---
title: "Drone (RPA) operation compliance checklist for a business client (CASR Part 101, RePL, ReOC and CASA approvals)"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/precedents/aviation-drones-and-space/drone-operation-compliance-checklist"
type: "precedent"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "a60-drone-operation-compliance-checklist"
area_id: "A60"
kind: "checklist"
ai_level: "yellow"
version: 1
task_ids: ["A60-N20261018-2", "A60-N20261018-1"]
law_stated_as_at: "2026-10-18"
---

# Drone (RPA) operation compliance checklist for a business client (CASR Part 101, RePL, ReOC and CASA approvals)

> Pre-operation checklist for a commercial drone job: operator category, registration, RePL and ReOC holdings, the CASA drone safety rules (120 m, visual line of sight, 30 m from people, populous areas, 5.5 km from…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/precedents/aviation-drones-and-space/drone-operation-compliance-checklist  
Law stated as at: 2026-10-18

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

Pre-operation checklist for a commercial drone job: operator category, registration, RePL and ReOC holdings, the CASA drone safety rules (120 m, visual line of sight, 30 m from people, populous areas, 5.5 km from controlled aerodromes, daylight), approvals needed, and the client-side legal checks.

## Key facts

- Kind: Checklist. Steps or checks to work through and tick off.
- Practice area: [Aviation, Drones & Space](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/aviation-drones-and-space.md)
- Jurisdictions: Australia, Commonwealth
- AI level: Yellow. AI can help in set ways. A lawyer checks specific points before use.
- Law stated as at: 2026-10-18
- Status: Maintained. Checked on 2026-10-18 against the 2 authorities it cites, for Australia and Commonwealth.

## When to use it

Use when a client (or a contractor it engages) proposes a drone operation for work: inspection, survey, filming, agriculture, events or deliveries. Use it before contracting and again before each operation that differs from the standard conditions. Recreational flying follows the simpler rules for flying for fun.

## Used for these tasks

- [Check a proposed drone operation against the rules and the client's approvals](https://ailawframework.com/practice/aviation-drones-and-space.md#A60-N20261018-2)
- [Build the drone operator's authorisation and compliance register](https://ailawframework.com/practice/aviation-drones-and-space.md#A60-N20261018-1)

## How AI may be used

AI may compare the operation plan against the checklist and the operator’s documents and list gaps; the lawyer and the operator’s chief remote pilot decide whether the operation is within the standard conditions or needs an approval.

**AI may:**

- Extract the operation details (location, height, distance from people, time of day, airspace, aircraft weight) from the job brief into Part B
- Check the operator’s registration, RePL, ReOC and approval documents for names, numbers and expiry dates and flag any gap
- Build the operator authorisation register from the documents provided and diarise expiry dates

**AI must not:**

- Must not decide that an operation falls within an excluded category or the standard operating conditions; that needs the regulations and the operator’s ReOC
- Must not interpret airspace or aerodrome proximity from a map without a CASA-verified drone safety app check by the operator
- Must not advise that no approval is needed for operations near people, at night, beyond visual line of sight or near aerodromes

**The lawyer checks:**

- The operator category (excluded, ReOC or approval required) is confirmed against Part 101 and the operator’s ReOC conditions, not only the summary rules
- Every condition in Part C that the operation does not meet is covered by a current CASA approval or ReOC procedure
- Registration, RePL and ReOC are current for the named pilots and aircraft on the operation dates
- Landholder consent, state and local rules (national parks, councils), privacy and surveillance laws and insurance are dealt with in the contract

## Authorities

- [Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (Cth) Part 101 (unmanned aircraft and rockets), as summarised in CASA, Drone safety rules (flying for work: operator accreditation or remote pilot licence; ReOC operations; flight authorisations)](https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/drone-rules/drone-safety-rules)
- [CASA, Know your drone: drone rules (120 m above ground level; one drone at a time; visual line of sight; 30 m from people and never over people; populous areas; emergencies; 5.5 km from controlled airports; daylight; registration for commercial drones)](https://www.casa.gov.au/knowyourdrone/drone-rules)

## Full text and drafting notes

The full text and the drafting notes are not part of this public page. Signed-in firm accounts can read them at https://ailawframework.com/precedents/aviation-drones-and-space/drone-operation-compliance-checklist and through the signed-in MCP connector https://ailawframework.com/mcp/firm.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*