TacomaAsbestos Removal
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Asbestos Removal in Tacoma

At Tacoma Asbestos Removal, we make asbestos removal quick and easy for homeowners and property managers alike. Our proven methods include a decade of experience, reliable professionals, guaranteed work, and affordable pricing. Call now for a free, personalized quote, no obligation.

For us, every project is unique and we always focus on your home's needs. Whether you are refreshing one unit or preparing a larger renovation, we begin with the building's use and the desired end result. Flooring, ceiling finishes, insulation and exterior materials all get their own place in our careful planning. Scroll down to learn more about asbestos removal and our unique approach.

Describe your asbestos projectExplore services
Empty room closed off with a sealed plastic containment partition and air-filtration equipment
Asbestos testing and surveysPopcorn ceiling removalPlaster, drywall and joint compoundPipe, boiler and duct insulationFloor tile, sheet vinyl and masticCement siding and roofingPre-demolition asbestos abatementApartments, condominiums and commercial buildings

Residential asbestos removal

Labeled sample bags and a sampling tool beside a small cut in a floorPopcorn ceiling in a 1970s living room sealed off with plastic sheeting

Asbestos testing and surveys

A remodel survey covers only what the work will touch. A demolition survey covers the whole building, inside and out. Samples go to a lab, and anything over 1% asbestos counts as asbestos-containing under PSCAA rules. Owners who live in their single-family house can survey for a remodel themselves. Rentals, condos and every demolition need an AHERA-accredited building inspector, and we arrange that survey before we plan the removal.

Popcorn ceiling removal

Sprayed ceiling texture crumbles easily, so once a sample comes back positive, scraping it is an asbestos job. We soak the texture, scrape it wet into sealed bags and clean the room under containment, leaving the ceiling ready for patching or new board. Painting over texture to seal it can make removal harder later, and texture weighed down by paint or a leak can come down in clumps.

Older plaster and drywall wall opened during a remodel, with joint compound visibleOld boiler and pipe runs wrapped in white insulation in a basement mechanical room

Plaster, drywall and joint compound

Walls in Tacoma’s pre-war houses are usually lath and plaster, often skimmed with later finish coats. Mid-century houses went to taped drywall coated with joint compound. Patching compounds and textured paints can contain asbestos too, so a kitchen or bath remodel that opens a wall starts with samples of each layer. We take out anything from a few square feet around a new window to a whole room down to the studs.

Pipe, boiler and duct insulation

The covering on boilers, steam and hot-water pipes, elbows and ducts is common in the basements of older houses and apartment blocks, and PSCAA treats it as friable. Small amounts need no agency notice, but a basement full of wrapped mains can pass the yearly limit many times over, and then the notice goes in first. Vermiculite attic fill is in the same group, so treat it as contaminated.

Nine-inch vinyl floor tiles with black mastic partly exposed in an older kitchenGray cement-shingle siding on the exterior of a house

Floor tile, sheet vinyl and mastic

Vinyl floor tile and black mastic are normally nonfriable, so PSCAA requires no notice to remove them as long as nobody sands, grinds or saws them. Sheet vinyl is different, because its fibrous backing can be friable and gets handled that way. Old kitchens and basements often hide two or three floors stacked up, and each layer needs its own lab result.

Cement siding and roofing

Cement asbestos-board shingles were a popular re-siding product on older houses. PSCAA treats cement asbestos products as friable, so we keep the shingles wet and take them off whole rather than breaking them, and larger jobs need a notice. Cement roof shingles count the same way. Other asbestos roofing is on the agency’s nonfriable list as long as it stays intact.

Older wood-sided house behind a chain-link fence, prepared for demolition, with a plastic-lined dumpster, wet gravel and fir trees under an overcast sky

Pre-demolition asbestos abatement

A Tacoma demolition permit needs an AHERA survey of the building before work starts, plus a Notice of Intent to PSCAA for any structure with more than 120 square feet of roof, mobile homes included. Certified workers remove whatever asbestos the survey finds before the building comes down, and PSCAA’s 10-day waiting period runs from the notice.

