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Asbestos testing in Reno: what it costs and the county paperwork to file first

Why this question comes up so often here

Much of Reno's older housing was built out from downtown into what are now the Old Southwest and Midtown neighborhoods, and into Old Town Sparks, mostly before 1980.

That older housing matters because of when asbestos was banned. The EPA lists federal bans on spray-applied asbestos materials for insulation and fireproofing in 1973, friable pipe and block insulation in 1975, and spray-applied materials for other uses in 1978; a broader 1989 ban was mostly overturned in 1991. A Nevada Housing Division table built from 2021 American Community Survey data shows 16 percent of Washoe County's owner-occupied homes built in 1969 or earlier, and another 30 percent built between 1970 and 1989 (HDB-209, December 2022). Together that is nearly half of the county's owned housing built before 1990.

The second thing that is different here is that Washoe County does not leave this to federal law alone. Northern Nevada Public Health, which Reno residents may still remember as the Washoe County Health District before its 2023 name change, runs its own Air Quality Management Division with a local asbestos program layered on top.

Demolishing a house: two Northern Nevada Public Health pages differ. NNPH's asbestos program page defines a "facility" to exclude residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units, unless the use changes (for example, a house demolished for a commercial project). NNPH's plan review page, however, says the complete demolition of any structure, commercial or residential, requires notification and an AAA. If you plan to demolish a house, ask AQMD in writing which rule applies before you apply for the permit.

The mistake that costs Reno homeowners the most money

Starting the work before the paperwork is filed. NNPH says a complete application for an Acknowledgement of Asbestos Assessment (AAA) is processed within 10 business days, and where a notification applies, it is due at least 10 working days before removal or demolition starts (NNPH, Asbestos). That is nearly a month of lead time if you do the two in sequence instead of together.

Homeowners who skip this find out the hard way: if an AAA applies to your project, the building department will not issue the permit without it on file. A remodeling crew that opens a wall or pulls tile before testing, and turns out to be wrong about what is under there, has to stop, seal the area, get it tested properly and possibly wait out the notification clock before finishing a job that was supposed to take a week. The delay costs idle crew time and a contractor who is now booked on someone else's job by the time you are cleared to restart.

Who does the survey and the removal

If regulated asbestos-containing material (RACM) above the thresholds will be removed, an Asbestos NESHAP Notification of Renovation is due to AQMD at least 10 working days before removal starts. Demolition of a facility requires a Notification of Demolition at least 10 working days before demolition starts (NNPH, Asbestos).

NNPH requires that the survey be done by an "AHERA Certified Building Inspector," meaning an inspector accredited under the federal asbestos accreditation program (40 CFR Part 763). Nevada OSHA also licenses asbestos consultants (NAC 618). NNPH also states that "RACM must be removed by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor"; in Nevada that license is issued by Nevada OSHA (NAC 618.9155). This website is not an inspector, consultant, laboratory or contractor, and it does not hold any of these credentials.

Nevada's asbestos rules bar an abatement contractor from also acting as the inspector or consultant on the same project (NAC 618.918).

Official contact, Northern Nevada Public Health, Air Quality Management Division (we are not affiliated with NNPH or AQMD): 1001 E. Ninth Street, Suite B-171, Reno, NV 89512; [email protected]; (775) 784-7200.

Where the facts come from

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Is Asbestos Testing Reno an asbestos company?

No. asbestostestingreno.com is an information website. It does not do any asbestos work and it does not currently refer anyone.

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