Asbestos Abatement & Testing in Cheney, WA

In Cheney, the asbestos rule that matters most is the rental rule. Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency's guidance for rental properties is that any asbestos work at the property must be performed by a certified abatement contractor, who must still submit a Notice of Intent (NOI). The do-it-yourself exemption does not exist for a rental; it applies only to an owner-occupied single-family residence where the resident owner does the work. The county-wide sequence is the same here, minus that exemption.

The Census puts Cheney's population at 12,650 and its owner-occupied rate at 34.7%, with a median owner-occupied home value of $395,900 and a median household income of $54,503. Cheney is home to Eastern Washington University, and most of its occupied housing is rented. Turnover work in rentals -- new flooring, patched ceilings, replaced wall board -- is exactly the kind of work Spokane Clean Air lists as renovation, and in a rental it runs survey first, then NOI, then a certified abatement contractor.

The rental rule, step by step

Step one is the survey. Spokane Clean Air's position is that if the work contains anything other than bare wood, metal or glass, an AHERA asbestos survey must be performed and posted on the job site. Rental work is contractor work, so an accredited AHERA Building Inspector does the survey. Washington L&I adds that homeowners, building owners and contractors must have a good faith inspection prior to any construction, renovation, remodeling, maintenance, repair or demolition project, and that its own-residence exemption covers only a residence not used for commercial purposes. A rental is used for commercial purposes. The survey report then travels with the job.

Step two is the Notice of Intent. The thresholds run per structure, per calendar year: 10 or more linear feet or 48 or more square feet of asbestos removed means an NOI before removal. The fee is $250 with a 3-day notice for 10 to 259 linear feet or 48 to 159 square feet, then $500 and $1,250+ with a 10-day notice as quantities rise. Several unit turnovers in one building add up across the year. Step three is removal by workers L&I has certified. Compliance staff visited 43 asbestos-related project sites in 2025, and the agency's summary is blunt: if no survey has been performed, it is likely that asbestos requirements are not being met.

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