Asbestos Removal in Durham

Durham is small, with fewer than 1,000 homes, and about 6 in every 10 sit in buildings with five or more units. Under Oregon’s rules those count as commercial buildings, so they need an asbestos survey before renovation whatever their age.

Durham’s demolition permit application asks for the asbestos survey up front. We test and remove asbestos for Durham property owners and managers.

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Two-story 1960s garden apartment building with exterior walkways, wood siding and brick, under an overcast sky

Example project

Outside survey of an apartment building before every balcony is rebuilt

Example project

Building: 1970s two-story apartment building in Durham, 24 units, each with a wood balcony and a sliding door
Original request: Rebuild every balcony and replace the sliding doors, with tenants staying home
Testing: About 20 samples of the siding, the balcony coating, the soffits, the door caulk and the flashing tape
Found: Asbestos in the caulk around the sliding door frames
Clear: No asbestos in the siding, the balcony coating, the soffits or the flashing tape
Timeline: Two sampling days around the tenants' schedules, then the report the next week
Estimated survey cost: $2,200

In this example, the owner of a 24-unit building from the 1970s in Durham plans to rebuild every balcony and put in new sliding doors. The carpenters will cut siding, soffits and old caulk where each balcony meets the wall, and a building of five or more units is surveyed before renovation whatever its age.

See the full example and more projects

Asbestos services

Apartment testing

A building with five or more units needs a survey before any renovation, whatever year it was built. Asbestos testing covers the units or common areas being changed.

Ceilings in units

An apartment ceiling that tests positive is friable work. We run popcorn ceiling removal in occupied buildings from a sealed work area with warning signs posted at its edge.

Floors between tenants

Turnovers are a good time to replace old flooring. Our floor tile and sheet vinyl removal lifts tile whole and treats any asbestos-backed sheet goods as friable.

Demolition

Pre-demolition abatement covers the survey and removal that Durham’s application asks about.

Durham demolition permits

Durham’s structural demolition application notes that DEQ requires an asbestos survey before any building is demolished or intentionally burned. The application must include a copy of the survey, or DEQ verification that asbestos removal has been completed and approved.

One of the permit conditions goes a step further: the city wants DEQ’s asbestos abatement report on file before the demolition permit is issued.

City of Durham structural demolition permit application

Rented homes

About two thirds of Durham’s homes are rented. A landlord can’t use the owner-occupant exemption, so asbestos work in a rental follows the full survey, notice and disposal rules.

Census Reporter: Durham housing (ACS 2024)OAR 340-248-0250 (exemptions)

Old white wrapped HVAC duct and heat register boot in a crawlspace

Frequently asked questions

Is a newer apartment building exempt from the survey?

No. Once a building has five or more units, Oregon applies the commercial survey rule, and that rule has no age cutoff.

Who files the DEQ notice?

The person or company doing the abatement files it. DEQ needs the form and fee 10 days ahead of friable work and five days ahead of nonfriable work, and a notice missing either one doesn’t count.

Can residents stay in the building during abatement?

The regulated area is closed to everyone but authorized workers, and friable work stays inside a negative pressure enclosure. How the rest of the building is used during the work is something we settle with the property manager.

Also see asbestos removal in King City, or return to our Tigard page.

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Call (971) 414-4913