Oregon Asbestos Rules, Explained

Oregon's asbestos rules live in Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 340, Division 248, administered by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). They apply to homeowners, landlords, builders and contractors. This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice; check DEQ's pages or ask DEQ for your specific project.

1. Survey before renovation or demolition

Before demolishing or renovating any commercial building, or any residential building built before Jan. 1, 2004, the owner or operator must have an accredited inspector survey for asbestos (OAR 340-248-0270). "Residential" includes single-family, modular, manufactured, condo, duplex and up to four units (DEQ).

2. Exemptions

• Owner-occupants doing their own work inside a single-unit private residence they live in are exempt from licensing, notification and the survey and work-practice rules (OAR 340-248-0250(1)(a)). Disposal rules still apply, and DEQ still recommends a survey.
• Post-2003 homes: residential buildings with four or fewer units built after Jan. 1, 2004 are exempt from the survey and work-practice rule.
• Small repairs: DEQ's housing page describes an exemption for very small projects (under 3 square feet or 3 linear feet) done as part of a repair. Read DEQ's conditions before relying on it.
• Not exempt: demolition of a pre-2004 home, rentals and commercial buildings, or any job where you hire someone else.

3. Licensed contractors for friable asbestos

Only a DEQ-licensed asbestos abatement contractor may remove friable asbestos for others (DEQ fact sheet). Nonfriable material may also be removed by CCB-licensed contractors and property owners. DEQ publishes the licensed contractor list and notes the list isn't an endorsement.

4. Notification before work

• Friable: contractors file an ASN-1 notification and fee 10 days before work (DEQ can waive the wait in emergencies).
• Nonfriable: an ASN-6 notification and fee 5 days before work.
• Owner-occupants doing their own abatement are exempt. Forms are on DEQ's forms page.

5. Packaging and disposal (applies to everyone)

All asbestos waste, friable or not, must be packaged in at least two 6-mil plastic bags or similar leak-tight packaging with an asbestos warning label, labeled with the generator's name and the address it came from, and taken to a DEQ-permitted disposal facility with a completed ASN-4 waste shipment form. Open storage of friable asbestos waste is prohibited. The landfill must be notified before you arrive; DEQ suggests at least 24 hours ahead. See DEQ's list of permitted facilities.

6. Contractor licensing and advertising (CCB)

The Oregon Construction Contractors Board says a license is required for any construction business that advertises, offers, bids, arranges for or performs construction, remodeling or repair work (CCB), and contractors must show their CCB license number in advertising, including websites (OAR 812-003-0120). That's why we're careful here: we're not a contractor, we don't offer or arrange work, and any professional you're connected with gives you their own estimate and contract under their own license. Verify any contractor on the CCB license search.

7. If asbestos is accidentally disturbed

EPA's advice: don't dust, sweep or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos, don't track it through the house, and call a trained asbestos professional for anything more than a tiny area. DEQ's homeowner page has guidance for releases.

8. Related: woodstoves when a home is sold

A separate Oregon rule (OAR 340-262-0700, DEQ's Heat Smart program) requires uncertified woodstoves and fireplace inserts to be removed and destroyed when a home is sold. See Oregon woodstove removal at home sale.

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