Asbestos - Renovation and Demolition

Are you Remodeling, Renovating or Demolishing?

You may be subject to State and Federal Regulations requiring an inspection for asbestos. Avoid penalties and delays: If you are impacting greater than the trigger levels of suspect asbestos-containing materials (“ACM”) – you must have your project inspected for ACM by a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector before commencing work.

It is Dangerous and Illegal to Improperly Disturb ACM!

Asbestos can be found in these and many other common building materials: Ceiling textures, vinyl floor coverings and mastic, boiler and pipe insulation, heating and cooling duct insulation, ceiling tile, roofing products, clapboard shingles, etc. These materials may be regulated - a certified asbestos building inspector can determine which materials contain asbestos and which are regulated.

For ALL Renovation Projects:

• Buildings of any age may contain ACM; even those newly built may have ACM.
• Inspection: If the structures/components to be disturbed exceed the trigger levels, they must be inspected for asbestos by a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector, unless the building was built after October 12, 1988, AND the architect or engineer who built it signs and submits documentation showing that no ACM was specified or used in the construction of the building – then no inspection is needed. Asbestos Consulting Firms and asbestos building inspectors can be found in the yellow pages of most telephone books under the heading “Asbestos Consulting and Testing” or go to our web site for a current list:  www.colorado.gov/cdphe/asbestos.
• If the amount of ACM to be disturbed exceeds the following trigger levels, then an asbestos abatement contractor must remove the material:
  • Single-Family Residential Dwellings (“SFRD”) - the trigger levels are: 50 linear feet on pipes; 32 square feet on other surfaces; or the volume equivalent of a 55- gallon drum.
  • Public and Commercial Buildings (other than SFRDs) - the trigger levels are: 260 linear feet on pipes; 160 square feet on other surfaces; or the volume equivalent of a 55-gallon drum.
• Under many circumstances, a Colorado-certified General Abatement Contractor (GAC) must remove ACM that is regulated or may become regulated before it is disturbed by renovation or demolition activities. GACs can be found in the yellow pages of most telephone books under the heading, "Asbestos Abatement” or go to our web site for a current list.
• Notification:  A written application to CDPHE for a notice/permit may be required, along with payment of a fee and a ten (10) working-day notification period (emergencies may be excluded) before the removal (abatement) of regulated asbestos-containing materials. ALL ACM waste must be disposed of at an approved asbestos waste disposal site – regardless of the quantity or the necessity for a notice/permit.

Demolitions, Destructive Salvage, House Moving

If you demolish, perform destructive salvage, perform de-construction, burn, destroy, dismantle, dynamite, implode, knock down, level, pull down, pulverize, raze, tear down, wreck all of a structure or structural components, or you move a house, you may be subject to State and Federal regulations even when there is NO asbestos in the facility.  Demolition means: the wrecking or taking out of any load-supporting structural member of a facility together with any related handling operations or the intentional burning of any facility.

For ALL Demolition Projects:

• Inspection: the building or area of the building to be demolished must be inspected for asbestos by a Colorado-certified asbestos inspector. Asbestos Consulting Firms and asbestos building inspectors can be found in the yellow pages of most telephone books under the heading “Asbestos Consulting and Testing” or go to our web site for a current list:
• Asbestos Removal (if necessary) may have to be performed by a Colorado-certified GAC. Removal, in accordance with Regulation No. 8, Part B, is required if the amount of asbestos- containing material that is friable or will become friable during demolition exceeds the trigger levels.
• A Demolition Notification Application Form must be submitted to the CDPHE, even if no asbestos was found during the inspection, along with payment of a notification fee and a ten (10) working-day notification period that is required before the demolition can commence.

During Demolition:

• Recycling of materials, such as concrete or wood, that are bonded or contaminated with asbestos-containing material (ACM), such as floor tile or mastic, is NOT permitted.
• Demolition of a building that has non-friable asbestos-containing vinyl asbestos tile (VAT) or tar-impregnated roofing materials remaining must be completed without causing the asbestos-containing materials to become friable. Concrete floors covered with floor tile shall be removed in large sections if possible. Operations such as crushing, pneumatic jacking, etc. of materials containing asbestos are not permitted.
• When imploding or burning a structure, ALL asbestos-containing material, regardless of type or quantity, MUST be removed prior to demolition.

For More Information or Forms, please contact:

Asbestos Compliance Assistance Group Phone: (303) 692-3100
Fax:  (303) 782-0278
Toll Free:  1-800-886-7689
Web page: http://www.colorado.gov/cdphe/asbestos
Email address:  cdphe.asbestos@state.co.us

Have your project inspected by a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector before you begin renovation or demolition activities.