Drone building cleaning in Portland, Oregon
The buildings we quote most often in Portland are office towers, hospitals and medical campuses, condominium and HOA buildings, hotels and resorts, university and school campuses and apartment communities. Portland has 73 completed high-rise buildings of 200 feet or taller, four of them above 492 feet, and its tallest, the Wells Fargo Center, reaches 546 feet.
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
- Portland and Multnomah County
- Season
- early March to late 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 Portland
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 Portland are office towers, hospitals and medical campuses, condominium and HOA buildings, hotels and resorts, university and school campuses and apartment communities.
Downtown
Downtown Portland holds the city's largest concentration of Class A office space, inside a citywide office market of about 40.5 million square feet.
Pearl District
The Pearl District mixes warehouse-to-loft conversions with high-rise condominiums, and its population grew about 84 percent between 2010 and 2020 to 11,019 residents across roughly 0.47 square miles.
South Waterfront
Nine towers had been completed in South Waterfront by August 2010, including 31-story and 30-story residential towers and the 16-story OHSU Center for Health and Healing.
Marquam Hill
OHSU's Marquam Hill campus lists 15 academic buildings, 11 patient care facilities and 5 administrative buildings on one hillside site.
Lloyd District
The Lloyd District holds the Oregon Convention Center, a building of nearly 1 million square feet with twin glass spires 207 feet tall.
Portland building stock
Portland had 652,503 residents at the 2020 census and is the seat of Multnomah County.
Portland has 73 completed high-rise buildings of 200 feet or taller, four of them above 492 feet, and its tallest, the Wells Fargo Center, reaches 546 feet.
Portland's office market contains about 40.5 million square feet of space as of 2026.
OHSU's Marquam Hill campus lists 31 academic, patient care and administrative buildings on a single hillside campus.
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 Portland
Portland records about 36.92 inches of precipitation a year at the airport and 44.07 inches downtown, spread over 157 days with measurable precipitation, which keeps moss, algae and organic staining on shaded walls, glass and roofs.
The nearest Portland climate station averages its last spring frost around March 6 and its first fall frost around November 22, a frost-free stretch of about 260 days.
Portland's average first freeze is late November, and the average last freeze is early March. 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 Portland
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.
Portland International Airport sits in Class C airspace, with Class D rings and surface Class E shelves at Hillsboro, Troutdale and Aurora nearby, and LAANC authorization is required before launching in any of them.
Portland City Code 20.12.180 prohibits landing or taking off a drone anywhere on Portland Parks property.
Oregon Metro, the regional government, restricts drone operation inside its park boundaries except in areas designated for it.
Portland city code prohibits discharging wash water from cleaning a building or sidewalk into the stormwater system.
A Temporary Street Use Permit from Portland's transportation bureau is required before closing or reserving a sidewalk, travel lane or parking space, with a traffic control plan or work space diagram and a certificate of insurance naming the city.
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 Oregon page. See also where drones need permits.
Pricing in Portland
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 Portland 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 Portland: a documented project
Our two documented projects were delivered in Florida, where we operate as Vista Drone Cleaning; the first documented Portland 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 Portland
- 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.
Portland questions
What does drone building cleaning cost in Portland?
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 Portland?
Controlled airspace here needs FAA authorization before launch; LAANC grants it in advance and it is filed as part of scheduling. Portland International Airport sits in Class C airspace, with Class D rings and surface Class E shelves at Hillsboro, Troutdale and Aurora nearby, and LAANC authorization is required before launching in any of them. Portland City Code 20.12.180 prohibits landing or taking off a drone anywhere on Portland Parks property. Oregon Metro, the regional government, restricts drone operation inside its park boundaries except in areas designated for it. 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 Portland?
Portland city code prohibits discharging wash water from cleaning a building or sidewalk into the stormwater system. A Temporary Street Use Permit from Portland's transportation bureau is required before closing or reserving a sidewalk, travel lane or parking space, with a traffic control plan or work space diagram and a certificate of insurance naming the city. 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 Portland?
The nearest Portland climate station averages its last spring frost around March 6 and its first fall frost around November 22, a frost-free stretch of about 260 days. 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 Portland, Oregon?
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 Portland 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 Portland uses the same equipment, method, insurance and price sheet, and the first documented Portland 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 Oregon
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon
- https://www.commercialcafe.com/office/us/or/portland/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_District,_Portland,_Oregon
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Waterfront
- https://www.ohsu.edu/visit/marquam-hill-campus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Convention_Center
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Portland,_Oregon
- https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates/or/portland
- https://www.flyusi.org/guides/drone-laws/oregon
- https://www.portland.gov/parks/rules
- https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-oregon/
- https://www.portland.gov/bes/preventing-pollution/prevent-pollution/cleaning-your-building-or-sidewalk
- https://www.portland.gov/transportation/permitting/temporary-street-use-permitting-tsup
Get a free site survey in Portland
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