SARASOTA, Fla. -- If you bought one of the 400,000 drones expected to be sold this holiday season, be sure that you register it before that maiden flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) online drone registration requirement started on Monday. All drones bought before today must be registered within 60 days.
Drones bought from this day forward must be registered before their first flight.
Federal law requires a registration fee, so the FAA is charging $5 -- the same amount it costs to register a large commercial jet.
Registration is good for three years and the $5 fee allows you to register multiple drones at one time.
Plus, if you register your drone in the next 30 days, you'll even get your $5 back -- a move clearly meant to spur drone operators to get their aircraft registered sooner rather than later.
The rules come as concern is growing about the risk posed by drones to people on the ground and commercial aircraft.
