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Asbestos siding and transite shingles
Hard, flat cement-type siding and shingles on older houses are sometimes asbestos-cement, often called transite. CDPHE's list of products that may contain asbestos includes cement wallboard and roofing shingles. A lab test settles it.
How the rules classify it
The federal asbestos rule calls this kind of product Category II nonfriable: more than 1 percent asbestos, and it cannot be crumbled or powdered by hand pressure when dry. In a 1992 determination, EPA said breaking a transite panel does not by itself bring it under the rule. It does once the siding is crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder, or is likely to be during the work.
Colorado follows the same idea. CDPHE allows contractors other than certified abatement companies to remove non-friable material as long as it is not made friable, done under Regulation 8, Part B. If the job will grind, sand or pulverize the siding, it becomes abatement for a state-certified General Abatement Contractor.
When a test is required
| Job | Colorado rule |
|---|---|
| Re-siding part of a house | Certified inspection before disturbing more than 32 square feet of other surfaces. A single 4-by-8-foot sheet is 32 square feet. |
| Siding on apartments or commercial buildings | Certified inspection above 160 square feet of other surfaces |
| Tearing the building down | Certified inspection every time, covering every suspect material inside and out, plus a state demolition notice ($50 plus $5 for every 1,000 square feet demolished) |
| Removing non-friable siding above the trigger | State non-friable notice, $80 |
Demolition reports that get turned down
CDPHE guidance says a demolition notice will not be approved if the inspection report is marked "for renovation" or "limited," unless the demolition itself is limited, such as a pop-top or taking out one load-bearing wall. Reports that say an attic, basement or boiler room was "not accessible," or that materials may sit under the ones tested, get the demolition application denied. CDPHE also notes that a demolition inspection may need destructive sampling to find suspect materials hidden under or behind other parts of the building.
Local permits and disposal
Many cities want a permit just to replace siding; Arvada, for one, requires a permit for residential siding and window replacement (Arvada asbestos and demolition permits). In Denver, the city waits for state approval before it issues a demolition permit. All asbestos waste, siding included, has to go to an approved asbestos disposal site; WM lists non-friable asbestos as accepted at the Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site in Aurora.
We have no dated Denver price for siding removal. See Denver asbestos removal prices and state permit fees for the price guides we do cite and the full fee table.