Drone building cleaning in New Orleans, Louisiana
The buildings we quote most often in New Orleans are office towers, hotels and resorts, hospitals and medical campuses, condominium and HOA buildings, university and school campuses and apartment communities. New Orleans is the site of 120 high-rises, 23 of them taller than 100 meters, led by the 697 foot Hancock Whitney Center, which has been the tallest building in Louisiana since 1972.
Tethered drones flown by FAA Part 107 pilots, water-fed poles and ground crews where flight is not the right tool, no scaffolding or boom lift, and a fixed price at our published national rate after a free site survey.
Documented project · Florida
Belmont Village, Coral Gables, FL
- 130,000+ sq ft of exterior cleaned
- 7 days start to finish
- Zero lifts, scaffolding or closures
- 2×/year asked back on a semi-annual schedule
Quick facts
- Coverage
- New Orleans and Orleans Parish
- Season
- early February to late December
- Reach
- Up to 200 ft per staging position
- Insurance
- FAA Part 107 · $2M liability · $1M umbrella
Fully Insured
$2M liability · $1M umbrella
FAA Compliant
Part 107 Certified
Commercial Projects
Up to 200 ft by drone
Where we work in New Orleans
Crews and equipment mobilize anywhere in the United States, with travel built into a fixed quote after a free site survey. The buildings we quote most often in New Orleans are office towers, hotels and resorts, hospitals and medical campuses, condominium and HOA buildings, university and school campuses and apartment communities.
Central Business District
The CBD holds the city's tallest towers, including the 697 foot Hancock Whitney Center, plus the Four Seasons and corporate offices for Entergy, Freeport-McMoRan and Pan American Life.
French Quarter
The Vieux Carre Historic District covers about 85 square blocks of stucco over brick buildings with cast iron galleries, and the Vieux Carre Commission reviews any alteration to those structures.
Warehouse District
Nineteenth century warehouses near the river were converted into hotels, restaurants, condominiums and art galleries after the 1984 World's Fair.
Tulane Gravier medical corridor
University Medical Center New Orleans occupies about 2.3 million square feet with 446 acute care beds at 2000 Canal Street.
Convention Center corridor
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center covers nearly 11 city blocks, and the front of its main building runs one kilometer along the riverfront.
New Orleans building stock
New Orleans had 383,997 residents at the 2020 census and is coextensive with Orleans Parish.
New Orleans is the site of 120 high-rises, 23 of them taller than 100 meters, led by the 697 foot Hancock Whitney Center, which has been the tallest building in Louisiana since 1972.
The New Orleans office market holds about 15.8 million square feet, and Class A properties account for 68.34 percent of office listings, roughly 10.8 million square feet, concentrated in the CBD.
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has about 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space and over 3 million square feet in total, making it the seventh largest convention center in the country.
University Medical Center New Orleans is a 2.3 million square foot hospital with 446 acute care beds in the Tulane Gravier neighborhood.
A tethered drone reaches up to 200 ft, about 18 stories, from one staging position; taller towers are worked from podiums, setbacks or the roof. Height is a planning question at the survey, not a limit.
Climate, soiling and season in New Orleans
New Orleans has a humid subtropical climate with short, generally mild winters and hot, humid summers, and that steady warmth and moisture keep algae and mildew growing on shaded stucco, masonry and north facing glass.
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for the New Orleans airport station put the median first freeze around December 21 and the median last freeze around February 2, so water based washing runs most of the year.
New Orleans's average first freeze is late December, and the average last freeze is early February. These are averages; the survey confirms the window for your building.
Water-based washing pauses in freezing weather; the freeze dates shown are averages and the survey confirms the window for your building. Recurring clients are booked at the start of the window.
Flying and washing in New Orleans
These are the rules that shape a job here; we plan around them at the survey, not on site.
Controlled airspace here needs FAA authorization before launch; LAANC grants it in advance and it is filed as part of scheduling.
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport carries Class B airspace over the metro, and Class B, C, D and surface E airspace all require LAANC authorization before launch.
Louisiana has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate drones and preempts local drone ordinances, though a city or park district can still say whether you may launch, land or operate from property it owns.
City Park New Orleans prohibits drone use within the park, with violations resulting in a revoked park pass, and the Audubon Nature Institute bars drones in the parks it owns.
Federal stormwater rules define an illicit discharge as any discharge to a municipal separate storm sewer system that is not composed entirely of stormwater, and require the operator of that system to run a program to detect and eliminate them.
New Orleans issues Sidewalk Use, Construction Zone and Street Closure permits for work in the street and sidewalk right of way, so occupying a lane or walkway beside a building is authorized in advance.
Flights stage from the client's own property with the owner's written consent; public parks and rights of way are not used as launch sites without a permit.
Rinse water is contained and recovered wherever the local storm-drain rule requires it, and the containment method is written into the proposal.
Any sidewalk or lane closure is permitted with the city before the job and its lead time is part of the schedule.
State-level drone law, licensing and the statewide season are on the Louisiana page. See also where drones need permits.
Pricing in New Orleans
We publish our prices. The commercial rate of $0.12–$0.25 per square foot, fixed after a free site survey, is our published national rate, and every job in New Orleans is a fixed price after a free site survey. Bigger jobs get lower rates: from 40,000 sq ft the quotable range is $0.12–$0.20 per square foot.
