Drone roof inspections in Des Plaines, including the restricted blocks
23% of Des Plaines 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 Des Plaines?
Every roof inspection we fly has to clear the FAA first. The answer is different in every town, and in Des Plaines it comes out like this.
Des Plaines, Illinois
- Airspace class
- Class B
- Controlling airport
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) and Chicago Executive (PWK)
- Maximum altitude
- 400 ft above ground
- FAA grid squares over town
- 132
- Approval route
- LAANC, usually under a minute
How high we can fly, block by block
The FAA cuts Des Plaines into 132 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 Des Plaines is straightforward. But 23% 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 Des Plaines
Send your address and we will check your FAA grid square before you commit to anything.
Des Plaines gets more hail than most of the towns we fly
Des Plaines takes it from both directions. Hail and damaging wind both run above the average for our service area, and the two rarely arrive separately. A roof here has been worked on 211 separate occasions in five years.
The biggest stone logged near Des Plaines was 1.75 inches, golf-ball sized. It is the size that fools people. It bounces off, the roof looks untouched, and the bruised mat underneath fails two winters later.
166 damaging wind events near Des Plaines in five years, peaking at 75 knots, about 86 mph. At that speed tabs lift and reseat, breaking the seal strip underneath. The roof looks identical afterwards and is measurably weaker.
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 Des Plaines. These are reported events, so busier areas generate more reports. Read them as exposure, not a complete storm census.
Where we fly in Des Plaines
Des Plaines covers 14 square miles and about 59,000 people, and we cover all of it. These are the areas we get called to most.
- Downtown Des Plaines
- North Des Plaines
- East Des Plaines
Des Plaines at a glance
- Population
- 59,000
- Area covered
- 14 square miles
- Airspace
- Class B
- Maximum drone altitude
- 400 ft AGL
- Inspections from
- $150
Des Plaines roof inspection questions
Do you need FAA permission to inspect a roof in Des Plaines?
23% of Des Plaines 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 Des Plaines roof?
It depends on your block. Des Plaines'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 Des Plaines?
Chicago O'Hare International. Des Plaines sits under its Class B 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 Des Plaines address is in a no-fly grid square?
We tell you before you pay anything. Roughly 23% of Des Plaines 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 Des Plaines had enough storm damage to justify an inspection?
The National Weather Service logged 45 hail events and 166 damaging wind events within 10 miles of Des Plaines between 2021 and 2025. The largest hailstone reported was 1.75 inches, golf-ball sized, and the strongest gust hit 75 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 Des Plaines roof inspection take?
The flight itself runs 30 to 45 minutes for a typical Des Plaines 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 Des Plaines?
Yes. Des Plaines has a population of about 59,000, 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 Des Plaines and where they stand.
Ready when you are, Des Plaines
Inspections start at $150. Report in 24 hours.