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NESHAP & The 10-Day — Asbestos Notification

It is the most common reason a demolition date slips, and almost nobody explains it before the deposit.

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What NESHAP is

NESHAP stands for National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. The asbestos NESHAP is the federal rule that governs what has to happen before a building comes down, and in Illinois it is administered by the Illinois EPA. The two pieces that touch a normal demolition job are an inspection and a written notification.

The 10-day clock

For regulated buildings the notification has to be on file with the Illinois EPA at least ten working days before demolition starts. Ten working days is two calendar weeks, not ten days. That clock is the single most common reason somebody’s teardown date moves, and it moves for people who did not know the clock existed until the week they wanted the machine on site.

When it applies and when it doesn't

A detached single-family residence being demolished as a residence generally falls outside the regulated category. Farm buildings, commercial buildings, apartment buildings and institutional buildings generally fall inside it. That is a summary and not legal advice — the honest answer is that the building type decides it, and we walk through your specific building at the estimate rather than guessing from a web page.

What an inspection actually involves

A licensed inspector walks the building and samples the materials that historically contain asbestos: some old roofing and siding, pipe and boiler insulation, floor tile and the mastic under it, and certain wallboard compounds. It is not a demolition of the building, it is a few hours and some samples. Anything found that is regulated has to be removed by a licensed abatement contractor before the structure comes down.

Why we bring it up early

Because it is a calendar item, not a surprise. Told at the site walk it costs you two weeks of planning. Found the morning the machine arrives it costs you the mobilization, the date, and sometimes a lot more than that. We would rather be the contractor who mentioned it in week one.

NESHAP — Questions We Get

Do I need an asbestos inspection to tear down my house?

A detached single-family home being demolished as a residence generally falls outside the regulated category, which is why most house teardowns around here do not carry an inspection requirement. Farm, commercial, apartment and institutional buildings generally do. We look at your specific building at the estimate rather than assuming, because the building type is what decides it.

How long before demolition does the notification have to be filed?

At least ten working days before the work starts, which is two calendar weeks rather than ten days. That clock is the most common reason a demolition date slips, and it is the reason we ask about the building age on the first call.

What happens if asbestos is found?

Anything regulated has to be removed by a licensed abatement contractor before the structure comes down. It is its own scope and its own schedule. We help you line it up and then work behind it, so you are not managing two contractors who have never spoken to each other.

Talk To The Man Running The Machine

Free, itemized, on-site estimates across central Illinois. Here is what to photograph, or see the rest of the plain-English glossary.

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