Asbestos
Asbestos Page Table of Contents
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs in rock and soil1. It was widely used in many building materials including: insulation, ceiling tiles, flooring, and roofing materials, because the fibers are strong and fireproof.
Asbestos is hazardous if the fibers become airborne and are inhaled into the lungs. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can potentially cause lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. Materials that contain asbestos generally do not release asbestos fibers into the air unless they are disturbed. Any asbestos-containing material that can easily be crumbled by hand is potentially hazardous. Likewise, any demolition or renovation activity that removes or damages asbestos-containing material can be hazardous if safety precautions are not taken to prevent the release of asbestos fibers.
More information can be found on the EPA website.
Permit Type Reference Chart:
Demolition/Renovation/Asbestos Permit
Permit Information
Activity | What is Required | Action Required |
A structure that has been used for any purpose, other than a single family dwelling, that will be demolished to the ground or any load bearing walls/members will be removed. Two or more family dwellings demolitions within one block is regulated. | Permit from the Air Pollution Control Bureau | An asbestos Inspection by an individual with a valid State of Tennessee Accreditation for asbestos inspector. Submit a Ten-Day Notification apcb.us/asbestos ten days prior to beginning of the work. Email the inspection report and the Ten-Day Notification to asbestos@chattanooga.gov. The Bureau will issue a permit for the project. The permit fee is based on the amount of regulated asbestos containing material is going to be removed and/or the square footage of the structure. |
An interior renovation, other than a single family dwelling, that does not include the removal of a load bearing wall where no regulated asbestos containing material has been identified as a result of an asbestos inspection. | Courtesy Notification | You are required to have a targeted asbestos inspection conducted by an individual with a valid State of Tennessee Accreditation for asbestos inspector. You will need to submit a Courtesy Notification. The form review is $50. |
Removal of regulated asbestos without the removal of any load bearing walls | Permit from the Air Pollution Control Bureau | Submit a Ten-Day Notification apcb.us/asbestos ten business days prior to the beginning of the work. |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that asbestos can cause cancer. In order to protect citizens from the health hazards presented by airborne asbestos fibers, all building demolitions and many renovation projects require a permit from the Air Pollution Control Bureau.
An application for an Asbestos Removal Permit, a Demolition Permit, or a Renovation Permit is to be completed and filed with the Bureau a minimum of 10 working days before the start of any:
Demolition Project: (with the exception of one private residence containing less than five (5) dwelling units where the property has not been used for commercial, business or institutional purposes) regardless of whether the building contains asbestos or not. Demolition is any wrecking or removal of any load-supporting structural member of a facility. An Asbestos Survey* and a permit are required.
Renovation Project: The altering a facility or one or more facility components in any way, including stripping or removal of regulated asbestos-containing materials (RACM) from a facility component. An Asbestos Survey* and a permit may be required.
Asbestos Removal Only Project: The removal of regulated asbestos-containing material or facility components that contain or are covered with regulated asbestos-containing material from any facility. A permit may be required.
Single family dwellings: The demolition of a single-family dwelling does NOT require an asbestos survey or a permit from the Air Pollution Control Bureau, providing it has not been used in the past for an institution, office, or commercial purpose.
*An Asbestos Survey includes an inspection, sample, and laboratory testing of suspected asbestos-containing materials. This must be conducted by an individual or company certified by the State of Tennessee.
Permit Fees
Permit fees are required to be paid before the permit will be issued.
The fee schedule can be found on our Fee Schedule page under Asbestos.
Check the website before each project to ensure that you are aware of any changes in asbestos regulations.
