The Short Answer
14 CFR Part 145 requires a repair station to satisfy six core areas the FAA evaluates together: an application package (§145.51) — repair station manual, quality control manual, capability list, org chart, facility description, contract-maintenance list, and a training program; appropriate ratings (§145.59) or a limited rating (§145.61); adequate housing, facilities, equipment, and data (§145.103 and §145.109); qualified personnel and an FAA-approved training program (§145.151–§145.165); a repair station manual and a documented quality control system (§145.207–§145.211); and compliant handling of any contract maintenance (§145.217). The FAA issues the certificate under §145.53 only after the personnel, equipment, technical data, and housing are available for inspection and found adequate.
Almost every one of those requirements is, at audit time, a document: a manual, a roster, a training record, a calibration log, a capability list, a contracted-functions list, a work order. Repair stations rarely lose their certificate over the quality of a repair — they get surveillance findings because a required document is missing, expired, or out of revision. This guide is the top-level map; each area links to the detailed records guide for that requirement.
"What does Part 145 require?" is one of the most-searched aviation-compliance questions, and most answers either recite the table of contents or dive straight into a single section. This guide does neither. It walks the regulation the way the FAA actually structures certification and oversight — six requirement areas, each mapped to the exact 14 CFR Part 145 sections, in plain English — and then points to the detailed records guide for each area.
If you are still deciding whether to pursue a certificate at all, start with how to get a Part 145 repair station certificate and Part 145 certification cost and timeline. If you already hold a certificate and want to know exactly which documents an inspector will ask for, jump to the Part 145 audit binder.
This is the requirements map — not the deep dive on any one area
Each of the six areas below has its own dedicated guide with the section-by-section detail, the audit findings each requirement prevents, and the records that prove compliance. This page is the hub that ties them together. Where you see a link, that is the deeper read.
The Six Requirement Areas of 14 CFR Part 145
Part 145 is organized into subparts A through E. Reorganized around how the FAA certificates and oversees a station, the requirements collapse into six areas. Here is what each demands, the controlling CFR sections, and the records that prove it.
Application & Certificate Issue
The §145.51 application package is the gate. The FAA issues the certificate under §145.53 only after personnel, equipment, technical data, and housing are available and found adequate.
Under §145.51(a), the application must include a repair station manual, a quality control manual, a list of each article for which you apply (the capability list), an organizational chart of managing and supervisory personnel, a description of the housing and facilities (including the physical address), a list of any maintenance functions to be contracted out, and a training program for FAA approval. Under §145.51(b), the equipment, personnel, technical data, and housing must be available for FAA inspection at the time of certification. §145.53 issues the certificate with the ratings and operations specifications necessary for safety, and requires written certification that hazmat employees are trained. §145.57 lets the FAA attach operations specifications and limitations to the certificate.
The records that prove it
Application package, signed certificate, operations specifications. FileFlo indexes the issued certificate, ops specs, and every supporting document so the current authorized scope is provable on demand.
Ratings & Capability List
Your rating defines the boundary of what you may maintain and return to service. §145.59 lists six rating categories; §145.61 covers limited ratings tied to a specific make/model or specialized service.
§145.59 establishes ratings in six categories — airframe (Classes 1–4), powerplant (Classes 1–3), propeller (Classes 1–2), radio (Classes 1–3), instrument (Classes 1–4), and accessory (Classes 1–3). §145.61 allows a limited rating for a specific airframe, engine, propeller, instrument, radio, accessory, landing gear, or float by make and model, or for a specialized service such as nondestructive inspection or aircraft fabric work, performed to a standard acceptable to the FAA. The rating drives your operations specifications and your capability list — the documented self-assessment of what you can actually do.
The records that prove it
Operations specifications, capability list, and the self-evaluation records that support adding a capability. Detailed in our Part 145 ratings & capability list records guide.
Housing, Facilities, Equipment & Data
Facilities must match your ratings — segregated work areas, protection from the elements, climate control — and you must hold the tools, materials, and current technical data, with test equipment calibrated.
§145.103 requires housing consistent with the ratings: enough space to segregate and protect articles, segregated areas for hazardous operations (paint, cleaning, welding, avionics), racks and stands to protect articles, separation of stock from work in progress, and ventilation, lighting, temperature, and humidity control sufficient to meet Part 43 standards. §145.109 requires the equipment, tools, and materials for the ratings to be at the facility and under the station's control during work, current technical data (manufacturer manuals, ADs, instructions for continued airworthiness, service bulletins, and other FAA-acceptable data) readily available, and test and inspection equipment calibrated to a standard acceptable to the FAA.
