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Does a USB keyboard need FCC certification?

A wired USB keyboard does not transmit radio signals, so it is an unintentional radiator. The responsible party chooses between SDoC (self-declared) and Certification. There is no FCC ID.

A wired keyboard has a microcontroller but no transmitter, which is the textbook unintentional radiator. (A Bluetooth keyboard would add the Certification path.)

FCC equipment authorization

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.
Next step

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 →
Sources
47 CFR § 15.101

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.

47 CFR § 2.906

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.

47 CFR § 2.909

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 wired USB keyboard from its typical design. To check a specific product, including a variant that adds a radio, run the free FCC Requirement Check.

Run the free FCC check →
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