Asbestos, before anything else
The survey nobody warns you about, and the ten days it costs.
In Miami-Dade an asbestos survey is required for every demolition, whatever year the building went up. Most people find that out after they have already picked a start date. This page is the whole rule, with the county and state documents it comes from, so you can plan around it instead of being told about it.
The short answer
Yes, you need one. A survey is required for all demolition projects in Miami-Dade with no exemption by building age, it has to be done by a state licensed asbestos consultant rather than by the demolition crew, and the notification that follows it puts 10 working days, about 14 calendar days, between a complete form and the first day of work.
The pre-1980 rule you have heard is the wrong test
Almost everyone arrives believing a survey is only needed for older buildings, and for renovation there is a threshold that makes that roughly true. For demolition there is none. The county rule turns on the work, not on the year, so a building finished last decade needs the same survey as one from 1962. Budgeting on the age of the house is the single most common way a Miami demolition schedule slips before it starts.
Rule
Age is not the trigger
Renovation is a different rule, and this is where age starts to matter
Renovation threshold
- Buildings with 5 or more units.
- Several small residential buildings on the same lot.
- Residential buildings demolished or renovated as part of a larger project, for example a road widening.
Most commercial demolition and renovation projects, and some residential ones, need asbestos review and approval from the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER).
Who does it, and why it is two contracts rather than one
The county points owners at the DBPR license register to find an asbestos consultant, which tells you what you need to know: the survey is not something your demolition contractor can hand you as part of the job. You hire the consultant, the consultant hires the lab, and the report comes back to you. A contractor who offers to do the survey themselves is either subcontracting it, which is fine if they say so, or describing something that is not a survey.
Who performs it
Affidavit
The ten day clock, and what actually starts it
The notification is filed on the state form and the count runs in working days, not calendar days, which is why ten becomes about fourteen on a calendar with two weekends in it. The part that catches people is where the clock starts.
Duration
When the clock starts
Rule
Sources
The exception, and how narrow it is
Ordered demolition and emergency renovation are the exception to the 10 day rule, and even then the notice is filed no later than the next working day.
The rules this sits under
- 0140 CFR 61 Subpart M, the National Emission Standards for Asbestos (NESHAP).
- 02Florida Statutes Chapter 469, Asbestos Abatement.
- 03Chapter 62-257, Florida Administrative Code, the state asbestos program administered by Florida DEP.
- 0429 CFR 1910.1001, OSHA general industry.
- 0529 CFR 1926.1101, OSHA construction.
What it costs
We do not publish a figure for a survey or for abatement, because we have not measured one and a range copied from a national average is worth nothing to somebody standing in a specific building in Miami. What we will tell you is the shape of it: the survey is a fixed professional fee that depends on the size of the building and the number of samples, and abatement, if anything is found, is priced separately and by the licensed abatement contractor, not by us. Ask any demolition contractor who quotes you a single all-in number which part of it is the survey and which part is abatement, and watch what happens.
What we can do here, and what we cannot
We are not an asbestos consultant and we are not an abatement contractor. Both are separately licensed in Florida and neither license is ours.
- Tell you, before you spend anything, whether your project is a demolition or a renovation under the county rule, because the two have different triggers and most of the confusion starts here.
- Run the notification paperwork through the county with your consultant's report attached, so the form is complete the first time and the clock starts on the day you filed rather than two weeks later.
- Sequence the asbestos track against the permit review so the two queues overlap.
- Take the clearing, the hauling and the disposal once the material that needs a licensed hand is out, with the weight tickets handed back.
Asbestos does not travel with general construction debris, it goes to a separate landfill on a separate appointment, and it is not priced anywhere on this site.
Sources
- Miami-Dade County, global
- Miami-Dade County, permits (PDF)
- Miami-Dade County, permits
- Florida DEP, air
- Florida DEP, sites (PDF)
- Florida DEP, sites (PDF)
Everything here is summarized from public sources and changes without notice. Verify with the issuing department before you plan around it.
Questions
What people ask before they call.
Do I need an asbestos survey to demolish a house in Miami?
An asbestos survey is required for all demolition projects in Miami-Dade, with no exemption by building age. The county rule turns on the work, not on the year the building went up, so a pre-1980 cutoff is the wrong test.
My building is from 2005. Do I still need a survey?
Yes. For demolition in Miami-Dade there is no exemption by building age. The threshold that depends on material and quantity applies to renovation, not to demolition.
How long does the asbestos notification take in Miami-Dade?
10 working days, 14 calendar days. The countdown starts when the notice form is deemed complete, not when it is first submitted, so an error in the form pushes the start of work back.
Can my demolition contractor do the asbestos survey?
No, not as the same contract. The county directs owners to the state license register to find an asbestos consultant, so the survey is performed by a separately licensed professional. A contractor can arrange it for you, and should say plainly that they are subcontracting it.
What if the demolition is an emergency?
Ordered demolition and emergency renovation are the exception to the 10 day rule, and even then the notice is filed no later than the next working day.
How much does an asbestos survey cost in Miami?
This site does not publish a figure, because we have not measured one in this county and a national average would be a guess dressed as a price. It is a professional fee set by the consultant and it scales with the size of the building and the number of samples. Abatement, if anything is found, is a separate price from a separate licensed contractor.
Tell us the address and we will tell you which track you are on.
Demolition or renovation, what the survey will have to cover, and what the sequence looks like against your dates. No charge for that conversation and no obligation after it.