The records that prove it
Facility description, equipment inventory, technical-data revision control, and tool calibration records. FileFlo tracks calibration due dates and surfaces out-of-cycle tools before they invalidate work.
Personnel & Training
An accountable manager, qualified supervisors, inspection personnel, and return-to-service personnel — plus an FAA-approved employee training program with records kept at least 2 years.
§145.151 requires designating an accountable manager and providing qualified personnel to plan, supervise, perform, and approve for return to service. §145.153 requires a sufficient number of supervisors, Part 65-certificated for the work at U.S. stations, all reading/writing/understanding English. §145.155 requires inspection personnel familiar with the regulations and inspection methods and proficient with the equipment. §145.157 requires return-to-service personnel to be Part 65-certificated (at U.S. stations) and English-proficient. §145.161 requires personnel rosters. §145.163 requires an FAA-approved initial and recurrent training program with employee records kept at least 2 years, and §145.165 requires hazmat training where applicable.
The records that prove it
Personnel roster, certificate copies, the FAA-approved training program, and per-employee initial/recurrent training records (2-year minimum). Covered in our Part 145 personnel roster & training records guide.
Repair Station Manual & Quality Control System
A repair station manual (RSM) and a quality control manual (QCM), both acceptable to the FAA, kept current and followed. These two manuals are the documented backbone an inspector audits against.
§145.207 requires the station to prepare, follow, keep current, and provide the RSM to its Flight Standards office, and to notify the office of each revision. §145.209 lists the RSM's required contents — organizational chart, roster procedures, description of operations and facilities, capability-list and training-program revision procedures, work-away-from-station procedures, maintenance procedures, contract-maintenance procedures, recordkeeping procedures, and manual-revision/control procedures. §145.211 requires a quality control system documented in a QCM covering incoming-materials inspection, preliminary and hidden-damage inspection, final inspection and return to service, inspector proficiency, qualification and surveillance of noncertificated personnel, and calibration of measuring and test equipment.
The records that prove it
The current RSM and QCM with full revision history, and the inspection forms they reference. Detailed in our Part 145 quality control manual (RSQCM) guide.
Contract Maintenance, Records & Reporting
You may contract a maintenance function out only with FAA approval and a current list of functions and contractors — and you must keep §145.219 records and file service difficulty reports.
§145.217 lets a station contract a maintenance function to an outside source only if the FAA approves the function; the station must keep a current list of the functions contracted and the name and certificate/ratings of each contractor. Contracting to a noncertificated person adds quality-control, direct-supervision, and verification-before-return-to-service conditions. §145.219 requires retaining records in English that demonstrate Part 43 compliance for at least 2 years from return to service, available to the FAA and NTSB. §145.221 requires reporting failures, malfunctions, and defects (service difficulty reports) within the specified window.
The records that prove it
Contracted-functions list and FAA approvals, the §145.219 records set (work orders, 8130-3 tags, receiving inspection), and SDR submissions. See our Part 145 recordkeeping requirements guide for the §145.219 detail.
See where your repair station stands across all six areas
FileFlo's FAA readiness score reviews your record documentation across application, ratings, facilities, personnel, manuals, and contract maintenance — and shows you the gaps an FSDO inspector would likely cite before the surveillance visit. Takes under 10 minutes.
Check Your FAA Readiness Score — FreeRelated: Part 145 & FAA Aviation Compliance
What Is a Part 145 Repair Station — and Who Needs One?
A repair station certificate is an organizational authorization, distinct from individual mechanic privileges. Understanding that distinction tells you when you need one.
A Part 145 repair station is a facility the FAA certificates to perform maintenance, preventive maintenance, or alterations on aircraft, airframes, engines, propellers, appliances, and parts — and to approve those articles for return to service under its own certificate number. That last part is the key distinction. A repair station is an organizational certificate. It lets the business release work to service, separate from the individual A&P or IA privileges of the people doing the work.
Under 14 CFR §43.3, work can also be performed and returned to service by individually certificated mechanics, repairmen, and IAs without a repair station certificate. So why get one? Because a repair station certificate enables a business to operate at scale: hold ratings, employ teams under a documented quality system, contract with air carriers, and build the operations specifications that define a sellable maintenance capability.
You likely need a Part 145 certificate if you...
- Operate a maintenance business that releases articles to service under a company name
- Want to perform and approve work for Part 121 or Part 135 air carriers
- Need to hold ratings or operations specifications for specific airframes, engines, or specialized services
- Run a team of technicians under a single documented quality control system
- Want to issue FAA Form 8130-3 airworthiness approvals or support export work
You may not need one if you...
