Asbestos survey before renovating

A renovation that opens walls, pulls flooring, or takes a building down has to know which materials contain asbestos before anyone disturbs them.

Does the building’s age matter?

Yes. New York and Vermont both require an asbestos survey before renovation or demolition, whatever the building’s age.

In New York, NYS DOL requires an asbestos survey before work disturbs building materials, regardless of construction date. The rule covers renovation, remodeling, repair, and demolition. The short version for permit applicants is on the asbestos surveys page, and the rule itself is summarized in the New York asbestos rules.

Flowchart for a renovation asbestos survey. If work will disturb building materials, a certified inspector surveys before that work, samples go to an approved laboratory, and the report comes before project design. A licensed contractor does the removal. Monitoring and clearance follow. A side note shows the narrow owner-occupant exception, which does not cover demolition. — Survey first. The owner-occupant exception is narrow, and it does not cover demolition.

The owner-occupant exemption

New York’s single-family, owner-occupied exemption is described in DOL P229 and 12 NYCRR 56-1.3(a): a single-family dwelling, occupied or to be occupied by the owner, with the owner doing the work personally. It does not extend to landlords, flippers, or contractors, and it does not apply to a building that will be demolished. If you are not sure which side of that line you are on, call before anyone opens a wall. The conditions are also on the New York asbestos rules page.

Vermont is similar: an owner doing all of the work on their own home gets limited leeway, and there’s no exemption for demolition.

What the report includes

The report identifies homogeneous areas, estimated quantities, and sample locations. Lab results for each sample, analyzed by a laboratory approved by the NYS Department of Health ELAP, belong in a New York survey. The report also lists the inspector’s certificate and the company handling license.

Ask any firm for its state license and its inspector’s certificate, and check both before work starts. Company licenses are on the About page.

Vermont

Vermont also requires an asbestos survey before renovation or demolition, whatever the building’s age, under its own asbestos rules and notice requirements. See Vermont asbestos rules before you plan work there.

Demolition needs 10 working days’ notice to the Vermont Department of Health. Some owner-occupied homes are exempt; call us and we’ll tell you what applies.

After the survey

When the work cannot follow the code as written, the usual next step is project design or a variance. A licensed abatement contractor does the removal. The owner can hire an independent firm for project monitoring and clearance air sampling.

We’ll tell you when to expect the report when you book.