Starting a drone cleaning business in the United States requires an FAA Part 107 certificate, a purpose-built cleaning drone (expect $50,000 for the drone system if you’re using a U.S.-made drone), commercial insurance and a business entity like an LLC.
Key takeaways:
- This niche has real money. Owner-operators have built multi-million-dollar cleaning businesses off a single cleaning drone.
- You sell safety and speed, not gadgets. Drones avoid the need for scaffolding and lifts that you’d find in a traditional window-cleaning business. Jobs that used to take over a week can now wrap in an afternoon. Plus, there’s zero fall risk.
- The whole process is simple. Get your Part 107, buy a drone built for window cleaning, get trained, set up the business and insurance, then price the work and chase your first customers.
- Hardware matters. If you want to land government contracts, you’ll need an NDAA-compliant drone that’s made in the USA.
Drone cleaning business at a glance
| License required (U.S.) | FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate |
| Startup cost | ~$50,000 (drone system) / ~$75,000 (with pressure-washing equipment) |
| Pricing models | Per square foot, per job, or day rate. Prices go up if it’s hard to access the traditional way (e.g., buildings next to retention ponds) |
| Speed advantage | Up to 90% faster than scaffolding or rope access |
| Key safety win | Pilot stays on the ground (no lifts, scaffolding, or fall risk) |
Why drone cleaning is a real opportunity right now
As I’ve been harping for the past few years, spaces like wedding videos or real estate photos are flooded with competition, so making real money can be tough. Drone pilots who find the most success tend to have found a niche where a drone replaces a task that was otherwise dangerous, slow, or expensive — all better than a human ever could.
Exterior cleaning is one of the best examples of building a real drone business and not a side hustle. Washing the side of a 15-story building, a stadium roof, or an industrial storage tank has traditionally meant scaffolding, boom lifts, rope access and a mountain of liability.
For example, an Israeli coal facility hadn’t been cleaned in 30 years, because it was never safe to send a person in. Then, a drone blasted away 30-years of built-up coal ash in a video here.
In another example, an Apellix owner-operator bought a cleaning drone and proceeded to land one job that turned into a multi-million-dollar cleaning contract. The job in particular was cleaning an above ground storage tank, which took 10 days to clean the old-fashioned way since it required several days of setting up and tearing down scaffolding equipment around the tank. The drone pilot cleaned the tank in an afternoon, with roughly $400 worth of chemicals, leading to a recurring contract worth millions. Three years later, he’s still flying that first and only cleaning drone: an Apellix B1, the company’s original model (since succeeded by the B2).
And he’s just one name on Apellix’ “Wall of Millionaires” — a literal wall at the company’s Jacksonville headquarters honoring operators who’ve cleared more than $1 million in revenue in a single year (he didn’t want to share his name to keep his revenue figures private).
Your own ramp will look like whatever you make it. But the underlying point holds: there is real, repeatable demand here, and the people meeting it are very often owner-operator drone pilots.
The economics work largely due to the combination of safety and speed. According to estimates from Apellix, drone cleaning can complete jobs up to 90% faster than conventional methods. The above owner-operator won a multi-million-dollar contract because he could clean an above-ground storage tank in an afternoon, versus the 10 days the old-fashioned approach took. Another owner-operator called CleanFlight Solutions cleaned the Raymond James headquarters in roughly 11 hours — a building the previous window-cleaning crew needed an average of 11 days to finish.
Demand for drone cleaning is rising
Demand is heating up, too — likely because more building owners are seeing the success of other buildings.
For example, a drone cleaning company called AirX won the contract to clean a Blue Cross Blue Shield building in Jacksonville specifically because the bid requested drone cleaning over the property’s usual vendor. In a fun twist, that incumbent window-cleaning company later bought its own drone so it wouldn’t keep losing bids, according to AirX.
And the range of work is broader than you’d guess. Drones have cleaned solar panels, historic churches, stadiums, Doppler radar domes, office buildings, residential roofs, the Ritz-Carlton, and university campuses like the University of Florida.
How to start a drone cleaning business: 5 steps
Step 1: Get your Part 107
Any commercial drone operation in the U.S. requires an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. The exam is very passable with a few weeks of study (I passed on my first try!).Outside the U.S., you’ll need your country’s equivalent certification.
Step 2: Choose your equipment carefully
Sorry, you can’t slap a spray bottle on your DJI Mavic and call it good.You need a drone specifically designed to handle the recoil from water blasting out at a high PSI (ideally backed by a company that answers the phone for customer support).
