There is a lot of loose talk about “Part 108” as if it were already operational law. It is not. As of March 10, 2026, Part 108 remains a proposed BVLOS rulemaking effort, not a final rule that routine commercial operators can simply start using.
The FAA and DOT published the BVLOS notice of proposed rulemaking in August 2025, and the comment process was still active into early 2026, including a reopening of the comment period. The relevant federal documents are here:
Concrete date check: if someone tells you Part 108 is already live on March 10, 2026, that is incorrect. The FAA has proposed it, but it is still in rulemaking.
Why survey teams should care anyway
Even though it is not final, Part 108 matters because it shows where U.S. drone regulation is heading: more routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations, more scalable low-altitude commercial work, and clearer pathways for operations that do not fit inside traditional Part 107 limits.
The proposed rule explicitly contemplates use cases that include aerial surveying. That is important. It means surveying is part of the FAA’s forward-looking integration plan, not some edge-case afterthought.
What you should do today
Keep your current operations built around Part 107. If your business model depends on routine BVLOS operations right now, you still need to work through the existing authorization and waiver environment or use other lawful pathways where they apply.
In other words, watch Part 108 closely, but do not plan your 2026 survey operations as though it has already arrived.