Drone building cleaning in Boston, Massachusetts
The buildings we quote most often in Boston are office towers, hospitals and medical campuses, university and school campuses, hotels and resorts, condominium and HOA buildings and apartment communities. Boston has 59 buildings taller than 100 meters, 26 taller than 150 meters and 6 taller than 200 meters, and more than 580 completed high-rises in all.
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
- Boston and Suffolk County
- Season
- early April to early November
- 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 Boston
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 Boston are office towers, hospitals and medical campuses, university and school campuses, hotels and resorts, condominium and HOA buildings and apartment communities.
Downtown and the Financial District
The greatest concentration of office lease opportunities in Boston sits in the Downtown Financial District, South Boston and Back Bay, and the Financial District holds the most Class A space in the city.
Back Bay
Back Bay contains 13.3 million square feet of office space, 76.25 percent of it rated Class A, on addresses such as Boylston Street, Berkeley Street and the Prudential Center.
Longwood Medical and Academic Area
The Longwood Medical and Academic Area is a 213 acre site three miles southwest of downtown holding 22 institutions, including three Harvard affiliated teaching hospitals and three Harvard graduate schools.
Boston building stock
Boston recorded a population of 675,647 in the 2020 census across 48.34 square miles of land.
Boston has 59 buildings taller than 100 meters, 26 taller than 150 meters and 6 taller than 200 meters, and more than 580 completed high-rises in all.
Boston's office market contains 96.4 million square feet of space as of 2026, with Class A properties at 56.74 percent of listings and A+ space a further 15.01 percent.
About 112,000 people commute to and visit the Longwood Medical and Academic Area daily, including more than 57,000 employees and 29,000 students.
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 Boston
Boston has a humid continental climate with strong seasonal contrasts, about 43.77 inches of rain and 44 inches of snow a year, and January averaging a high of 36 and a low of 22 degrees Fahrenheit.
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 Boston
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.
The whole city is covered by Boston Logan International Airport's Class B airspace, and FAA authorization through LAANC is required before any commercial work inside that ring.
Boston Parks and Recreation Department rules currently do not permit drone photography in Boston Common, the Public Garden or the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
A Special Use Permit is required before a drone takes off from or lands on the roughly 450,000 acres of state forests, beaches and reservations managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission runs an Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Program under EPA NPDES stormwater permit MAS010001, which requires it to cut pollutants reaching the separate storm drain system.
Boston's Building Code sections 9-9.12 require exterior wall inspections of buildings over 70 feet tall or classified as high rise at least once every 5 years, administered by the Inspectional Services Department.
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 Massachusetts page. See also where drones need permits and cities with facade inspection ordinances.
Pricing in Boston
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 Boston 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 Boston: a documented project
Our two documented projects were delivered in Florida, where we operate as Vista Drone Cleaning; the first documented Boston 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 Boston
- 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.
Boston questions
What does drone building cleaning cost in Boston?
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 Boston?
Controlled airspace here needs FAA authorization before launch; LAANC grants it in advance and it is filed as part of scheduling. The whole city is covered by Boston Logan International Airport's Class B airspace, and FAA authorization through LAANC is required before any commercial work inside that ring. Boston Parks and Recreation Department rules currently do not permit drone photography in Boston Common, the Public Garden or the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. A Special Use Permit is required before a drone takes off from or lands on the roughly 450,000 acres of state forests, beaches and reservations managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. 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 Boston?
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission runs an Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Program under EPA NPDES stormwater permit MAS010001, which requires it to cut pollutants reaching the separate storm drain system. Boston's Building Code sections 9-9.12 require exterior wall inspections of buildings over 70 feet tall or classified as high rise at least once every 5 years, administered by the Inspectional Services Department. 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 Boston?
Boston has a humid continental climate with strong seasonal contrasts, about 43.77 inches of rain and 44 inches of snow a year, and January averaging a high of 36 and a low of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. Water-based washing pauses in freezing weather; the freeze dates shown are averages and the survey confirms the window for your building. The state page lists the average freeze dates.
Do you really serve Boston, Massachusetts?
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 Boston 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 Boston uses the same equipment, method, insurance and price sheet, and the first documented Boston 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 Massachusetts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston
- https://www.commercialcafe.com/office/us/ma/boston/
- https://www.commercialcafe.com/office/us/ma/boston/back-bay/
- https://www.longwoodcollective.org/system/files/downloads/thelma/lma_factsheet_10.30.18.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Boston
- https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/boston/massachusetts/united-states/usma0046
- https://dronepilothq.com/can-i-fly-a-drone-in-boston-ma
- https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/our-parks/visit/park-faq/
- https://www.flyusi.org/guides/drone-laws/massachusetts
- https://www.bwsc.org/environment-education/water-sewer-and-stormwater/stormwater-system
- https://www.facadeordinance.com/boston
Get a free site survey in Boston
Tell us the property. We survey it for free and send a fixed price.