§45305 Registration, Certification, and Related Fees

Summary

The FAA Administrator must set and collect fees for certain services, and each fee cannot be more than the agency’s estimated cost for that service. The fees cover 11 kinds of actions, such as registering or re-registering aircraft, issuing dealer or special registration numbers, recording security interests in aircraft or parts, issuing airman certificates (including replacements and medical certificates), and giving legal opinions about registration or recordation. The Administrator can also charge a foreign government or entity for certification services done anywhere, as long as the fee follows aviation safety agreements and does not exceed the estimated cost. Fees cannot be collected unless Congress has already allowed the fee money to be spent in an appropriations Act. Collected fees go back to the same account that pays for the services. They can only be used to pay the costs of those services, including the cost to collect the fees, and they remain available until spent. The FAA may keep charging and using these fees while funding is provided under a continuing appropriations Act instead of the regular budget. The Administrator must change a fee if the actual cost turns out higher or lower than the data used to set it.