Feb 27, 2023
If you're remodeling, tearing out water-damaged materials, or demolishing a building in Colorado, you will probably need an asbestos inspection first. Colorado's asbestos rules are stricter than federal rules, and they apply to houses, not just commercial buildings. Here's how they work, what the numbers mean, and what to do next.
Before you disturb building materials above Colorado's trigger levels, a Colorado-certified Asbestos Building Inspector has to inspect them or the materials must be treated as if they contain asbestos. Every demolition needs an asbestos inspection and a state demolition permit, no matter how small the building is. The rules come from the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission's Regulation No. 8, Part B, enforced by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
Trigger levels are the amounts of material that bring a project under the state's formal requirements.
Single-family homes (including apartment and condo units):
Public and commercial buildings:
32 square feet is about one 4×8 sheet of drywall, so most remodels and water-damage tear-outs go over the trigger level quickly. Trigger levels decide which regulations apply. They aren't permission to disturb smaller amounts carelessly. Worker-protection rules still apply below them.
Not much. Buildings of any age can contain asbestos, and we still find it in materials installed well after the 1980s. Colorado allows an exemption only for buildings built after October 12, 1988, and only if the architect or engineer certifies in writing that no asbestos-containing materials were used. Most homeowners don't have that document, so in practice newer homes usually get tested too.
Only a Colorado-certified Asbestos Building Inspector working for a registered consulting firm can do a regulated inspection. Contractors and homeowners can't collect their own samples for a permit. The inspector:
A typical home inspection takes 30 to 45 minutes on site. Results from the accredited lab typically come back within a few days, and rush analysis is available if you're on a tight timeline.
Colorado treats any material containing more than 1% asbestos as asbestos-containing material (ACM). If even one sample from a homogeneous area comes back over 1%, the whole area is treated as ACM. Results are never averaged, and a clean result in one area doesn't clear a different area.
If no asbestos is found, the report will say no asbestos was detected in the materials sampled. That covers the materials tested. It isn't a guarantee about the rest of the building. If you find a new suspect material during the project, such as old flooring under new flooring or insulation behind a wall, stop and have it evaluated before you disturb it.
L&K Environmental only does testing; we don't do removal. That keeps our results independent. If your report shows ACM, we'll explain what it means for your scope and point you toward the next step.
The costliest problem we see is material torn out before anyone tested it. When the building department asks for an asbestos report, there's nothing left to sample, and the project stalls. Test during planning or bidding, while you still have options.
If the work will disturb more than 32 square feet of material (or 50 linear feet of pipe), yes. Many building departments also ask for the report before they'll issue a permit.
Not for a regulated inspection or a permit. Colorado requires a certified Asbestos Building Inspector.
It applies to the materials that were sampled. If the scope of work changes or new materials turn up, you may need additional sampling.
Not sure if your project needs testing? Call and ask. It's much easier than dealing with a stalled permit. See our asbestos testing services or contact us to get on the schedule anywhere in the Denver metro.
Asbestos • Lead • Mold
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📧 info@lkenvironmental.com
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