- Work solely as an individually certificated A&P mechanic or IA under §43.3
- Perform maintenance only on your own Part 91 aircraft within your certificate privileges
- Do not need to release articles to service under an organizational certificate
- Are evaluating whether the documentation burden is worth the business model
Repair station vs. individual mechanic — a recurring point of confusion
The personnel requirements of §145.151–§145.157 still rely on individually certificated mechanics and repairmen — a U.S. repair station's supervisors and return-to-service personnel must be Part 65-certificated. The repair station certificate doesn't replace those individual certificates; it layers an organizational quality system on top of them. For the individual-certificate side, see our guide on Part 145 personnel roster and training records.
Requirements That Live Outside Part 145
Part 145 is the core, but a repair station's obligations don't end there. Three requirement sets sit outside Part 145 yet apply depending on the work you perform — and each is regularly misunderstood.
Drug & alcohol testing (14 CFR Part 120) — only if you touch air-carrier work
A repair station performing safety-sensitive maintenance for a Part 121 or Part 135 air carrier — directly or by contract at any tier — must run an FAA anti-drug and alcohol misuse prevention program under Part 120; §120.105 covers personnel performing aircraft maintenance and preventive maintenance duties. A station that works only on Part 91 general-aviation aircraft and never touches air-carrier work is generally not required to have a program. The obligation follows the air-carrier work, not the certificate. For the detail, see our Part 145 drug and alcohol testing guide and the air-carrier-side Part 135 drug and alcohol program records checklist.
Safety Management System (14 CFR Part 5) — not mandated for repair stations by the 2027 deadline
The FAA\'s 2024 SMS final rule sets a single compliance date of May 28, 2027, but it applies to Part 121 and Part 135 operators, certain §91.147 air-tour operators, and certain Part 21 certificate holders — not to Part 145 repair stations as a general mandate. A station may adopt a voluntary SMS under Part 5 (safety policy, safety risk management at §5.51–§5.57, safety assurance at §5.71–§5.75, and safety promotion), and many MROs do to align with air-carrier customers and EASA. For the rule that does bind air carriers, see the FAA Part 135 SMS 2027 deadline, Part 135 SMS requirements, and a Part 135 SMS gap analysis. The four-pillar mechanics are broken down in safety assurance under Part 5 and safety risk management.
EASA / bilateral (FAA-EASA MAG) — only if you release work to foreign standards
A U.S. repair station that wants to perform work releasable to EASA standards holds an EASA Part-145 approval issued through the FAA-EASA bilateral, governed by the Maintenance Annex Guidance (MAG) — guidance under the bilateral agreement, not U.S. CFR. This adds a supplement to your quality system and dual-release documentation (often FAA Form 8130-3 with the appropriate EASA block completed). See our guide on EASA Part-145 and the FAA-EASA MAG bilateral records and EASA Part-145 approval for a U.S. repair station.
Why Part 145 Is, in Practice, a Document-Control Problem
Read the six areas again with one filter on: how many of those requirements are, at audit time, a document you must produce, keep current, and prove? Almost all of them.
| Requirement area | The document an inspector asks for | Currency / retention |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate & scope | Issued certificate + operations specifications | Current; revised when scope changes |
| Ratings | Capability list + self-evaluation records | Kept current per §145.209(d) |
| Facilities & equipment | Tool calibration records + technical-data revisions | Per calibration cycle; data current |
| Personnel & training | Personnel roster + per-employee training records | Roster current; training ≥ 2 years (§145.163) |
| Manuals | Repair station manual + quality control manual | Current revision; FSDO notified of changes |
| Contract & records | Contracted-functions list + §145.219 work orders | List current; records ≥ 2 years (§145.219) |
This is the pattern behind most surveillance findings. A repair station can do technically excellent work and still get cited because a training record lapsed, a manual is out of revision, a tool drifted out of calibration, or a part can't be traced to a receiving inspection. The maintenance was fine; the document trail failed. That is exactly the gap a compliance document intelligence platform is built to close — and exactly where FileFlo fits.
Where FileFlo fits — the proof layer, not the quality system
FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform — a read-only proof layer that sits alongside your maintenance stack and makes the records you already keep audit-ready. To be unambiguous about scope: FileFlo does not get you certificated, write your RSM, QCM, or SMS manual, run your quality control system or your SMS, or provide legal advice. Those are the work of your accountable manager, your chief inspector, your DOM, your consultant, and your attorney. FileFlo handles the document-control layer those roles leave exposed.
Classify documents against the right CFR section
Upload a work order, 8130-3, training certificate, calibration log, or manual revision — FileFlo classifies it against the correct Part 145 / Part 43 section and flags incomplete or expired records.
Track every currency and retention clock
Per-employee training (§145.163), tool calibration cycles, manual revisions, and the §145.219 2-year retention floor each run automatically, surfacing items at 90/60/30 days.
Surface the gaps before the FSDO does
An employee signing work orders on a lapsed training record, or a part with no receiving inspection, surfaces as a finding-in-waiting — across all six requirement areas.
Generate an inspector-format audit binder
Assemble a surveillance-ready records packet organized the way a records review proceeds — certificate, ratings, facilities, personnel, manuals, contract maintenance — in under 60 seconds.
FileFlo does not provide, run, or replace a Safety Management System (SMS), your quality control system, dispatch/FOS, or your aviation safety program — and it does not get you certificated or give legal advice. It keeps the documents that prove those systems exist and are maintained — audit-ready, at the moment the inspector asks.
Pricing: Starter $89/month, Professional $299/month. 5-day free trial, no credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 14 CFR Part 145 actually require to become a repair station?
To hold a Part 145 repair station certificate, an applicant must satisfy six core requirement areas the FAA evaluates together: (1) an application package under 14 CFR §145.51 — a repair station manual, a quality control manual, a list of each article (capability list), an organizational chart, a description of housing and facilities, a list of any contracted maintenance functions, and a training program for FAA approval; (2) ratings under §145.59 (airframe, powerplant, propeller, radio, instrument, accessory) or a limited rating under §145.61 that fixes what work the station may perform; (3) housing, facilities, equipment, materials, and data adequate for the ratings (§145.103 and §145.109); (4) qualified personnel — an accountable manager, supervisory, inspection, and return-to-service personnel, plus an FAA-approved employee training program (§145.151 through §145.165); (5) a repair station manual and a quality control system documented in manuals acceptable to the FAA (§145.207 through §145.211); and (6) compliant handling of any contracted maintenance (§145.217). The FAA issues the certificate under §145.53 only after personnel, equipment, technical data, and housing are available for inspection and found adequate.
What is a Part 145 repair station?
A Part 145 repair station is a facility certificated by the FAA under 14 CFR Part 145 to perform maintenance, preventive maintenance, or alterations on aircraft, airframes, engines, propellers, appliances, and component parts. The certificate is issued with one or more ratings (under §145.59) or a limited rating (under §145.61) that defines exactly what articles and what scope of work the station is authorized to perform and approve for return to service. A repair station is an organizational certificate — it authorizes the business to release articles to service under its own certificate number, distinct from the individual A&P mechanic or IA privileges of the people who work there. Repair stations range from a single-bay avionics or accessory shop with one limited rating to a large MRO holding multiple airframe and powerplant ratings.
What are the personnel requirements for a Part 145 repair station?
Part 145 requires four personnel functions, governed by §145.151 through §145.165. First, the station must designate one employee as the accountable manager (§145.151). Second, it must employ a sufficient number of supervisors to direct the work; at a U.S. station, supervisors must be appropriately certificated as a mechanic or repairman under Part 65 for the work being supervised, and all supervisors must read, write, and understand English (§145.153). Third, inspection personnel must be thoroughly familiar with the applicable regulations and inspection methods and tools, proficient with the inspection equipment, and able to read, write, and understand English (§145.155). Fourth, personnel authorized to approve an article for return to service at a U.S. station must be appropriately certificated as a mechanic or repairman under Part 65 and must read, write, and understand English (§145.157). The station must also maintain rosters of these personnel (§145.161) and run an FAA-approved employee training program with records kept at least 2 years (§145.163).
What are the facility requirements for a Part 145 repair station?
Under 14 CFR §145.103, a repair station's housing and facilities must be consistent with its ratings and limitations and must provide enough space to properly segregate and protect articles during maintenance. The rule specifically requires segregated work areas for environmentally hazardous or sensitive operations (painting, cleaning, welding, avionics work) so they do not adversely affect other work; suitable racks, hoists, trays, stands, and other means to segregate and protect articles; space to separate parts and materials in stock and ready for installation from those being worked on; and ventilation, lighting, and control of temperature, humidity, and other climatic conditions sufficient to ensure work meets Part 43 standards. A station may perform work outside its housing if it provides suitable facilities acceptable to the FAA that still meet those conditions. Separately, §145.109 requires the equipment, tools, materials, and current technical data (manufacturer manuals, ADs, instructions for continued airworthiness, service bulletins) necessary for the ratings, with test and inspection equipment calibrated to a standard acceptable to the FAA.
What ratings can a Part 145 repair station hold?
14 CFR §145.59 establishes six rating categories: airframe (Classes 1–4, by composite vs. all-metal construction and small vs. large aircraft); powerplant (Class 1 reciprocating engines of 400 hp or less, Class 2 reciprocating over 400 hp, Class 3 turbine engines); propeller (Class 1 fixed-pitch and ground-adjustable wood/metal/composite, Class 2 other propellers by make); radio (Class 1 communication, Class 2 navigation, Class 3 radar); instrument (Class 1 mechanical, Class 2 electrical, Class 3 gyroscopic, Class 4 electronic); and accessory (Class 1 mechanical, Class 2 electrical, Class 3 electronic). Alternatively, §145.61 allows a limited rating tied to a specific make and model of airframe, engine, propeller, instrument, radio, accessory, landing gear, float, or to a specialized service such as nondestructive inspection or aircraft fabric work. The rating you hold defines the boundaries of your operations specifications and your capability list — the documented scope of what you are authorized to maintain.
Does a Part 145 repair station need a repair station manual and a quality control manual?
Yes — both, and the FAA must find each acceptable. Under §145.207, a repair station must prepare, follow, and keep current a repair station manual (RSM) and provide it to its responsible Flight Standards office; §145.209 lists the required contents, including the organizational chart, procedures for keeping personnel rosters and the capability list, a description of operations and facilities, procedures for performing and documenting maintenance, recordkeeping procedures, and procedures for revising the manual. Separately, §145.211 requires the station to establish and maintain a quality control system documented in a quality control manual (QCM) acceptable to the FAA, covering inspection of incoming materials, preliminary and hidden-damage inspection, final inspection and return to service, inspector proficiency, qualification of noncertificated personnel, calibration of measuring and test equipment, and the technical data and forms used. These two manuals, plus the FAA-approved training program, are the documented backbone an inspector audits against.
Does a Part 145 repair station need a drug and alcohol testing program?
It depends on the work performed. A repair station that performs safety-sensitive maintenance or preventive maintenance functions for a Part 121 or Part 135 air carrier — directly or by contract, including subcontracts at any tier — must have an FAA-mandated anti-drug and alcohol misuse prevention program under 14 CFR Part 120, which covers individuals performing aircraft maintenance and preventive maintenance duties (§120.105). A small repair station that works only on general-aviation Part 91 aircraft and never touches air-carrier work is generally not required to have a Part 120 program, though many do as a matter of contract eligibility. Because the obligation follows the air-carrier work — not the certificate itself — repair stations should document which of their customers and contracts trigger the requirement. See our detailed write-up on Part 145 drug and alcohol testing for the specifics.
Is a Part 145 repair station required to have an SMS by the 2027 deadline?
No. The FAA's 2024 Safety Management System final rule sets a single compliance date of May 28, 2027, but it applies to Part 121 and Part 135 operators, certain §91.147 air-tour operators, and certain Part 21 certificate holders — not to Part 145 repair stations as a general mandate. A repair station may choose to implement a voluntary SMS under 14 CFR Part 5 (whose four components are safety policy, safety risk management at §5.51–§5.57, safety assurance at §5.71–§5.75, and safety promotion), and many MROs do so to align with their air-carrier customers and with EASA expectations. But under current rules a stand-alone Part 145 repair station is not required to hold an SMS by the 2027 date. The records that prove a voluntary SMS exists — risk assessments, audit findings, corrective actions — are exactly the kind of documents FileFlo keeps audit-ready.
Go Deeper on Each Requirement Area
How to Get a Part 145 Repair Station Certificate
The certification process, step by step
Part 145 Certification Cost & Timeline
Realistic 2026 ranges — no fixed published price
Part 145 Ratings & Capability List Records
§145.59 ratings · §145.61 limited · capability list
How to Write a Repair Station Manual & QCM
§145.207 RSM · §145.211 quality control manual
Part 145 Quality Control Manual (RSQCM)
§145.211 QC system · inspection procedures
Part 145 Recordkeeping Requirements
§145.219 · work orders · 8130-3 · 2-year retention
Part 145 Personnel Roster & Training Records
§145.151–.165 · accountable manager · §145.163
Part 145 Audit Binder: What Inspectors Ask For
The surveillance records packet, organized
Part 145 Repair Station Audit Checklist
Self-audit the six requirement areas
Part 145 Drug & Alcohol Testing
14 CFR Part 120 · when it applies
Part 145 Repair Station Manual Template
What the RSM must contain (§145.209)
EASA Part-145 Approval for a U.S. Repair Station
FAA-EASA MAG bilateral · dual release
Organize and prove your repair-station records — before the inspector asks
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