Rental, multifamily and commercial asbestos abatement

PSCAA’s owner-occupant exceptions apply only to a single-family house the owner lives in. Every other building follows the contractor rules.

Empty commercial room with floor tiles and a containment partition

Apartments, condominiums and commercial buildings

About 45% of Tacoma homes are rented, and nearly a third of all units are in buildings with five or more apartments. In those buildings, in condos and in commercial space, every renovation needs an AHERA survey and every removal needs a certified abatement contractor. We work occupied buildings in phases around the tenants. An owner with many small jobs can file one annual notification, as long as each building stays under PSCAA’s yearly quantity limits.

Asbestos testing and removal costs

More than 6 in every 10 Tacoma homes were built before 1980, making asbestos a common issue in our community. Our price ranges cover hired labor, materials, containment, lab fees and disposal for typical jobs in Tacoma, University Place and Puyallup. Expect the low figure for a small job with easy access, and the top for bigger areas, occupied buildings, second stories or extra air tests.

Asbestos testing and surveys

  • Testing a few materials, up to about 4 samples$300 – $600+
  • Asbestos survey before a remodel, one house$400 – $1,000+
  • Asbestos survey before tearing down a house$800 – $2,000+
  • Survey of a small commercial or apartment building$1,500 – $4,000+
What is included

An accredited inspector samples, the lab reads the samples and you receive a written report for your contractors. Remodel surveys look only at the work area; demolition surveys look at the whole structure.

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Popcorn ceiling removal

  • One room ceiling, about 150 to 250 sq ft$1,800 – $4,500+
  • Several rooms or one floor, about 600 to 1,000 sq ft$5,500 – $14,000+
  • Whole house, about 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft of ceiling$10,000 – $25,000+
What is included

Plastic over the room, the texture soaked and scraped into sealed bags, disposal and a final clean. Ceilings of 48 sq ft or more need a notice to the clean air agency before work starts. Retexture and paint cost extra.

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Plaster and drywall removal

  • One wall or patch, up to about 100 sq ft$1,200 – $3,000+
  • Walls of one room, about 300 to 400 sq ft of wall$2,700 – $6,500+
  • Walls of several rooms, about 1,000 to 1,500 sq ft of wall$8,000 – $21,000+
What is included

The room sealed with a filtered air unit, plaster, drywall or joint compound taken off wet, sealed bags, disposal and cleanup. Walls of 48 sq ft or more need a notice before work. New drywall and paint are extra.

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Pipe and boiler insulation removal

  • Pipe insulation in a basement, about 50 to 150 ft of pipe$1,500 – $4,500+
  • Old boiler or furnace with its insulation and nearby pipe$4,500 – $12,000+
What is included

Negative air inside a sealed work area, pipe or boiler covering taken off wet, sealed bags, disposal and a final air check. Ten feet of pipe or more means a notice first. New insulation costs extra.

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Floor tile and sheet vinyl removal

  • One bathroom or laundry floor, about 50 to 100 sq ft$1,200 – $3,000+
  • One kitchen or large room, about 150 to 300 sq ft$1,800 – $5,000+
  • Several rooms, about 500 to 1,000 sq ft$4,000 – $12,000+
What is included

Tile and black adhesive taken up whole and wet, or sheet vinyl lifted wet with its backing, inside plastic, then bagging, disposal and cleanup. Tile that comes up whole needs no agency notice, while torn vinyl backing counts as friable and does. New flooring is extra.

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Pre-demolition abatement

  • Asbestos survey before tearing down a house$800 – $2,000+
  • Abatement of a whole house before tear-down$10,000 – $30,000+
What is included

A survey of the whole structure, removal of all asbestos before the wrecking crew starts, disposal, and the demolition notice with its 10-day wait. The wrecking work is a separate price.