Perhaps this is counterintuitive, but a lighter airframe is better, as every pound you save lets you carry more payload before hitting the 55 lb / 25 kg FAA weight limit.
What to look for in an exterior cleaning drone:
- Reach. Confirm the maximum working height ( a higher reach means more buildings you can potentially clean).
- Airframe weight. Lighter is better, because the FAA caps drones at 55 lb / 25 kg, so a lighter airframe leaves more payload headroom.
- Autonomy. A hands-free cleaning mode dramatically lowers the skill barrier and speeds up jobs.
- Regulatory compliance. Verify the drone is American-made and NDAA compliant if you want government work.
- Support and training. A complete kit plus real onboarding beats a cheaper box you have to figure out alone.
- Safety features. Before picking a drone, ask the dealer: Does the system have some sort of software that prevents it from crashing headfirst into a wall? Are there dual motors per arm as a failsafe in case a motor dies? Will the controller tell you when you’re at low battery?
Here’s a checkbox so you can quickly see stats and decide what works best for you:
| Lucid Bots | Apellix B2 / Blue | DJI Matrice 300 RTK | Aquiline AD Endure | KTV Working Drones | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | U.S. | U.S. | China — no longer available for purchase in the U.S. unless purchased used | U.S. | Norway — no longer available for purchase in the U.S. |
| Price | Starting at $45,750 base price, though budget for add-on accessories like a window washing payload, battery carrying case, hose, nozzle, etc.). Option to rent instead at $2,950/mo for Lucid Refresh ($106,200 after 3 years) | B2: $47,000 Blue: $60,000 (price includes training and accessories) | $8,000 + additional spray equipment | Not published | Available as franchise package |
| NDAA compliant | Yes — has NDAA compliant model | Yes — has NDAA compliant model | No | Unclear | No — built on Chinese-made DJI airframes |
| Max reach | 150 ft | 195 ft | Depends on spray system installation | 600 ft (stated by Aquiline — noted as seemingly impossible given weight) | Similar to DJI base |
| Weight | 34.2 lbs with batteries | B2: 31.5 lbs with batteries | 13.9 lbs with batteries + added sprayer weight | 40.2 lbs with batteries | Similar to DJI base |
| Autonomy | No | Yes — $500/mo includes AirTrace and AirShift | Waypoint flight planning | No | Similar to DJI base |
| Training included | Remote included for first operator, afterwards $100 per operator. Hands on is $1,500 for 1-2 operators and $2,500 for 3 operators | Remote + hands-on included | Not included / not specified | No remote training; up to 2 people hands-on at CT headquarters | Included |
| Pressure | Up to 4,500 PSI | Up to 4,000 PSI | Depends on alteration | Up to 3,300 PSI | Up to 2,500 PSI |
| Battery time | Up to 19 minutes | Up to 32 min | Up to 31 min (max 6 lb payload) | Not published | Not published |
Quick note on being American-made, and NDAA compliant: If you are U.S.-based and intend to land government contracts, know that — as of late 2025 — the FCC moved to block new foreign-made drones and certain drone components. There are temporary exemptions, but they’re set to expire at the end of 2026.
An American-made platform sidesteps that uncertainty entirely, making your business future-proof in case regulations become stricter. Any drone operating on U.S. federal property (schools, courthouses, ports) and in certain states must be NDAA compliant.
Step 3: Take training seriously
Lucid Bots includes remote and hands-on included for the first operator, but charges a fee for additional operators (remote $100; hands-on $1,500). Every Apellix purchase includes free training; they provide remote training through Apellix Academy plus hands-on instruction, at your site or theirs. Aquiline doesn’t have remote training, but includes hands-on training in Connecticut for up to 2 people. Chinese-manufactured cleaning drones like DJI Matrice do not include hands-on site training.
Step 4: Set up the business and get insured
Besides the drone, there are some general business practices you need to know:
- Form an LLC (or your local equivalent) and keep business and personal finances separate.
- Carry commercial drone liability insurance, and make sure your drone insurance policy covers the high-value structures you’ll work near. Many operators also add equipment coverage on the drone itself.
- Start marketing. Set up a website and social media account to help customers find you. Some drone companies, like Apellix, offer free marketing materials to customers to help them start websites and launch social media platforms, so it’s worth checking with your drone provider to see what they can offer you.
Step 5: Price the work and find your first customers
Drone cleaning is typically priced by the square foot, by the job, or as a day rate.
Here’s my advice though that I find many drone pilots make the mistake of: They love to pitch the idea of “I have a cool drone.” The thing is: clients don’t care what your drone is — they want to know you can safely clean their building without shutting down the site, without scaffolding, and at a competitive price.”
