Does a computer monitor need FCC certification?
A computer monitor is a digital device with no transmitter, so it is an unintentional radiator: the responsible party chooses SDoC or Certification, and there is no FCC ID.
Displays and computer peripherals are the classic Class B digital devices in the unintentional-radiator table.
SDoC or Certification (the party's choice)
Digital electronics that are not meant to radiate are an unintentional radiator, and for almost every such device the party chooses between a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (self-declared against the standards) and Certification.
- For the SDoC path the responsible party must be located in the United States (47 CFR 2.909). An importer acting as the responsible party takes on that role.
- Any SDoC device may instead be Certified at the party's option (47 CFR 2.906(c)); SDoC is not the only path.
- This identifies the authorization path and cites the rule. It does not perform or certify testing and does not issue the authorization. A specialized FCC test lab or a Telecommunication Certification Body does that.
The factory holds the evidence this path relies on. The Supplier Data Request Pack asks a factory for it in the factory's own language: the FCC ID for a Certified transmitter, or the test report and measurement data for SDoC electronics.
Open the Supplier Data Request Pack →Equipment authorization of unintentional radiators: except as exempted in §§15.23, 15.103, 15.113, unintentional radiators shall be authorized pursuant to certification or Supplier's Declaration of Conformity per subpart J of part 2. Table 1 lists 'SDoC or Certification' for almost every device type; Scanning Receivers, Radar Detectors, and Access Broadband over Power Line (Access BPL) are 'Certification'.
CFR 2024 annual edition, title 47 vol. 1 (GPO/govinfo). Retrieved 2026-08-26.
Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) is a procedure where the responsible party (§2.909) makes measurements or completes procedures to ensure compliance; submittal of a sample or data is not required unless requested (§2.945). Under (c) the responsible party may, if it desires, apply for Certification of a device subject to SDoC. Under (d) Covered List producers must use certification.
CFR 2024 annual edition, title 47 vol. 1 (GPO/govinfo). Retrieved 2026-08-26.
Responsible party: for equipment subject to Supplier's Declaration of Conformity the party responsible for compliance 'must be located in the United States (see §2.1077)' — the manufacturer or assembler, or the importer if imported. For a grant of certification, the grantee is responsible.
CFR 2024 annual edition, title 47 vol. 1 (GPO/govinfo). Retrieved 2026-08-26.
This page classifies a computer monitor from its typical design. To check a specific product, including a variant that adds a radio, run the free FCC Requirement Check.
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