Asbestos Removal in Forest Grove

More than one Forest Grove home in ten was built before 1940, and almost half were built before 1980. We test and remove asbestos in houses of every age here, from plaster-and-lath homes to manufactured homes.

We found no asbestos requirement on Forest Grove’s permitting page, so the DEQ survey and notice rules set the steps for a remodel or teardown.

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A 1930s bedroom with plaster partly removed down to the wood lath, plastic sheeting over the floor

Example project

Torn bags of old floor tile repacked and hauled from a garage

Example project

Home: 1930s house in Forest Grove with a detached garage, just bought by new owners
Original request: Get rid of torn bags of old floor tile that a past owner left in the garage
Testing: Samples of the tile pieces and the black scrapings in the bags
Found: Asbestos in the tile and the adhesive scrapings
Amount: Nine torn contractor bags and loose pieces on the garage floor
Timeline: Notice ten days ahead, then a single day in the garage
Cost: $1,400

In this example, a couple who just bought a 1930s house in Forest Grove find nine torn bags of old floor tile stacked in the garage, with broken pieces and black scrapings on the floor around them. That is far more than household hazardous waste will take.

See the full example and more projects

Asbestos services

Testing older houses

A pre-1940 house can carry plaster, several floor layers and later siding. Asbestos testing samples each material the remodel will open, with at least three samples from any sprayed or troweled surface.

Popcorn and textured ceilings

Texture on an old ceiling gets three samples per area. A positive result makes it friable work, and popcorn ceiling removal then follows DEQ’s enclosure rules.

Old floors

Older houses can stack one floor on another. Our floor tile and sheet vinyl removal starts with a result for every layer, then lifts what tested positive.

Teardowns

Clearing an old house for a new one starts with a whole-building survey. Pre-demolition abatement takes the asbestos out before the demolition crew arrives.

Forest Grove’s housing

More than 1,000 Forest Grove homes date from 1939 or earlier, and the 1970s added more homes than any other decade.

Early houses

Homes from before 1940 can have plaster walls, layered floors and siding added years after they were built. Their age is a reason to test, not proof of asbestos.

Manufactured homes

About 7 in every 100 Forest Grove homes are mobile homes. Oregon’s survey rule names manufactured dwellings as residential buildings, so the pre-2004 line applies to them too.

Census Reporter: Forest Grove housing (ACS 2024)Oregon DEQ: asbestos in housing

Permits and the state rules

Forest Grove’s permitting page walks through plan review and Clean Water Services letters, with no asbestos step. DEQ’s rules fill that gap: homes built before 2004 are surveyed before a contractor renovates or tears them down, and removal waits for a DEQ notice.

The same page asks owners to confirm the property’s jurisdiction through Metro first, and asks anyone in Cornelius to call before submitting plans to Forest Grove.

City of Forest Grove: permitting process Oregon DEQ fact sheet: asbestos survey requirements

A 1940s one-story house with gray cement shingles partly removed from one wall, uncovering the original painted wood lap siding

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove asbestos myself in Forest Grove?

If you own the house and live in it, Oregon lets you, though DEQ strongly recommends against it. A landlord can’t use that exemption, and nobody can use it for a house that is being demolished.

Does a 1990s house need a survey?

Before a contractor renovates or demolishes it, yes. The rule covers homes built before 2004.

Where does the waste go?

To a landfill DEQ permits for asbestos, such as Hillsboro Landfill, with a shipment form. Call the landfill first.

Also see asbestos removal in Cornelius, or our Hillsboro home page.

Request a free asbestos removal quote

We recommend calling, but do feel free to contact us using this form. We'll get back to you with a free, personalized quote or additional questions as soon as possible. We're here to help.

Call (971) 260-4686