Asbestos Inspectors and/or Asbestos Removal Contractors | |||
The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau does not certify, endorse, or make any representations regarding the services offered by these companies. They are merely provided for your convenience. The Bureau suggests the same scrutiny be used when selecting a contractor from this list that one would use selecting any other contractor. Also, this may be only a partial listing of available contractors as those listed here have requested to be maintained on a consultants’ list or regularly perform work in this area. Asbestos Abatement Contractors are now required to be accredited by the State of Tennessee for indoor abatement and abatement in/on porticos, breezeways, or outdoor mechanical systems in schools and commercial or public buildings. Both the firm and the individuals performing the abatement are required to have accreditation. Inclusion on this list does not guarantee accreditations. | |||
Company | Contact | Asbestos Inspectors | Asbestos Removal |
AAA Remediation, Inc. 580 Baldock Road Scottsville, Kentucky 42164 | Flynn Warden 615.530.6862 aaaremediationinc@hotmail.com | X | X |
Affinity Environmental Group, INC. 9916 Walden Street Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 | Louetta Shortt 423.332.7077 aeg@affinityenvironmental.com | X | X |
Aegis Environmental, Inc. 105 Southeast Parkway, STE 115 Franklin, TN 37064 | Scott Leasure 615.591.0311 aegisenvir@aol.com | N/A | X |
Alternative Actions, Inc. 7505 Middle Valley Road Hixson, TN 37343 | Michael Gray 423.843.0773 mikegray@alternativeactionsinc.com keithboyd@alternativeactionsinc.com | X | X |
Battlefield Abatement Contractors 3079 Lakeview Drive Rossville, GA 30741 | Adam Helton 865.970.3932 haitn@bellsouth.net | X | X |
Dore & Associates Contracting, Inc. PO Box 146 Bay City, MI 48707 | Arthur M. Dore 989.684.8358 est@doreassoc.com | X | X |
Environmental Abatement Inc. 340 Rockland Road Hendersonville, TN 37075 | Dan Kemps 615.264.2711 | N/A | X |
Frost Environmental Services, LLC 339 Rockland Rd. STE E Hendersonville, TN 37075 | Seth Frost 615.562.2669 615.473.9047 seth@frostenvironmental.com | X | X |
GHP Environmental + Architecture 217 5th Ave. North 3rd Floor Nashville, TN 37219 | Don Cole J.P. McCarley 615.254.8500 hello@ghp1.com | X | X |
E. Luke Green Company, Inc. 4807 Douglas Dam Road Strawberry Plains, TN 37871 | Tim Berry 865.933.5902 423.926.1151 | X | X |
J.J. Morley Enterprises, Inc. 7560 Industrial Court Alpharetta, GA 30004 | Myron Patterson 615.244.3676 myronpatterson@morleycompany.com | N/A | X |
Marion Environmental, Inc. 115 Parmenas Lane Chattanooga, TN 37405 | Mark Hunter/ Tammy Sprouse 423.499.4919 tsprouse@marionenvironmental.com | X | X |
Peter Ward d/b/a Environmental Abatement 1834 Hidden Harbor Road Hixson, TN 37343 | Peter Ward 423.991.9688 | X | X |
Southeast Environmental, LLC 9028 Jetrail Drive Ooltewah, TN 37363 | Mark Dempsey 423.207.2840 theinfo@southeast-environmental.com | X | X |
Terracon Consultants, Inc. 51 Lost Mound Drive, Suite 135 Chattanooga, TN 37406 | Brian Watson 423.499.6111 brian.watson@terracon.com matthew.sadler@terracon.com nick.rowan@terracon.com | X | N/A |
Thompson Engineering Asbestos Services 630 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402 | Chris Gillentine 423.756.7970 (office) ext. 2900 423.460.5759 (cell) cgillentine@thompsonengineering.com | X | N/A |
Team Environmental Group 308 McCown Drive, Lebanon, TN 37087 | Jeremy Aker 615.364.7466 | N/A | X |
Last Updated 06/16/2023
**The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau does not certify, endorse, or make any representations regarding the services offered by these companies. This list is merely provided for your convenience.
Email: Asbestos Coordinator
Mail:
ATTN: Asbestos Coordinator
Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau
2034 Hamilton Place Blvd., STE 300
Chattanooga, TN 37421