What construction site security costs.
Guards, monitored cameras, vehicle patrol and drones for a western Washington job site, priced side by side from public contract rates and published price lists.
How much does construction site security cost?
A guard on a western Washington job site, 8 hours a night, costs about $9,380 a month at the median Seattle rate on the state's guard contract ($38.55 an hour), and about $28,140 around the clock. Monitored cameras cost far less: 911 Sentinel camera monitoring starts at $900 a month, or $1,400 for three cameras, with camera-vehicle patrol from $1,500 and drones from $6,000.
A watched job site for a fraction of a guard
One guard 8 hours a night costs about $9,380 a month in Seattle and watches one post. 911 Sentinel watches every camera on the site at once from $900 a month, camera and installation included: an alert reaches our team within 30 seconds, and within 3 minutes an operator warns the intruder through the camera with a recorded voice, siren and spotlights, then calls your team and the police. Nobody from 911 Sentinel approaches anyone. Add camera-vehicle patrol or drone sweeps when the site outgrows fixed cameras. Every contract starts with a 30-day free trial, then runs month to month.
Every option, priced for one job site
The same overnight job, priced every way: watching a fenced site after the crew goes home. Guard and contract figures use the Seattle rates on Washington's statewide guard contract; 911 Sentinel figures are our published starting prices.
| Option | What you get | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| 911 Sentinel camera monitoring | Leased cameras, installed and maintained, watched live through an 8-hour window, with a recorded warning, siren and spotlights | From $900 (one camera); from $1,400 with three |
| 911 Sentinel drive-by vehicle patrol | A camera vehicle with a four-camera roof rig passing the gates and fence lines on a set schedule, watched live | From $1,500 |
| 911 Sentinel on-site vehicle patrol | The camera vehicle stationed on the site, with periodic loops, watched live | From $2,200 |
| 911 Sentinel drone surveillance | Scheduled sweeps flown by FAA-certified pilots over big or changing sites | From $6,000 |
| Unarmed guard, 8 hours a night | One guard at one post, median state contract rate | $9,380 |
| Guard with a patrol vehicle, 8 hours a night | The guard plus the contract's vehicle add-on | $12,750 |
| Unarmed guard, around the clock | One post, 24 hours a day | $28,140 |
| Monitored camera tower (state contract) | ALK Global Security's telescopic unit with live monitoring, 8 hours a night | $4,500–$5,500 |
| Remote camera alert review (state contract) | Allied Universal's remote camera motion alert assessment, 8 hours a night, cameras not included | $11,860 |
Monthly figures are the hourly rate times the hours, times 365 days, divided by 12, rounded to the nearest $10. The guard with a vehicle adds the median vehicle add-on ($13.85 an hour in Seattle) to the median unarmed guard rate.
What does a guard cost in each county?
A guard is the quote most job sites get first. This is what one costs across the region at each area's median rate on the state contract, 15 to 16 companies per area.
| Area | Per hour | 8 hours a night | Around the clock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle (city limits) | $38.55 | $9,380 | $28,140 |
| King County | $38.59 | $9,390 | $28,170 |
| Snohomish County | $37.06 | $9,020 | $27,050 |
| Pierce County | $36.53 | $8,890 | $26,670 |
| Tacoma (city limits) | $36.53 | $8,890 | $26,670 |
| Kitsap County | $36.53 | $8,890 | $26,670 |
| Thurston County | $35.57 | $8,660 | $25,970 |
Monthly figures are the hourly rate times the hours, times 365 days, divided by 12, rounded to the nearest $10.
What construction camera companies publish
| Company | What it is | Published price | What costs extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| 911 Sentinel | Leased cameras watched live, warnings and calls included | From $900/mo; added cameras from $250/mo | Windows past 8 hours, priced after the site walk |
| OxBlue | Construction cameras with an agent monitoring tier | Monitoring from $95/mo | The camera; strobes and talk-down hardware |
| TrueLook | Construction cameras, per camera | $129–$599/mo per camera | Professional monitoring (price not published); lights, sirens, talk-down packages |
| LiveView Technologies | Solar camera trailer | Essentials $1,000/mo with 14 days of video | Professional monitoring, through LVT's partners |
Prices as each company states them on its own site.
What changes the price on a job site?
- Cameras: the gate, the laydown area and the machine line are the usual start, and each added camera is from $250 a month.
- Hours: the base price covers an 8-hour window; nights plus weekends, or up to 24 hours a day, are priced after the site walk.
- Power and internet: each camera needs power, and Starlink goes in where a site has no internet. Backup power is an optional add-on.
- The phase of the build: wire, fixtures and appliances arrive late, so the camera plan often grows toward close-out.
- Size: sites too big to wire are where a camera vehicle on site or drone sweeps earn their price.
Common questions
How much does a security guard cost for a construction site?
At the median rate on Washington's statewide guard contract, one unarmed guard in Seattle costs $38.55 an hour: about $9,380 a month for 8 hours a night, and about $28,140 around the clock.
Is camera monitoring cheaper than a guard for a job site?
Yes, by a wide margin. 911 Sentinel camera monitoring starts at $900 a month, and a site with three cameras starts at $1,400, against about $9,380 a month for one unarmed guard 8 hours a night at the median Seattle state contract rate.
What does construction site camera monitoring include?
911 Sentinel camera monitoring includes leased cameras, installation, maintenance, live monitoring through an 8-hour window, a recorded warning, siren and spotlights, calls to your team and the police, and 90 days of video, with no per-call fee.
Get a free site assessment
We reply the same day, walk your property with you, and send a written plan with a firm price after the walk.
Business calls 8am–8pm every day · our monitoring team works around the clock