Drone roof inspections in Chicago, including the restricted blocks
15% of Chicago sits in a 0 ft FAA grid square, where LAANC will not approve any drone flight at all. We check your exact address first, because that block decides whether we can fly this week or need an FAA waiver.
Can a drone legally fly over your roof in Chicago?
Every roof inspection we fly has to clear the FAA first. The answer is different in every town, and in Chicago it comes out like this.
Chicago, Illinois
- Airspace class
- Class C
- Controlling airport
- Chicago Midway International (MDW) and Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)
- Maximum altitude
- 400 ft above ground
- FAA grid squares over town
- 773
- Approval route
- LAANC, usually under a minute
How high we can fly, block by block
The FAA cuts Chicago into 773 grid squares and assigns each one a maximum drone altitude. Here is how the whole city breaks down.
What this means for your appointment
Most of Chicago is straightforward. But 15% of the city sits in a grid square the FAA has set to zero, where no automatic approval exists at any altitude. If your roof is in one of those squares we will tell you on the first call, because that path needs a filed FAA waiver rather than an instant one.
Source: FAA UAS Facility Map, the dataset LAANC providers check before approving a flight. Grid effective 1/26/2023. Altitudes are feet above ground level. We hold FAA Part 107 certification and file every authorization ourselves, at no extra charge to you.
Book a drone roof inspection in Chicago
Send your address and we will check your FAA grid square before you commit to anything.
What has actually hit Chicago roofs since 2021
Chicago sits close to the middle of our service area for severe weather, with 10 hail events and 156 damaging wind events reported in five years. Steady exposure rather than dramatic, which is exactly the pattern that gets ignored until a ceiling stains.
Hail near Chicago has topped out at 1.25 inches, quarter-sized. Stones this size rarely break through, but they strip granules, and granule loss is simply a roof ageing faster than the warranty assumed.
156 damaging wind events near Chicago, with the strongest gust at 70 knots, roughly 81 mph. Enough to break seal strips on older shingles, not usually enough to strip a slope.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, 2021-2025. Every hail and thunderstorm wind event whose reported location falls within 10 miles of Chicago. These are reported events, so busier areas generate more reports. Read them as exposure, not a complete storm census.
Where we fly in Chicago
Chicago covers 234 square miles and about 2.7 million people, and we cover all of it. These are the areas we get called to most.
- Lincoln Park
- Wicker Park
- Gold Coast
- River North
- Hyde Park
Chicago at a glance
- Population
- 2.7 million
- Area covered
- 234 square miles
- Airspace
- Class C
- Maximum drone altitude
- 400 ft AGL
- Inspections from
- $150
Chicago roof inspection questions
Do you need FAA permission to inspect a roof in Chicago?
15% of Chicago sits in a 0 ft FAA grid square, where LAANC will not approve any drone flight at all. We check your exact address first, because that block decides whether we can fly this week or need an FAA waiver.
How high can your drone fly over my Chicago roof?
It depends on your block. Chicago's grid runs from 0 feet up to 400 feet. We look up your address on the FAA map before the visit, and a lower ceiling never means a worse report, only a slower flight.
Which airport controls the airspace over Chicago?
Chicago Midway International. Chicago sits under its Class C airspace, which is why a drone flight here needs authorization at all. We file that request through LAANC as your FAA-certified operator, so there is nothing for you to submit.
What happens if my Chicago address is in a no-fly grid square?
We tell you before you pay anything. Roughly 15% of Chicago sits in a zero-foot square where LAANC will not issue an automatic approval. For those addresses we either file a further FAA authorization, which takes longer, or recommend a traditional inspection instead. We do not fly without approval and we do not charge for a flight we cannot make.
Has Chicago had enough storm damage to justify an inspection?
The National Weather Service logged 10 hail events and 156 damaging wind events within 10 miles of Chicago between 2021 and 2025. The largest hailstone reported was 1.25 inches, quarter-sized, and the strongest gust hit 70 knots. Hail that size bruises shingles without breaking them, which is why roofs in this area tend to fail a few years after the storm that actually caused it rather than during it.
How long does a Chicago roof inspection take?
The flight itself runs 30 to 45 minutes for a typical Chicago home, a little longer on the lower-ceiling blocks where we fly closer to the roof. Your full report, with annotated photos and thermal imagery, arrives within 24 hours.
Do you serve all of Chicago?
Yes. Chicago has a population of about 2.7 million, and we cover the whole municipality, with the airspace caveat above for the small share of addresses in restricted squares. Inspections start at $150.
Closest towns we also fly
The FAA rules change as you cross municipal lines. These are the nearest towns to Chicago and where they stand.
Ready when you are, Chicago
Inspections start at $150. Report in 24 hours.