Asbestos Abatement

When Is an Asbestos Survey Required?

Every commercial remodeling project needs an asbestos survey, whether it is an addition, renovation, rehabilitation, retrofit, demolition or similar work. The Texas Asbestos Health Protection Rules do not cover private homes or apartment buildings with four or fewer units, and federal buildings and military bases also fall outside these rules.

Any commercial demolition also requires a state notification form, filed together with the survey. The notification must be submitted even when no asbestos is found.

What the Survey Packet Includes

Download the asbestos survey packet, or stop by the Health and Environment Department at City Hall for a printed copy.

• Asbestos survey packet (PDF, 571 KB)

The packet has four parts:

• The demolition/remodel information sheet, completed by the project's general contractor
• Form A, completed by the asbestos surveyor
• Form B, completed by a licensed architect or engineer and stamped with that professional's seal
• The state notification form, needed for every demolition

Submit the completed demolition/remodel information sheet, plus either Form A or Form B, to Health and Environment staff.

The state notification form must also be included for all demolitions and for any survey that finds asbestos. If anything in the packet is left blank, approval of your building permit will be delayed.

Who May Perform a Survey?

Asbestos surveys may be done only by a licensed company that holds a state registration.

More details are available online from the Texas Department of State Health Services, including:

• A search tool for licensed asbestos professionals
• State asbestos rules and regulations
• Answers to common questions

Regional State Health Office

Public Health Region 2/3 office of the state health department
880 South Magnolia Road, Suite 200, Cedar Bluff, Texas
Main line: (555) 010-9285
Asbestos program: (555) 010-4119

Laws

• Title 25, Part 1, Chapter 295 of the Texas Administrative Code (the state asbestos health protection rules), Sections 295.31 through 295.73
• The asbestos health protection survey provisions of the City of Fredville Code of Ordinances, also called the asbestos abatement ordinance

Understanding the Hazard

Asbestos is a mineral fiber found in nature that people have used since ancient times because it is so versatile. Its dangers to health were not widely recognized until the late 1960s. It turned up most often in ceiling, floor and roof tiles, roofing and siding shingles, wallboard, and insulation inside walls and around pipes. Some joint compounds and plasters contained it too.

The fibers are microscopic and extremely durable, so once they are breathed in they stay in the lungs more or less permanently. Years of exposure can cause mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the chest, which is why the United States and most other countries stopped using the material. The disease usually does not show up until about 30 years after exposure, when lung damage has become severe.

When asbestos is not removed by trained professionals, the hazards grow worse over time, and the material can become hard or even impossible to remove safely.

Documents

• Updated asbestos survey packet (PDF, 571 KB)
• Guide to who is allowed to survey public buildings for asbestos (PDF, 195 KB)

Learn More

• Guidance for workers at risk of exposure, from a national mesothelioma patient-education organization
• Asbestos fact sheets from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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