Checking older Honolulu buildings for asbestos before wet materials are torn out, and the license Hawaii requires when the test is met.
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Asbestos tear-out in an older building in Honolulu, Honolulu County, HI means checking the materials before wet walls or ceilings are removed. Hawaii requires an asbestos contractor license for activity that disturbs friable asbestos or asbestos-containing material. Honolulu Water Damage Restoration takes calls 24/7 and asks about the building's age before any tear-out begins.
Water damage often means tearing out wet materials, and in an older building some of those materials may contain asbestos. Hawaii's administrative rules say that an asbestos contractor license is required for activity that disturbs friable asbestos or asbestos-containing material. Water tear-out in an older building can meet that test, which means the material must be checked before anyone cuts, pulls or breaks it open.
The risk is not visible. Asbestos cannot be identified by looking at a ceiling or a wall, and a material that appears to be drywall or plaster can contain asbestos. Disturbing that material releases fibers into the air, and those fibers are the reason the rules require a licensed contractor for that kind of work. The check is therefore the first step, not an afterthought.
Honolulu Water Damage Restoration takes calls about older buildings at any hour on (833) 490-5225. Tell the phone team when the building was built, what materials are wet and whether anyone has already cut or broken into a wall or ceiling. The crew will explain what it can do before tear-out, and what must be checked by a licensed asbestos contractor first.
Do not cut, pull, scrape, sand or break a wet ceiling, wall, floor tile or pipe wrap in an older building until it has been checked. Do not sweep or vacuum dust from wet materials, and keep children and pets out of the rooms. Do not try to take a sample yourself. Wet fragile materials can release fibers when they are disturbed, so close the room and wait for the licensed contractor to arrive.
The phone team asks when the building was built or last renovated and which materials are wet. The answer tells the crew whether the test applies. A building the caller cannot date is treated as one that may need the check, because the age alone is not a reliable guide.
The crew asks that wet ceilings, walls and tiles are not cut, broken or pulled out before the check is made. Disturbance releases fibers, and the rules apply to the activity, not only to the result. The crew keeps the area closed off and asks people to stay out of it.
Where the materials may contain asbestos, the check and any removal are carried out by a contractor licensed for asbestos work in Hawaii. The homeowner is told what the check involves and which license the contractor must hold. The crew does not perform the asbestos work itself.
Once the asbestos check is complete and any required removal is carried out, the crew dries the structure around the material. Drying of the other materials proceeds on the readings, not on a fixed sequence. The homeowner receives the check result and the drying record together.
The homeowner keeps the report of the check and the license details of the contractor who carried it out. Those papers are needed by any later contractor, by the insurer and by a buyer. The crew notes in its record which areas were checked and which were not.
Hawaii requires an asbestos contractor license for activity that disturbs friable asbestos or asbestos-containing material. Water damage tear-out in an older building can meet that test, because the work breaks up or removes the material. The license question is decided by the material and the activity, and the rules are set out in Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 16.
The rule turns on disturbance. Removing wet drywall from a wall that was built with asbestos-containing plaster, or pulling up a ceiling texture that crumbles when wet, is the kind of activity the rule covers. A contractor who disturbs the material without the license is working outside the rule, and the homeowner carries the risk of a dispute later.
The rule does not require a license for every building that is old. It requires the material to be checked and, where the test is met, a contractor licensed for asbestos work to handle it. That is why this page asks about the building and the materials before any tear-out begins.
Asbestos cannot be identified by looking at a material, so a licensed asbestos contractor takes a sample in a way that limits disturbance. The sample is sent for analysis, and the result decides what must be done. Until the result is known, the material is treated as one that may contain asbestos.
A contractor who takes a sample uses methods that keep fibers from being released, such as wetting the area and sealing the sample. The method and the analysis are the contractor's responsibility, and the homeowner should ask which method will be used and who will analyze the sample.
Do not take the sample yourself. A sample taken by someone without the license, from a material that may contain asbestos, puts the sampler and the rest of the building at risk, and it can be the activity the rule covers.
Tell the crew when the building was built, which materials are wet and whether any wall or ceiling has already been cut. Keep people out of the affected rooms and do not disturb the material. Ask for the asbestos check to be arranged before any wet material is removed.
Keep the area closed off with the door shut and the vents sealed, if the crew asks you to. Do not sweep or vacuum dust from wet materials, because that spreads the fibers. Wait for the crew to clean the area with the method it has chosen.
Write down any previous repairs you know about, including the year of the work and the materials used. Previous repairs can show that a wall was opened before, which affects what the check must cover.
Ask the contractor for its license details before any work begins, and check them yourself with the DCCA Licensing and Business Registration lookup at businesscheck.hawaii.gov. Hawaii's contractor licensing sits under HRS Chapter 444, and the asbestos rules are set in the Hawaii Administrative Rules. The homeowner should confirm the license type matches the work.
