Flight Logs and Maintenance Records for Commercial Drones: What to Keep and for How Long
The FAA's Part 107 requires commercial drone operators to maintain their aircraft in a safe condition but does not explicitly outline mandatory logs or specify retention periods. In Australia and Canada, however, regulators have set out specific rules on drone maintenance records. In the United States, commercial drone operators may need to keep maintenance logs that meet customer and insurance company rules. A well-organized logbook can also be vital for defending against accident claims, whether or not the U.S. FAA mandates them.
What the Law Actually Asks For
Regardless of the rules in their own jurisdictions, commercial drone operators need to maintain rigorous logs for when they must demonstrate compliance.
Australian and Canadian drone regulations set out very specific requirements for the content and retention of maintenance records.
CASA, the Australian aviation regulator, requires Drone operators to keep a technical log for 7 years. For RPA over 2 kg, the technical log must include the maintenance schedule, maintenance carried out, results of rectification of defective equipment essential to safety, when next maintenance is due, maintenance done and certification of any work, and a description of any fail-safe equipment that is unserviceable.
For other required record categories, CASA says the technical log must be kept for 3 years. Notably, CASA states that drone operators keeping records is not necessary for flying a very small RPA (2 kg or less) in the excluded category or a micro RPA (250 g or less). [CASA, Record keeping - Drones, 2021-03-18]
For drones over 25 kg, CASA's guidance also requires recording the individual in-service times for engines, motors, and propellers.[CASA, Record keeping - Drones, 2021-03-18]
Canada's regulations also specify required content for maintenance logs. Every owner of a remotely piloted aircraft system must keep a record of the time of each flight or series of flights and a record of mandatory action or any other maintenance action, modification, or repair performed on the system. The record must identify the names of the persons who performed the work, the dates the work was undertaken.
For a modification, the maintenance record must include the manufacturer, model, and description of the part or equipment installed, in addition to any instructions provided to complete the work, if such instructions were available. [Canada, Regulation 901.48, as quoted in Coastal Drone article, 2022-02-03]
What a Usable Maintenance Log Must Capture
To meet the requirements in Canada and Australia, a commercial drone operator's logs should include certain core record fields.
An FAA-related checklist document includes core identifiers such as drone model name, model number, and drone ID number or serial number. Another FAA-related maintenance log template includes drone model, drone ID or serial number, operator name, date of maintenance, maintenance checklist and records, remarks or notes, and next scheduled maintenance. [FAA regulations.gov attachment, 2025-08-14]
Even in the United States where Part 107 does not seem to explicitly require maintenance logs, the FAA strongly recommends keeping them. A 2026 guidance article says the logs should record the date of "maintenance", what components were inspected or replaced, the flight hours at the time of service, and who did the work. [Pilot Institute, Drone Maintenance and Inspection: A Part 107 Guide, 2026-07-25]
The FAA article also advises to also note when preventive maintenance is done. An FAA-related template suggests regular preventative maintenance should occur after every 10 hours of flight or monthly, whichever comes first. [FAA regulations.gov attachment, 2025-08-14]
What Should be Tracked Beyond the Bare Minimum
The verified sources do not establish exactly what a bare-minimum maintenance log must include for U.S. Part 107 operators, but a practical logbook will benefit from some additional fields.
For example, an FAA-related template includes a column for remarks or notes. [FAA regulations.gov attachment, 2025-08-14]
The 2026 FAA-focused guideline also suggests including what components were inspected or replaced and the flight hours at the time of service. [Pilot Institute, Drone Maintenance and Inspection: A Part 107 Guide, 2026-07-25]
It is good practice to also record any other relevant observations, such as aircraft condition, weather conditions, or pilot notes.
The FAA template includes a field to note the next scheduled maintenance. [FAA regulations.gov attachment, 2025-08-14]
For Part 107 operators in the U.S., be aware that these practices appear as log fields in FAA materials but did not emerge in the verified search results as explicit legal requirements. Operators in other countries should check local requirements.
Retention and Retrieval
The exact retention period for drone maintenance logs depends on the jurisdiction.
According to CASA, operators should keep a technical log for 7 years. For other required record categories, the technical log should be kept for 3 years. [CASA, Record keeping - Drones, 2021-03-18]
Under U.S. FAA regulations, records of maintenance, alterations, and required or approved inspections under section 91.417(b) are retained until the work is repeated, superseded by other work, or for one year. Entries for work done under section 91.417(a)(2) are retained for 24 months or until the work is repeated or superseded. [FAA, AC43-9C.pdf]
The verified search results did not return a specific record retention period from Canada. It did confirm certain contents are required such as the time of each flight, any maintenance, the names of those who performed work, the dates of work, the details of any modifications, and instructions left with the work. [Canada, Regulation 901.48, as quoted in Coastal Drone article, 2022-02-03]
Audit and Incident Readiness
The same maintenance logs that meet regulatory requirements also help commercial drone operators prepare for inspections, audits, and accident investigations.
When CASA conducts a routine audit, for instance, having a detailed technical log showing all required information is key to a smooth process. The same goes for Transport Canada inspections. [Transport Canada regulatory text as quoted in Coastal Drone article, 2022-02-03]
Many insurance companies for drone operators require a detailed maintenance log.
In an accident investigation, drone maintenance logs can also aid an operator in their case. For example, FAA Part 107 operations suggest keeping written logs. [Pilot Institute, Drone Maintenance and Inspection: A Part 107 Guide, 2026-07-25]
Operators should be sure to include fields like drone model / serial, maintenance notes, and next service due, as these seem to be expected in FAA-related templates. [FAA regulations.gov attachment, 2025-08-14]
What the Reader Still Cannot Assume
While some practices are held up as best, the search results did not verify them as legal requirements in every jurisdiction.
For U.S. Part 107 operators, the verified results did not find a clear U.S. precedent showing when drone battery cycles or firmware versions must be logged nor how long the logs must be kept. These items appear as fields in some FAA-related maintenance templates, but were not cited by a primary U.S. rule or guideline.
The search results did not return a verified insurer standard for drone log maintenance, nor did they uncover a specific, mandatory client audit checklist for these records. They also did not establish the release of any accident investigation rule that required drone logs, from either the FAA or NTSB. [Search safeguarded]
Given these gaps, in the absence of specific federal rules, cross-referencing local, manufacturer and buyer needs offers a way forward.