I always advise drone pilots to sell the outcome and the reduced liability, such as being able to reach an area that’s tricky like a church steeple or a wall backing onto a retention pond.
As far as finding customers, you might post on Facebook Marketplace, make a Google Business listing, and even do direct outreach. Target property managers, facilities directors, and existing pressure-washing companies that may want to subcontract their height work. Hospitals, condo associations, solar farms, and municipal water towers are all strong prospects, precisely because they’re covered in surfaces that are hard to reach any other way.
About window washing specifically
To window wash, you need to do something called “soft washing” at low PSI. This type of cleaning uses chemical surfactants to do the cleaning rather than pressure.
If you blast 3,500 PSI at a window, water will break right through the window seal and you’ll have a lot of wet, unhappy customers. As far as the actual cleaning solution, some drones are only compatible with certain types of cleaning solutions (which often means you’re paying ongoing costs to that drone maker to use “their” cleaning solution. Other drones, such as Apellix, are compatible with basic cleaning solutions (yes, even basic Dawn dish soap will do the job).
One thing to note: after you apply chemicals (whether that’s a basic Dawn dish soap or something more specialized), you need to spray de-ionized water, which is ultra pure water, to rinse off the cleaning solution. This makes sure the windows dry spot-free without water drops or residue. Whatever a ground power washing system does the conventional way should be able to be done via drone. It’s the exact same process — just applied via drone instead of human.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license to clean with a drone?
Yes. In the United States, any commercial drone work, including cleaning, requires an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. You do not need a separate pilot’s license or an aviation background. Outside the U.S., you need your country’s equivalent commercial drone certification.
How much does it cost to start a drone cleaning business?
Expect roughly $50,000 for a purpose-built cleaning drone system, or about $75,000 once you add standard pressure-washing equipment. On top of the hardware, budget for an LLC, commercial drone liability insurance, and marketing.
How much can you make with a drone cleaning business?
Earnings vary widely, but the ceiling is high. Some operators have built multi-million-dollar revenue businesses. Jobs are commonly priced per square foot, per job, or by a day rate.
How much faster is drone cleaning than traditional methods?
Drone cleaning can be up to 90% faster than scaffolding or rope-access methods. In one case, an above-ground storage tank that took 10 days to clean conventionally was cleaned in an afternoon with a drone. In another, the Raymond James headquarters was cleaned in about 11 hours, versus an average of 11 days for the previous window-cleaning crew.
What can a cleaning drone actually clean?
Cleaning drones are used on building exteriors, windows, solar panels, stadiums, storage tanks, radar domes, historic churches, residential roofs, and more. Below are some example drone cleaning videos of real world structures getting cleaned via drone:
- An Australia-based company drone cleaning an AFL stadium.
- A Florida-based company drone cleaning residential roofs.
- The world’s first doppler dome ever cleaned by drone in Texas.
- A Michigan-based company drone cleaning an above ground storage tank.
- An Israeli coal facility roof clean 30-years of built-up coal ash with a drone.
Is drone cleaning equipment legal under the new FCC and NDAA rules?
It depends on where the drone is made. As of late 2025, the FCC moved to block new foreign-made drones and critical components from the equipment authorizations needed to sell them in the U.S., with temporary exemptions that expire at the end of 2026. For government and federal-property work, the drone must also be NDAA compliant. American-made, NDAA-compliant systems can avoid these problems if you plan to fly in the U.S.
How high can a cleaning drone reach?
This depends on what height the drone is at when it reaches the 55 lb / 25 kg regulatory threshold. At this weight, cleaning drones can typically fly higher, but it breaks regulations. The benefit of purchasing a lighter airframe is that it can pull the tether and cleaning materials higher before reaching the regulatory weight threshold.
How precise are building cleaning drones?
Unlike, say, photogrammetry drones that rely on mapping software to generate highly precise flight paths, building cleaning drones generally fly manually. Thus, their flight paths are about as precise as the pilot allows them to be. An exception to this is Apellix, which uses AirTrace to automatically clean a pre-selected area, hands-free. To do this, the drone has a suite of sensors that take over 500 calculations per second and in-house automation software developed in collaboration with the U.S. Army to autonomously clean.
The bottom line
Starting a drone cleaning business in 2026 is one of the more grounded opportunities in this industry — pun fully intended. The demand is real, the safety and cost advantages are easy to sell, and the barrier to entry is mostly a Part 107, a serious piece of equipment, and the discipline to get properly trained before you take on a job.
Now go find a dirty building.