Hiring a licensed asbestos abatement contractor: a checklist
How to check a contractor's license, separate testing from removal, what a written scope should include, and paperwork to keep.
Asbestos abatement is regulated work. Most states require the contractor, and often its supervisors and workers, to hold a specific license or certification, and federal rules govern how asbestos-containing waste is handled. Hiring an unlicensed general contractor to tear out asbestos-containing material can expose your family or tenants, and can leave you responsible for the consequences. This checklist is general information, not legal advice; check your own state’s requirements.
1. Confirm the license in the official record
The EPA advises homeowners to contact their state agency for up-to-date listings of accredited professionals and to verify that a contractor has completed federal or state-approved training. Do that before you sign. Ask the contractor for its license or certification number and confirm it with the issuing agency. The listings on this site come from four state files (Florida, Illinois, Connecticut and Delaware) and each profile links to the lookup, but the state’s own record on the day you sign is what counts. Note the expiry date; a license that expires halfway through the project is a question to ask.
2. Separate testing from removal
The person who tests your building for asbestos should not be the person who profits from removing it. Hire a licensed inspector or consultant to sample and write the scope, and then get bids from licensed abatement contractors against that written scope. In several states, including those in our directory, consultant credentials (inspector, management planner, project designer, project monitor) are separate from contractor licenses. A consultant can also monitor the work.
3. Get at least three written bids on the same scope
Every bidder should price the same defined work: the materials to be removed, quantities, locations, and what will be left behind. Beware of bids that differ by a large factor without explanation. A very low price may mean the scope, waste disposal or air monitoring has been left out.
4. What the contract should include
- The contractor’s legal name, license number and expiry date.
- A written scope, referring to the consultant’s report or project design.
- How the work area will be sealed and how air will be managed. The EPA says asbestos work must not release visible emissions without air cleaning.
- Who will supervise, and confirmation that the supervisor and workers hold the required state credentials. Ask for copies.
- Waste handling: where the waste will be taken and how you will receive documentation of disposal.
- Any notification the contractor will file with the state or EPA agency, where required.
- Insurance, with a certificate naming you. Illinois states that all contractors conducting asbestos abatement must have current insurance and be licensed.
- Schedule, payment terms tied to completed stages, and how changes are approved in writing.
- What happens after: final inspection, clearance testing and who pays for a failed clearance.
5. Questions to ask
- Which state license do you hold, and can I see it?
- Who will be on site each day, and are they credentialed?
- How will you keep fibres out of the rest of my building?
- What happens if you find more asbestos than expected?
- Can I speak to two recent customers with similar projects?
6. During and after the work
Keep occupants out of the work area and follow the contractor’s and consultant’s instructions. Do not enter containment. When work is complete, ask for a written final inspection or clearance result from a qualified person, and keep the waste records, the licenses, the contract and payment records together with your property file. They may be useful when you sell, refinance or insure the property, and they show that the work was done properly.
What this directory does and doesn’t show
We list active licenses from state files, alphabetically. We do not rate quality, publish violations or verify insurance. A license shows that a state lists the business as licensed on the date checked, not that the business is right for your job. Read our guide on when to test and when to leave asbestos alone before you commission any work.