Drone building cleaning in Ann Arbor, Michigan
The buildings we quote most often in Ann Arbor are university and school campuses, hospitals and medical campuses, office towers, apartment communities, hotels and resorts and municipal and public buildings. Michigan Medicine runs about 30,000 employees on a 128 acre Ann Arbor campus whose buildings include a 1,100,000 square foot children's and women's hospital, a 350,000 square foot cardiovascular center and a 690,000 square foot inpatient pavilion.
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
Miramar Centre II, 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
Quick facts
- Coverage
- Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County
- Season
- late April to late October
- 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 Ann Arbor
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 Ann Arbor are university and school campuses, hospitals and medical campuses, office towers, apartment communities, hotels and resorts and municipal and public buildings.
Downtown
The University of Michigan occupies 22 percent of downtown Ann Arbor and 9.4 percent of the city's total land, and Tower Plaza, a 26 story condominium, is the tallest building in the city.
University of Michigan campus
The Ann Arbor campus covers 3,177 acres and enrolled 53,488 students in 2025, with 8,526 faculty and 24,765 administrative staff working across its buildings.
Medical campus
Michigan Medicine's main campus covers 128 acres and includes University Hospital with 550 beds, the 1,100,000 square foot children's and women's hospital, and the 690,000 square foot Kahn Pavilion opened in 2025.
Ann Arbor building stock
Ann Arbor counted 123,851 residents at the 2020 census, the fifth most populous city in Michigan and the seat of Washtenaw County.
Michigan Medicine runs about 30,000 employees on a 128 acre Ann Arbor campus whose buildings include a 1,100,000 square foot children's and women's hospital, a 350,000 square foot cardiovascular center and a 690,000 square foot inpatient pavilion.
The University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus spans 3,177 acres and serves 53,488 students, so institutional buildings rather than private towers make up most of the city's large exterior surface area.
The University of Michigan employs roughly 30,000 people in Ann Arbor including 12,000 at its medical center, and Michigan Stadium, the largest American football stadium, seats 107,601.
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 Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor averages 54.5 inches of snow over about 61 snowy days a year on 1991 to 2020 normals, one of the higher totals in southeast Michigan, so lower facades and glass collect winter road film ahead of each spring clean.
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 Ann Arbor
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.
Ann Arbor Municipal Airport is Class D while its tower is open and Class G at other times, so authorization requirements for nearby work depend on the hour as well as the location.
Ann Arbor follows Michigan's state preemption and has no municipal drone ordinance, but the University of Michigan keeps its own institutional policy requiring advance approval for any flight on campus.
Chapter 33 of the Ann Arbor City Code, section 2:215, prohibits discharges to the stormwater system that are not composed entirely of stormwater or uncontaminated groundwater, and the city names wash water among the wastewater it targets.
Ann Arbor requires a right-of-way permit for any construction work in the public right-of-way including public sidewalks, plus a traffic control permit filed at least 72 hours ahead, or ten business days for a full lane closure with a detour.
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 Michigan page. See also where drones need permits and cities with facade inspection ordinances.
Pricing in Ann Arbor
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 Ann Arbor 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 Ann Arbor: a documented project
Our two documented projects were delivered in Florida, where we operate as Vista Drone Cleaning; the first documented Ann Arbor 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: Belmont Village
Belmont Village Senior Living · Coral Gables, FL, a 130,000+ sq ft luxury senior living high-rise. Delivered in Florida, where we operate as Vista Drone Cleaning.
Belmont Village needed its entire exterior - facade, windows and floor surfaces - cleaned without closing a single entrance or moving a resident. Lifts, scaffolding, swing stages and rope access were all off the table.
Before
After- 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
Delivered at $0.20 / sq ft, all in, across the full scope. That is a real project price, not the advertised rate, and it does not move when the published range moves.
Drone facade, window, roof, solar and garage cleaning in Ann Arbor
- 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.
Ann Arbor questions
What does drone building cleaning cost in Ann Arbor?
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 Ann Arbor?
Controlled airspace here needs FAA authorization before launch; LAANC grants it in advance and it is filed as part of scheduling. Ann Arbor Municipal Airport is Class D while its tower is open and Class G at other times, so authorization requirements for nearby work depend on the hour as well as the location. Ann Arbor follows Michigan's state preemption and has no municipal drone ordinance, but the University of Michigan keeps its own institutional policy requiring advance approval for any flight on campus. 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 Ann Arbor?
Chapter 33 of the Ann Arbor City Code, section 2:215, prohibits discharges to the stormwater system that are not composed entirely of stormwater or uncontaminated groundwater, and the city names wash water among the wastewater it targets. Ann Arbor requires a right-of-way permit for any construction work in the public right-of-way including public sidewalks, plus a traffic control permit filed at least 72 hours ahead, or ten business days for a full lane closure with a detour. 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 Ann Arbor?
Ann Arbor averages 54.5 inches of snow over about 61 snowy days a year on 1991 to 2020 normals, one of the higher totals in southeast Michigan, so lower facades and glass collect winter road film ahead of each spring clean. 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 Ann Arbor, Michigan?
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 Ann Arbor 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 Ann Arbor uses the same equipment, method, insurance and price sheet, and the first documented Ann Arbor 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 Michigan
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Arbor,_Michigan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Michigan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Medicine
- https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Michigan/annual-snowfall.php
- https://vfrmap.com/fe?q=KARB&req=get_afd
- https://www.flyusi.org/guides/drone-laws/michigan
- https://www.a2gov.org/systems-planning/water-resources/stormwater/illicit-discharge-elimination-program/
- https://www.a2gov.org/engineering/right-of-way-and-lane-closure-permits/
Get a free site survey in Ann Arbor
Tell us the property. We survey it for free and send a fixed price.