will earn. FAA, state and insurance requirements change, so check with the agencies and your advisors before you buy or fly. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting.