What is the difference between Part 15 and the other Parts?

Part 15 covers devices operated without an individual licence: intentional radiators such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, unintentional radiators such as digital devices and most receivers, and incidental radiators. Licensed services have their own Parts, for example 22, 24 and 27 for cellular bands, 90 for private land mobile and 96 for CBRS. Part 2 Subpart J sets the procedures they all use.

Can my CE-marked product be sold in the United States?

Not on the strength of the CE marking. The product needs its own FCC authorization: Certification by a TCB for most transmitters, or SDoC for most digital devices. Under the US-EU mutual recognition agreement, a lab or certification body designated in the EU can test or certify to FCC rules, but the FCC limits and procedures still apply.

A Telecommunication Certification Body, recognized by the FCC under 47 CFR 2.960 and accredited to ISO/IEC 17065 for the equipment scope it certifies. Since 2015 every application for equipment authorization is submitted to a TCB (2.911(a)). The TCB grants or dismisses; the grant takes effect when it is published by the FCC.

How much does FCC certification cost and how long does it take?

The FCC fee schedule (47 CFR 1.1103) lists $35 for a Grantee Code and $50 for a confidentiality request. Lab testing and TCB review are priced by each lab and TCB (2.962(e)), and no FCC text sets a review time, so any range or week count is a quote, not a rule.

FCC certification: overview of the US route

Hugues Orgitello updated 7 Oct 2026 12 min read

FCC certification is the common name for US equipment authorization: before a radio frequency device is marketed or imported, it must meet the rules the Federal Communications Commission writes into Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations (47 CFR) under section 302 of the Communications Act. The route is short to state: the rule Part decides whether the device needs Certification by a TCB or a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity, the procedures sit in Part 2 Subpart J, and the technical limits sit in Part 15 for most connected products. This page is the map of the FCC pillar, read from the eCFR on October 7, 2026, with the dated changes from 2013 to 2027 and the readings the texts contradict.

Which devices, which category

FCC scope reads the definitions in detail. The short version comes from 47 CFR 15.3:

Category (15.3)	What it means	Typical examples	Default route
Intentional radiator	Intentionally generates and emits RF energy by radiation or induction	Wi-Fi, BLE, Zigbee, LoRa, NFC readers, remote controls	Certification (15.201(b)), with a few SDoC exceptions (15.201(a))
Unintentional radiator	Generates RF energy for use inside the device, not intended to radiate it	Computers, peripherals, power supplies, any digital device, most receivers	SDoC or Certification by device type (15.101)
Incidental radiator	Generates RF energy without being designed to	DC motors, mechanical light switches	No authorization; good engineering practice (15.13)

A connected product usually combines the first two: the radio is certified, and the host digital circuitry needs its own Part 15 Subpart B authorization unless it only enables the radio (15.3(k)). Licensed transmitters, such as cellular modules, are certified under the Part for each band. Equipment produced by a Covered List entity can only use Certification, and covered equipment itself cannot be authorized at all (2.903, 2.906(d), 2.907(c)).

The two procedures: SDoC and Certification

47 CFR Part 2 Subpart J defines two procedures. The detailed steps are on FCC procedure.

	SDoC (2.906)	Certification (2.907)
Who acts	Responsible party located in the United States: manufacturer, assembler or importer (2.909(b))	Applicant, which becomes the grantee (2.909(a)) and designates a US agent for service of process (2.911(d)(7))
Third party	None; nothing is filed unless the FCC asks for a sample or records (2.945)	A TCB reviews and grants (2.911(a), 2.962)
Test lab	Accreditation not required (an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab is recommended but not mandatory), but not a lab owned, controlled or directed by a prohibited entity (2.906(a)(1))	Accredited and FCC-recognized lab (2.948)
Identifier	A unique identification chosen by the responsible party, which must not resemble an FCC ID (2.1074)	FCC ID: Grantee Code plus product code (2.926)
What travels with the product	A compliance information statement in the manual or on a separate sheet (2.1077)	The FCC ID label; the grant is published in the EAS database (2.915)
Record retention (2.938(f))	A two-year period	One year after marketing of the equipment is permanently discontinued, or until an investigation or proceeding ends

2.906(c) lets any device eligible for SDoC be certified instead. A composite device, for example a radio inside a product with its own processor, may need both procedures and may carry one FCC ID for the whole (2.925(b)).

Verification and DoC: gone since 2017

The SDoC order (82 FR 50820, published and effective November 2, 2017) replaced the former verification and Declaration of Conformity procedures with SDoC. 2.950(b) keeps the old requirements for devices authorized under those procedures before November 2, 2017, and applies the SDoC requirements to any change made to such a device after November 2, 2018. New products cannot use them.

The 47 CFR Parts that matter

FCC Parts gives the limits section by section. The Parts a product team meets most often:

Part	eCFR title	Equipment authorization rule
2	Frequency Allocations and Radio Treaty Matters; General Rules and Regulations	Subpart J: Certification and SDoC procedures, labels, records
15	Radio Frequency Devices	Subpart B digital devices and receivers; Subpart C intentional radiators (15.247 for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and BLE); Subpart E U-NII 5 GHz and 6 GHz (15.407); Subpart F UWB
18	Industrial, Scientific, and Medical Equipment	18.203: SDoC or Certification for consumer ISM equipment
22	Public Mobile Services	Cellular 824-849 / 869-894 MHz (22.905)
24	Personal Communications Services	Broadband PCS 1850-1915 / 1930-1995 MHz (24.229)
27	Miscellaneous Wireless Communications Services	600 MHz, 700 MHz, AWS, WCS, BRS/EBS, 3.45 GHz and 3.7 GHz bands (27.5)
90	Private Land Mobile Radio Services	Certification with listed exceptions (90.203)
95	Personal Radio Services	Non-certified transmitters prohibited, with listed exceptions (95.335)
96	Citizens Broadband Radio Service	CBRS, 3550-3700 MHz; Certification (96.49)

For a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or BLE product, 15.247 (digital modulation and frequency hopping systems) is the reference section. A multi-band cellular module lists several licensed Parts on one grant. The test methods are the ANSI C63 editions named in 15.31 and 15.38: since October 30, 2025, only ANSI C63.10-2020 for Part 15 intentional radiators, and ANSI C63.4-2014 for unintentional radiators (see FCC tests).

FCC ID and labels

The FCC ID identifies every certified device (2.926). It has two parts:

a Grantee Code, assigned permanently by the FCC to the applicant for a $35 fee (1.1103), which must be paid within 30 days or the code is removed (2.926(c)). Since May 1, 2013, new codes have five characters: a digit from 2 to 9, then four capital letters or digits from 2 to 9 (Public Notice DA 13-669). Three-character codes issued earlier remain valid;
a product code chosen by the grantee: capital letters, Arabic numerals and dashes, 14 characters at most, never used before with the same Grantee Code (2.926(d)).

The FCC ID is the Grantee Code immediately followed by the product code. Details are on FCC technical file and in the FCC ID, Grantee Code and TCB guide.

Rule	Text	What it requires
FCC ID label	2.925(a)(1), (d)	"FCC ID" followed by the identifier, permanently affixed and readily visible from outside the enclosure; type legible without magnification, never required above eight-point
Very small devices	2.925(f)	Only if a four-point font is impractical and the device has no display that can show an e-label: in the user manual, and either on the packaging or on a removable label attached to the device
Electronic label	2.935	Only for a device with an integrated display (or that works only with one), at most three steps from the settings menu; the device or packaging still identifies it at import and sale
Part 15 statement	15.19(a)(3)	The two-condition statement on the device, for certified and SDoC devices alike; same small-device rule as 2.925(f) (15.19(a)(5))
Unapproved changes warning	15.21	In the manual of every intentional or unintentional radiator
Digital device statement	15.105(a), (b)	Class A or Class B text in the manual
Host with a certified module	15.212(a)(1)(vi)	"Contains FCC ID:" followed by the module FCC ID when it is not visible

Electronic labeling entered the rules with 2.935, adopted in the 2017 SDoC order; the E-LABEL Act passed by Congress in November 2014 only directed the FCC to allow it.

TCBs and the KDB

Telecommunication Certification Bodies

Since 2015, every request for equipment authorization is submitted to a TCB (2.911(a)). Under 2.960, a TCB is accredited to ISO/IEC 17065 for the scope of equipment it certifies, accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for testing, and reassessed at intervals of no more than two years. In the United States, TCBs are designated by NIST or another recognized ISO/IEC 17065 program (2.960(c)); outside the United States, only under a mutual recognition agreement to which the United States is a party (2.960(d)). Since FCC 25-27 (effective September 8, 2025), the FCC does not recognize a TCB in which a prohibited entity holds 10% or more of the equity or votes (2.960(b)).

The FCC publishes the current list, with each TCB scope, in the OET TCB Search. This page does not rank TCBs or describe their areas of expertise: the scope recorded by the FCC is the only authoritative statement of what a TCB may certify.

KDB: Knowledge Database

The OET Knowledge Database (KDB) holds FCC staff guidance on how to apply the rules. It is not a rule, but TCBs follow it, and the PAG list (KDB 388624) names the cases where a TCB must consult the FCC before granting (2.964).

KDB	Subject
KDB 558074	15.247 DTS and frequency hopping measurement procedures (2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, BLE)
KDB 789033	Part 15 Subpart E, U-NII test procedures (5 GHz and 6 GHz Wi-Fi)
KDB 996369	Modules and module certification (15.212)
KDB 447498	Mobile and portable device RF exposure (SAR, MPE)
KDB 784748	Labeling and user information, including e-labels
KDB 726920	Confidentiality requests

Dated changes, 2013 to 2027

Date	Text	What changed
May 1, 2013	Public Notice DA 13-669	Five-character Grantee Codes
June 12, 2015 (published)	80 FR 33425	Every application goes to a TCB (2.911(a)); PAG procedure (2.964)
November 2, 2017	82 FR 50820	SDoC replaces verification and Declaration of Conformity; electronic labeling (2.935)
November 2, 2018	2.950(b)	Changes to devices authorized under the old procedures follow SDoC
February 6, 2023	FCC 22-84, 88 FR 7592	Covered equipment barred from authorization; Covered List attestations and US agent for every Certification applicant
October 30, 2023	FCC 23-14, 88 FR 67108	ANSI C63.10-2020 incorporated with a two-year transition; ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for labs and TCBs
August 29, 2024	FCC 24-26, 89 FR 61242	Voluntary U.S. Cyber Trust Mark rules in effect
September 8, 2025	FCC 25-27, 90 FR 38045	TCBs, test labs and accreditation bodies owned, controlled or directed by a prohibited entity lose recognition
October 30, 2025	15.37(s), 2.950(a)	ANSI C63.10-2020 mandatory for Part 15 intentional radiators; ISO/IEC 17025:2017 only
December 19, 2025	Cyber Trust Mark program	UL Solutions withdraws as Cyber Trust Mark Lead Administrator
December 26, 2025	FCC 25-71, 90 FR 53227	Covered modular transmitters, and hosts incorporating them, barred
April 13, 2026	Cyber Trust Mark program	ioXt Alliance selected as Cyber Trust Mark Lead Administrator
June 15, 2026	FCC 26-28, 91 FR 27843	Trusted Test Lab priority on the PAG list; post-market surveillance updates
October 13, 2026	FCC 26-50, 91 FR 57798	Takes effect: logic-bearing components from Covered List entities; new grant for changes by such entities; listing plus fulfilment on a marketplace counts as marketing
March 1, 2027 and June 1, 2027	FCC 26-50, 2.803(c)	Online marketplaces display a valid FCC ID at the point of sale, depending on their role

The national security rules are read in detail on FCC scope and in the news items FCC 26-50 in force, but marketplaces wait until 2027 and FCC test labs: fast track and new disclosures.

Key differences with the European RED

Aspect	FCC	RED
Legal framework	47 CFR, under section 302 of the Communications Act	Directive 2014/53/EU
Route for a radio transmitter	Certification by a TCB in most cases (15.201(b))	Module A (internal production control), B+C or H (Article 17); a notified body only for B+C or H
Public record	Grant and non-confidential exhibits published in the EAS	EU declaration of conformity (DoC); technical documentation kept by the manufacturer, not published
Marking	FCC ID label (2.925) and the 15.19 statement	CE marking, followed by the notified body number only when Annex IV (module H) is applied (Article 20(3))
US or EU presence	SDoC responsible party in the US (2.909(b)); US agent for every Certification applicant (2.911(d)(7))	See the RED pillar
Test methods	ANSI C63 editions named in 15.31 and 15.38	Harmonised standards cited in the Official Journal, or another route
Cybersecurity	No mandatory requirement; the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark is voluntary (FCC 24-26)	Article 3(3)(d)(e)(f) mandatory since August 1, 2025

A product sold in both markets therefore needs two authorizations with different limits. Under the US-EU mutual recognition agreement, a lab or TCB designated in the EU can test or certify to FCC rules (2.948(f), 2.960(d)), which can put both campaigns in one lab, but not merge them. See CE vs FCC for EMC.

Costs and lead times: what the texts fix

The FCC fee schedule, 47 CFR 1.1103, lists two equipment approval fees: $35 for a Grantee Code and $50 for a confidentiality request. Nothing else is fixed: TCBs set their own fees (2.962(e)), lab testing is priced by quote, and no FCC text sets a TCB review time. A grant can still be set aside by the TCB or the FCC within 30 days of publication (2.962(f)). The certification costs guide keeps only published fees for the same reason.

Claims the texts contradict

Common claim (several made by this page before October 2026)	What the text says
SDoC documentation is kept "at least two years after marketing ends"	2.938(f): certification records one year after marketing is permanently discontinued (or until an investigation ends); a two-year period for all other records
A very small device puts its FCC ID "in the manual and on the packaging"	2.925(f): only if a four-point font is impractical and there is no display; then the manual plus either the packaging or a removable label
The e-label has been allowed "since 2014"	The E-LABEL Act dates from November 2014; the rule, 2.935, came with the November 2, 2017 SDoC order
The Part 15 conformity statement goes in the user manual	15.19(a)(3) puts it on the device; only 15.21 and 15.105 texts go in the manual
The FCC regulates "intentional emitters, unintentional emitters and radio receivers"	15.3 defines intentional, unintentional and incidental radiators; receivers are unintentional radiators, and only some need authorization (15.101(b))
15.247 is the "spread spectrum" section	15.247 covers frequency hopping and digitally modulated systems (15.247(a))
The FCC has regulated equipment "since 1934"	1934 is the Communications Act that created the FCC; the equipment authorization rules come from section 302 of that Act, added later
A CE certificate plus shared tests "via MRA" covers the US	The MRA designates EU labs and TCBs to apply FCC rules (2.948(f), 2.960(d)); it does not make EU results or the CE marking valid in the US
Certification takes a fixed 14 or 15 weeks and costs a fixed range	No FCC text sets a TCB review time or a lab price; the FCC itself charges $35 and $50 (1.1103)
A named list of "most used" TCBs with their areas of expertise	The FCC TCB Search records each TCB scope; rankings and areas of expertise are not FCC data

Frequently asked questions

What is FCC certification?: It is the US equipment authorization regime for radio frequency devices, set by the Federal Communications Commission in Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations (47 CFR) under section 302 of the Communications Act. Strictly, "Certification" is one of two procedures in 47 CFR Part 2 Subpart J; the other is the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC).
What is the difference between Part 15 and the other Parts?: Part 15 covers devices operated without an individual licence: intentional radiators such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, unintentional radiators such as digital devices and most receivers, and incidental radiators. Licensed services have their own Parts, for example 22, 24 and 27 for cellular bands, 90 for private land mobile and 96 for CBRS. Part 2 Subpart J sets the procedures they all use.
Can my CE-marked product be sold in the United States?: Not on the strength of the CE marking. The product needs its own FCC authorization: Certification by a TCB for most transmitters, or SDoC for most digital devices. Under the US-EU mutual recognition agreement, a lab or certification body designated in the EU can test or certify to FCC rules, but the FCC limits and procedures still apply.
What is a TCB?: A Telecommunication Certification Body, recognized by the FCC under 47 CFR 2.960 and accredited to ISO/IEC 17065 for the equipment scope it certifies. Since 2015 every application for equipment authorization is submitted to a TCB (2.911(a)). The TCB grants or dismisses; the grant takes effect when it is published by the FCC.
How much does FCC certification cost and how long does it take?: The FCC fee schedule (47 CFR 1.1103) lists $35 for a Grantee Code and $50 for a confidentiality request. Lab testing and TCB review are priced by each lab and TCB (2.962(e)), and no FCC text sets a review time, so any range or week count is a quote, not a rule.