I bought a used drone. Do I need to register my drone again?

As the Drone Girl, I’m always getting questions from new pilots! This one answers whether I need to register my drone again if I’ve bought it from a reseller.  To help me answer this one, I’ve enlisted the help of Patrick Sherman. Like me, he’s a long-time drone enthusiast who has risen to become a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University specializing in, you guessed it, drones! 

One reader wrote in to say: Hello, I purchased a like-new DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2, the seller had the drone activated with DJI and FAA registered. The drone has the FAA Registered label. The seller made no effort to un-register the drone or remove his name, or to wipe the SD card. Should I ask the seller to un-register the drone with the FAA? Or just register the drone myself with the FAA?

I asked the seller and he wants me to provide the drone serial number and FAA register number. I don’t trust the seller much now after sale stuff, but should I use his help or now worry much about it? Thanks for any help with this topic.

Patrick Sherman, who is also the author of the book “Getting Started with Drones and Model Airplanes” knows a thing or two about launching a drone business. Given that, I asked him to help me answer this question

Here was his response (and if you want more of his insights, grab a copy of his book today!):

You’ve actually got a couple of different issues you need to sort out with the original owner of the aircraft. Let’s look first at the question of FAA registration, before diving into your questions around wiping the SD card.

Do I need to register my drone again if I bought it in used condition from a reseller?

According to the FAA, when a drone leaves your possession – either because it is lost, sold, or retired from service – you are required to un-register it on the FAA DroneZone website. And, indeed, it is in the former owner’s best interest to do so. Here’s why:

Let’s say you’re the new owner and you lose control of the aircraft and send it careening into the local high school marching band. People get hurt and instruments are damaged. When the FAA investigates, the first thing they are going to look at is the registration number on the aircraft – and then they are going to knock on the door of the person attached to that registration number, and they likely aren’t going to be in a forgiving mood.

So, the person who sold you this aircraft should be anxious to un-register it from their FAA account. Otherwise, they lack a fundamental understanding of the concept of legal liability.

Once the aircraft is in the clear, you can register it like a new aircraft under your own account. 

Consider your DJI account

Something else you need to worry about is if the aircraft is registered to you in the DJI database. Obviously, this doesn’t have any particular legal consequences associated with it. However, if the aircraft ever requires service, if you need to unlock airspace or something else along those lines, you’ll need to be the registered owner with the company that built the thing. So, find out the status of that, as well.

Related read: How do I sell my used drone?

What do I do with an SD card on a drone I bought in used condition?

Finally, as regards the SD card – format it. Unless there is some really gorgeous imagery on it. Then, it would be polite to contact the seller and make sure they have a copy before it vanishes into digital limbo forever.

Be well!

-Patrick Sherman

Are you starting out as a remote pilot? Do you have other questions you’d like Patrick to answer? The chances are that he already has answered it! Check out his new book, “Getting Started with Drones and Model Airplanes,” published by Aviation Supplies & Academics – the leading publisher of aviation-related books in the United States. Copies are available on Amazon!

If you have a question for Drone Girl, contact her here.

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