Petition for Exemption or Rulemaking

A petition for exemption is a request to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by an individual or entity for relief from the requirements of a regulation in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). The FAA may grant an exemption if it is in public interest and provides an equivalent level of safety. See, 49 U.S.C. § 44701(f) and 14 CFR § 11.81(e).

A petition for rulemaking is a request by an individual or entity to the FAA Administrator requesting that the FAA adopt, amend, or repeal a regulation (14 CFR § 11.71).

Regulations governing the rulemaking process can be found in Part 11 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR Part 11).

Submit a Petition

All petitions must comply with 14 CFR Part 11, including the requirement to submit a petition at least 120 days before you need the exemption to take effect or before your current exemption expires. Failure to provide a petition that includes all of the required information may result in the FAA taking no action on the petition and closing the petition without further notice.

For information you must include in your petition, select the appropriate link below:

Instructions on how to submit a petition to the FAA:

Submit a Petition to the FAA

Petition for Exemption

You must send a petition for exemption 120 days before you need the exemption to take effect or 120 days before your current exemption expires, if you wish to extend it (14 CFR § 11.63(d)).

Your petition for exemption (14 CFR § 11.81) must include, with as much detail as possible, all the following:

  • Your name and mailing address and, if you wish, other contact information such as a fax number, telephone number, or e-mail address;
  • The specific section or sections of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) from which you seek an exemption;
  • The extent of relief you seek, and the reason you seek the relief;
  • The reasons why granting your request would be in the public interest; that is, how it would benefit the public as a whole;
  • The reasons why granting the exemption would not adversely affect safety, or how the exemption would provide a level of safety at least equal to that provided by the rule from which you seek the exemption;
  • A summary we can publish in the Federal Register stating:
  • The rule from which you seek the exemption; and
  • A brief description of the nature of the exemption you seek; 
  • Any additional information, views or arguments available to support your request; and
  • If you want to exercise the privileges of your exemption outside the United States, the reason why you need to do so.

Exemption Resources:

Petition for Rulemaking

Your petition for rulemaking (14 CFR § 11.71) must include all of the following:

  • Your name and mailing address and, if you wish, other contact information such as a fax number, telephone number, or e-mail address. 
  • An explanation of your proposed action and its purpose.
  • The language you propose for a new or amended rule, or the language you would remove from a current rule.
  • An explanation of why your proposed action would be in the public interest.
  • Information and arguments that support your proposed action, including relevant technical and scientific data available to you.
  • Any specific facts or circumstances that support or demonstrate the need for the action you propose.

In the process of considering your petition, we may ask that you provide information or data available to you about the following:

  • The cost and benefits of your proposed actions to society, as well as any targeted or affected groups or persons.
  • The regulatory burden of your proposed action on small businesses, small organizations, small governmental jurisdictions, and Indian tribes.
  • The recordkeeping and reporting burdens of your proposed action and whom the burdens would affect.
  • The effect of your proposed action on the quality of the natural and social environments.

Petition for Reconsideration

The FAA must receive your petition for reconsideration within 60 days after we issued the denial. Your petition for reconsideration (14 CFR § 11.101) must establish the following:

  • That you have a significant additional fact and why you did not present it in your original petition;
  • That we made an important factual error in our denial of your original petition; or
  • That we did not correctly interpret a law, regulation, or precedent.

Address

Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Rulemaking
Room 810
800 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20591

Phone: (202) 267-9677

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Last updated: Tuesday, August 13, 2024