How much does the asbestos assessment for a Calgary demolition inspection cost?

Calgary firms quote hazardous materials assessments building by building, and few publish a price, so there is no reliable range to give you. What you can expect is that every quote will be different depending on the size of the building, how many suspect materials are present, how many bulk samples need to be collected, and whether the report needs to meet the City of Calgary's specific demolition requirements.

What the City actually needs from you

The City of Calgary requires an Asbestos Abatement Information Form before it releases a demolition permit for any structure built before 1990. That form asks you to declare either that all materials with the potential to release fibres have been removed and disposed of at an approved landfill, or that none are present in the project area. To make that declaration honestly, you need a pre-demolition hazardous materials assessment done first.

The demolition permit guide goes further: you must provide a copy of the asbestos assessment showing the number of samples and their locations, plus a clearance letter confirming all asbestos materials have been properly removed and the area is acceptable for demolition. That clearance letter goes to the authority having jurisdiction at the time of inspection.

What drives the cost of the assessment itself includes:

• The age, size and complexity of the building (more suspect materials mean more samples)
• The number of bulk samples sent to a lab, which runs $65 to $145 per sample, with packages of several samples costing less per sample
• Whether the consultant charges a flat fee for the survey and report or bills separately for samples and lab fees

A few things worth asking any consultant before you hire them. Ask whether the quote includes lab fees or bills them separately. Ask how many samples they plan to collect and how they decided on that number. Ask whether the report format will satisfy the City's demolition permit requirements specifically, because a report written for a renovation survey may not include everything the demolition guide asks for. Ask whether the same firm will do the clearance letter after abatement, or whether that is a separate engagement.

One point on clearance: ask for the clearance samples to be collected by a consultant independent of the abatement crew, and ask which lab will count them. The Manual recommends that labs counting asbestos samples take part in a proficiency testing program.

The abatement work itself is regulated by Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, not the City. The contractor doing the removal must file a 72-hour notification through Alberta's asbestos portal before any work that may release fibres begins, and every worker entering a restricted area must carry an original, valid Alberta government-approved asbestos worker card. There is no contractor licence for asbestos abatement in Alberta; the worker card and the OHS notification are the credentials that exist in law.

If you want quotes from Calgary abatement contractors who handle pre-demolition assessments, the request form on this page sends your details to contractors listed in the Calgary Construction Network directory.

The question to settle before you hire: which deliverables are in the price, and will the report meet the City of Calgary demolition permit guide?