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Multifamily and commercial abatement

  • Survey of a small commercial or apartment building$1,500 – $4,000+
  • Small office or shop area, about 500 to 1,000 sq ft$5,000 – $15,000+
  • Larger floor or building section, about 2,500 sq ft$12,000 – $35,000+
What is included

A survey by an accredited inspector, a sealed work area around tenants or customers, removal, disposal, the agency notice and an air test before the space is handed back. Every job is priced after a site visit.

Get a free quoteSee an example project

Ranges are 2026 estimates, not quotes. Call today for a free, personalized quote.

Our process

01

Survey the materials the work will disturb

Every job starts with knowing what is there. The inspector finds the suspect materials in the work area, samples them and records what tested positive, where and how much. PSCAA expects a summary posted on site or handed to anyone who might touch the material, with the full survey kept on the job.

02

Match the notice to the project size

Quantities decide the paperwork. Friable jobs under 10 linear feet or 48 square feet per structure a year, and all nonfriable jobs, need no PSCAA notice. Bigger friable jobs are filed in advance, and the bigger tiers wait 10 days. L&I has its own notice for jobs over 48 square feet or 10 linear feet.

03

Contain, wet and remove

We take friable material out inside a marked, restricted work area. We keep it wet, lower it rather than drop it, and seal it in leak-tight containers before the end of the shift, each labeled with the date, who generated the waste and the address.

04

Haul to an authorized site

We get friable waste to an authorized facility within 10 days of removal, with an Asbestos Waste Material Shipment Record. Tacoma Landfill on Mullen Street takes asbestos from inside the City of Tacoma only. From elsewhere in Pierce County it goes to Hidden Valley Transfer Station or another site on PSCAA’s list. Nonfriable waste goes into containers labeled “nonfriable asbestos waste.”

Asbestos in Tacoma’s older homes and buildings

Tacoma was built early. Houses went up through the early twentieth century and again after World War II, so the city has plenty of older homes to check.

Age tells you where to look, not what you have. Pre-war houses often have plaster walls and boiler heat. Mid-century homes more often have joint compound, textured ceilings and vinyl tile. Many were re-sided or re-floored over earlier layers. A lab result is the only way to know.

A demolition of a building over 50 years old, one in a Mixed-Use Center or National Register district, or a large non-single-family building may also need historic preservation review. That review runs alongside the asbestos steps.

Census Reporter: Tacoma housing (ACS 2024)City of Tacoma demolition permit tip sheet

Serving Tacoma, University Place and Puyallup

We also serve University Place and Puyallup. Call us for confirmation if your address is outside the area.

Frequently asked questions

Can homeowners remove asbestos themselves in Tacoma?

Yes, if it is a single-family home and you are the owner-occupant. A buyer may also take care of it before the move. You must still handle and dispose of the material as the agency requires, and larger amounts of friable material call for a Single-Family Residence Notification before the work begins. PSCAA lists a $25 fee for it. Tenants, landlords and condo owners must use a certified abatement contractor, and PSCAA strongly recommends that homeowners do as well.

Does a Tacoma demolition permit need an asbestos survey?

Yes. The City asks every applicant to have an AHERA-accredited building inspector survey the structure and, for any structure with more than 120 square feet of roof, to send PSCAA a Notice of Intent. Certified workers remove any asbestos found before demolition, and the 10-day wait applies even when none is found.

Can asbestos go to the Tacoma landfill?

Only if the asbestos came from inside the City of Tacoma. Tacoma Landfill at 3510 Mullen Street takes asbestos from the city only, and it wants a completed shipment record. The city’s household hazardous waste drop-off does not take asbestos at all. Call the landfill to confirm current requirements before you haul anything.

What affects the cost of asbestos removal?

The material and whether it is friable, how much there is (which also sets the PSCAA notice tier and fee), how easy the area is to reach, how much containment and cleanup it needs, whether people live or work in the building, and how far it is to an authorized disposal site. A survey with measured quantities is where any firm price starts.

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Call (253) 322-1760

Call (253) 322-1760