Drone Building & Facade Cleaning in West Virginia
We clean facades, windows, roofs, solar arrays and parking structures with tethered cleaning drones and, where flight is not the right tool, water-fed poles and ground crews. Crews and equipment mobilize to West Virginia with travel built into a fixed quote after a free site survey.
Quick facts
- Coverage
- Statewide, nationwide service
- Season
- Charleston averages a freeze-free window from late April to late October, about 180 days, based on 1991-2020 NOAA climate data.
- Reach
- Up to 200 ft per staging position
- Insurance
- FAA Part 107 · $2M liability
Where we work in West Virginia
Charleston
The seven tallest buildings in West Virginia are all in Charleston, led by the 292-foot State Capitol dome completed in 1932.
Huntington
The West Virginia Building, at 200 feet, is Huntington's tallest structure and now operates as luxury apartments after starting as office space.
Morgantown
Two Waterfront Plaza, completed in 2003 at 205 feet, is Morgantown's tallest building and houses a hotel and residential units.
Season and scheduling
Charleston averages a freeze-free window from late April to late October, about 180 days, based on 1991-2020 NOAA climate data.
Charleston's average first freeze is late October, and the average last freeze is late April.
Water-based washing pauses in freezing weather, and recurring clients are booked at the start of the window.
How we operate in West Virginia
These are the rules that shape a job here; we plan around them at the survey, not on site.
W.Va. Code 61-16-2(b) makes it unlawful to fly a drone over a critical-infrastructure targeted facility, such as refineries, power plants, water plants, chemical plants, pipelines, or dams, to drop objects, conduct hostile surveillance, or steal information.
W.Va. Code 61-16-2(a) prohibits knowingly capturing photos, video or audio of a person or their private property without permission where it invades a reasonable expectation of privacy, including recording through windows; violations are misdemeanors with fines and possible jail time.
West Virginia has no broad state law preempting local drone rules; cities and counties cannot regulate airspace but may set conduct rules for takeoff and landing on property they own.
HB 4607 (2018) requires drone operators to register with a state park superintendent and receive a map of prohibited areas before flying in a West Virginia state park.
Charleston: Controlled airspace around Yeager Airport (CRW) governs most of the city, and Kanawha State Forest requires superintendent registration before drone use.
Charleston sits under controlled airspace tied to Yeager Airport (CRW); Morgantown sits under Class D airspace around Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW), and West Virginia University requires separate approval for campus operations.
West Virginia requires a contractor license under WV Code 21-11 for residential jobs of $2,500 or more and commercial jobs of $5,000 or more; pressure washing and sandblasting are listed as a specialty classification requiring only the business and law exam.
West Virginia's statewide small MS4 general permit, which covers regulated municipalities including Charleston, defines an illicit discharge as any discharge to the storm sewer that does not consist entirely of stormwater or authorized non-stormwater.
Building stock
The seven tallest buildings in West Virginia are all located in Charleston, which has been the state's high-rise hub since the 1920s and 1930s.
West Virginia's tallest building, the 292-foot State Capitol in Charleston, has not been surpassed since it was completed in 1932.
What to expect in West Virginia: two documented projects
We have not yet published a documented project in West Virginia. Until we do, the two jobs below are the reference for scope, duration and price. Both were delivered in Florida, where we operate as Vista Drone Cleaning, with the same equipment, method, insurance and price sheet that crews bring to West Virginia.
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.
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
Services offered in West Virginia
- 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.
Pricing in West Virginia
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 West Virginia is a fixed price after a free site survey. 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 is on how we price.
West Virginia questions
Have you completed a project in West Virginia 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 West Virginia uses the same equipment, method, insurance and price sheet, and the first documented West Virginia project will be published here when it is delivered.
Do you really serve West Virginia?
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. The first documented West Virginia project will be published on this page when it is delivered.
When is the washing season in West Virginia?
Charleston averages a freeze-free window from late April to late October, about 180 days, based on 1991-2020 NOAA climate data.
Can you fly a cleaning drone in West Virginia?
W.Va. Code 61-16-2(b) makes it unlawful to fly a drone over a critical-infrastructure targeted facility, such as refineries, power plants, water plants, chemical plants, pipelines, or dams, to drop objects, conduct hostile surveillance, or steal information. Charleston sits under controlled airspace tied to Yeager Airport (CRW); Morgantown sits under Class D airspace around Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW), and West Virginia University requires separate approval for campus operations.
Do you need a licence to pressure wash in West Virginia?
West Virginia requires a contractor license under WV Code 21-11 for residential jobs of $2,500 or more and commercial jobs of $5,000 or more; pressure washing and sandblasting are listed as a specialty classification requiring only the business and law exam.
How is pricing set?
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. Crews and equipment mobilize anywhere in the United States, with travel built into a fixed quote after a free site survey.
More general answers are on the national FAQ. See every state on the states directory.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_West_Virginia
- https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates/WV/Charleston
- https://www.flyusi.org/guides/drone-laws/west-virginia
- https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-west-virginia/
- https://contractorlicenserequirements.com/west-virginia/
- https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/Programs/stormwater/MS4/permits/Documents/WV%20MS4%20permit%20FINAL%20(2)%204-26-12.pdf
Our core services
- Facade & building cleaningStucco, EIFS, painted concrete, glass and metal panel, cleaned from the air.
- Roof cleaningSoft-wash for tile, metal, shingle and flat roofs with no foot traffic.
- Window cleaningPure-water drone glass cleaning for high-rise and commercial buildings.
- Parking garage cleaningDecks, drive lanes, walls and stairwells at a flat per-square-foot rate.
Get a free site survey in West Virginia
Tell us the property. We survey it for free and send a fixed price.