It’s a natural thing to ask, and the short answer is yes. Cleaning your building with a drone is legal, and there’s a clear federal rulebook built specifically for commercial drone work. The longer answer is useful to know, because once you understand what the rules require, you also know what a legitimate operator should be handling for you. Here’s the plain version.
Commercial drone work in the United States falls under an FAA regulation called Part 107. It’s the set of rules covering the operation of small drones for business, and it’s the same framework behind everything from real estate photography to bridge inspections to crop work, so cleaning a building with a drone sits squarely inside it. Part 107 spells out who can fly, meaning a certified remote pilot, how the aircraft has to be operated, and the conditions flights can take place under. A pilot earns that certificate by passing an FAA knowledge exam and registering with the agency, and they have to keep it current. This isn’t an unregulated gray area; it’s a licensed activity with rules behind it.
Where your building sits changes what’s needed to fly there. Most locations are in uncontrolled airspace, where a certified operator can fly within the standard rules. Buildings near an airport often sit in controlled airspace, which means getting authorization from the FAA before the flight. There’s a system for obtaining that, usually fairly quick, and a good operator knows when it’s needed and handles it as part of the job. Some situations carry extra requirements as well, such as specific rules for flying over people. The point isn’t that you need to learn all of it. It’s that a reputable operator checks the airspace and pulls any authorizations before ever setting up on your property, so the flight over your building is properly cleared.
For you, “legal” really comes down to hiring an operator who works inside the framework rather than around it: a certified pilot, attention to the airspace your building is in, and compliance with the rules for the specific job. An operator who shrugs all of that off isn’t a bargain; it’s a red flag. We operate under Part 107, handle the airspace authorizations a job needs, and we’re glad to confirm how the rules apply to your building’s location. The work is legal, and doing it legally is part of doing it right.
Questions about flying at your specific property? Request your cleaning quote today and a member of our team will reach out to go over it with you.