A license for general building work does not automatically cover asbestos abatement. Ask the contractor which license it holds for asbestos work, and confirm that the license type matches the material being removed. The DCCA lookup shows what a contractor is licensed to do.
Keep a copy of the license details and the contractor's written scope of work with the drying record. If the contractor cannot show the license, do not allow the tear-out to start until the question is settled.
Material that tests positive is removed and handled under the asbestos rules by the licensed contractor. Material that tests negative can be torn out under the ordinary drying and repair process. The homeowner receives the test results and the disposal record, and keeps them with the other papers for the building.
Asbestos waste is handled by the licensed contractor under the applicable rules, not removed with ordinary construction waste. The homeowner should ask for the disposal record and keep it, because a buyer or a later contractor may ask for it.
Once the material is removed, the crew dries the structure and records the readings, as it would for any other tear-out. The drying and repair work can then go ahead, with the asbestos question closed in the record.
Ceiling textures and popcorn finishes are a common place for asbestos in older buildings. Water that soaks into a ceiling can make the texture soft and crumbly, which makes it more likely to release fibers when touched. The ceiling is checked before any tear-out, and the crew keeps the area closed off while the check is made.
Older floor tiles and the adhesive beneath them can contain asbestos. Water can loosen the tiles and the mastic, and removing them can break the material. The check covers the tiles, the mastic and any backing. The crew does not scrape or grind a floor that has not been checked.
Insulation wrapped round pipes, ducts and boilers can be asbestos-containing material in older buildings. Water can soak the wrap and make it fragile. The insulation is not handled, cut or stripped until a licensed contractor has checked it, and the crew marks the run so that nobody disturbs it by accident.
Plaster and joint compound on older walls can contain asbestos, and water can break them into dust. A wall that is cut open for drying may release fibers if the material has not been checked. The crew checks the wall material first and opens it only where the check allows.
Older buildings in Honolulu may hold asbestos in materials that look like modern drywall or plaster, so the check starts with the question of age and the materials, not with an assumption. A house that was renovated recently may still have older materials behind the new finish, so the check covers what is behind the surface too.
The island's storms add a complication. The December 2021 kona low, with five to ten inches of rain and peaks of ten to 13 inches, left many walls and ceilings wet at the same time. In an older building, that kind of storm damage can mean a large amount of material must come out at once, and the asbestos check becomes part of the planning for the whole job.
Hawaii's asbestos rule is set in the state's administrative rules, and the license it requires is a state requirement. The crew explains which part of the job it carries out and which part the licensed contractor must carry out, so the homeowner knows who is responsible for each step.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Opening, drying and replacing wet ceilings and drywall in Honolulu homes and shops after leaks, storms and overflows.
When Hawaii's contractor licensing law applies to water damage work in Honolulu, and how to check a contractor's license before work starts.
Finding and drying the moisture behind mold after a water event in Honolulu, with the scope written out before any cleanup starts.
Drying the walls, floors and framing of Honolulu buildings to measured readings, after water has been removed.
A water damage restoration quote in Honolulu, Honolulu County, HI depends on how much water there was, how much of the building it reached, which materials must come out, and how hard the access is.
Hawaii licenses general building, general engineering and specialty contractors under HRS Chapter 444, through the DCCA.
Hawaii requires an asbestos contractor license for activity that disturbs friable asbestos or asbestos-containing material, and water tear-out in an older building can meet that test.
No Hawaii mold assessor or remediator license was found in the DCCA licensing material searched for this guide, so this guide does not name one.
Not every building, but any older building with wet walls, ceilings or floor tiles should be checked before tear-out. The test under Hawaii's rule turns on whether the material is friable and whether the work disturbs it. The check decides whether a license applies.
No, not if the material may contain asbestos. Removing it first can release fibers, and the rule applies to the activity. Ask the crew to hold the tear-out until the check is made.
The cost is a matter for the contractor and the homeowner to agree in writing before the work starts. This page gives no figures. Ask for the check to be priced separately, so you can see the cost of the test and the cost of any removal.
Only if the contractor holds the license that Hawaii requires for that activity. A general building license does not automatically cover asbestos work. Ask the contractor which license applies and confirm it on the DCCA lookup.
Stop before you tear out anything else, keep the room closed and tell the crew what was removed and when. The crew will check the room and the material already removed as far as it can, and it will tell you whether a licensed contractor needs to look at the area.
Your policy decides that. The insurer may or may not cover an asbestos check or removal, depending on the terms of the policy. Ask the insurer directly and keep the test report and the contractor's written scope with the claim papers.
It can be, if the material is damaged or disturbed. A building that is not wet can still hold asbestos in materials that are in good condition. The water damage makes disturbance more likely, which is why the check is made before tear-out, not as a general rule about old homes.