(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, regardless of any clearance from ATC, no pilot may takeoff or land an airplane under VFR when the reported ceiling or visibility is less than the following:

(1) For day operations—1,000-foot ceiling and one-mile visibility.

(2) For night operations—1,000-foot ceiling and two-mile visibility.

(b) Where a local surface restriction to visibility exists (e.g., smoke, dust, blowing snow or sand) the visibility for day and night operations may be reduced to 1/2 mile, if all turns after takeoff and prior to landing, and all flight beyond one mile from the airport boundary can be accomplished above or outside the area of local surface visibility restriction.

(c) The weather minimums in this section do not apply to the VFR operation of fixed-wing aircraft at any of the locations where the special weather minimums of § 91.157 of this chapter are not applicable (See part 91, appendix D, section 3 of this chapter). The basic VFR weather minimums of § 91.155 of this chapter apply at those locations.