Micro Drones
Are Sub-250 g Drones Really Unregulated?
Less regulated, yes. Unregulated, no — and one rule in particular still bites.
If you spend any time in drone forums you will have seen people describe sub-250 gram aircraft as an “unregulated class”. It is a tempting shorthand, and it is misleading. Certification and registration genuinely do not apply. Regulation does.
Where the 250 Gram Line Actually Sits
Most of Part IX of the Canadian Aviation Regulations applies to RPAS between 250 g and 25 kg. That is because of how the terms are defined. An RPAS is a navigable aircraft, other than a balloon, rocket or kite, operated by a pilot who is not on board — note that this definition carries no weight class at all. The weight appears in the definition of a small RPAS: a remotely piloted aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of at least 250 g but not more than 25 kg.
So a 249 g aircraft is still an RPAS. It simply is not a small RPAS, and the requirements attached to that term do not reach it.
The Rule That Still Applies
CARs 900.06 — No person shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system in such a reckless or negligent manner as to endanger or be likely to endanger aviation safety or the safety of any person.
No certificate is required, but not behaving like an idiot still is. Transport Canada publishes penalties of up to $3,000 for an individual and $15,000 for a corporation for putting aircraft and people at risk.
What Changed in 2025
Since 1 April 2025, a Special Flight Operations Certificate is required to fly a microdrone at an advertised event. If you are flying a sub-250 g aircraft over a festival, a race, a public ceremony or anything else promoted in advance, the weight exemption no longer carries you.
And the Rules That Were Never Transport Canada’s
Aviation regulation is not the only regulation. Privacy legislation applies to what your camera records. National, provincial and territorial parks have their own rules, and many prohibit drone use outright. Municipal bylaws frequently restrict take-off and landing on city property. None of these care what your aircraft weighs.
Flying something under 250 grams?