- 10,000 sq ft facade
- $1,200–$2,375
- 40,000 sq ft facade
- $4,800–$8,000
There is no minimum charge on any job, and a maintenance contract runs 20–30% below the one-off price per visit. The full model, with what moves the rate, is on how we price.
What to expect in New Orleans: a documented project
Our two documented projects were delivered in Florida, where we operate as Vista Drone Cleaning; the first documented New Orleans project will be published when it is delivered. Until then, the job below is the reference for scope, duration and price, with the same equipment, method, insurance and price sheet.
Reference project: Miramar Centre II
Workspace Property Trust · Miramar, FL, a four-story Class A office building in Miramar Centre Corporate Park. Delivered in Florida, where we operate as Vista Drone Cleaning.
A prospective tenant walkthrough was booked for Thursday and the job was only confirmed on Monday afternoon. Lifts and scaffolding could not clean the building in the time available, and nothing could block the entrances or take over the parking lot.
Before
After- 48 hours
- to complete the entire building
- ~29%
- below traditional pricing for the same scope
- Zero
- lifts or scaffolding on site
- Minimal
- disruption to tenants and daily operations
Drone facade, window, roof, solar and garage cleaning in New Orleans
- Facade and building cleaningStucco, EIFS, brick, painted concrete and metal panel, cleaned from the air without lifts or scaffolding.
- Window cleaningPure-water drone glass cleaning for high-rise and commercial buildings, no swing stage.
- Roof cleaningSoft-wash for tile, metal, shingle and flat roofs with no foot traffic on the membrane.
- Solar panel cleaningPure-water rinse for rooftop and ground-mount arrays, priced per panel.
- Parking garage cleaningDecks, drive lanes, walls and stairwells at a flat per-square-foot rate.
New Orleans questions
What does drone building cleaning cost in New Orleans?
Commercial work is quoted per square foot, fixed after a free site survey. $0.12–$0.25 per sq ft is our published national rate, and bigger jobs get lower rates: a 10,000 sq ft facade runs $1,200–$2,375 and a 40,000 sq ft facade runs $4,800–$8,000. There is no minimum charge, and a maintenance contract runs 20–30% below the one-off price per visit.
Can you fly a cleaning drone in New Orleans?
Controlled airspace here needs FAA authorization before launch; LAANC grants it in advance and it is filed as part of scheduling. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport carries Class B airspace over the metro, and Class B, C, D and surface E airspace all require LAANC authorization before launch. Louisiana has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate drones and preempts local drone ordinances, though a city or park district can still say whether you may launch, land or operate from property it owns. City Park New Orleans prohibits drone use within the park, with violations resulting in a revoked park pass, and the Audubon Nature Institute bars drones in the parks it owns. Flights stage from the client's own property with the owner's written consent; public parks and rights of way are not used as launch sites without a permit.
Where does the wash water go, and do you need a permit in New Orleans?
Federal stormwater rules define an illicit discharge as any discharge to a municipal separate storm sewer system that is not composed entirely of stormwater, and require the operator of that system to run a program to detect and eliminate them. New Orleans issues Sidewalk Use, Construction Zone and Street Closure permits for work in the street and sidewalk right of way, so occupying a lane or walkway beside a building is authorized in advance. Rinse water is contained and recovered wherever the local storm-drain rule requires it, and the containment method is written into the proposal. Any sidewalk or lane closure is permitted with the city before the job and its lead time is part of the schedule.
When is the washing season in New Orleans?
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for the New Orleans airport station put the median first freeze around December 21 and the median last freeze around February 2, so water based washing runs most of the year. Water-based washing pauses in freezing weather; the freeze dates shown are averages and the survey confirms the window for your building.
Do you really serve New Orleans, Louisiana?
Yes. Crews and equipment mobilize anywhere in the United States, with travel built into a fixed quote after a free site survey. In Florida we operate as Vista Drone Cleaning.
Have you completed a project in New Orleans yet?
Not a documented one yet. Our reference projects are two jobs delivered in Florida: Belmont Village in Coral Gables, FL (130,000+ sq ft of exterior cleaned, 7 days start to finish, Zero lifts, scaffolding or closures, 2×/year asked back on a semi-annual schedule) and Miramar Centre II in Miramar, FL (48 hours to complete the entire building, ~29% below traditional pricing for the same scope, Zero lifts or scaffolding on site, Minimal disruption to tenants and daily operations). Work in New Orleans uses the same equipment, method, insurance and price sheet, and the first documented New Orleans project will be published here when it is delivered.
More general answers are on the national FAQ. See every state on the states directory.
More cities in Louisiana
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Business_District,_New_Orleans
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Quarter
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Medical_Center_New_Orleans
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_N._Morial_Convention_Center
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_New_Orleans
- https://www.commercialcafe.com/office/us/la/new-orleans/
- https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-annualseasonal&stations=USW00012916&format=json&includeAttributes=false
- https://www.flyusi.org/guides/drone-laws/louisiana
- https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-louisiana/
- https://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater-discharges-municipal-sources-developing-ms4-program
- https://nola.gov/next/services/permits/street,-sidewalk-right-of-way/
Get a free site survey in New Orleans
Tell us the property. We survey it for free and send a fixed price.