Pre-Renovation Asbestos Survey in Broward County

Your contractor won’t schedule the crew until an asbestos survey is on file, or a permit clerk mentioned an “SRRA” you’ve never heard of, and now a kitchen remodel or a wall you meant to open up is stuck behind paperwork nobody explained ahead of time. Maybe the house was built before 1980 and everyone involved has an opinion about whether that matters. The fastest way through it is knowing what the county actually wants tested, and what your project is exempt from.

What Triggers a Pre-Renovation Asbestos Survey in Broward County?

A pre-renovation asbestos survey is triggered any time a permitted renovation will disturb existing building materials, because Broward County requires a Statement of Responsibilities Regarding Asbestos (SRRA) — filed through the county’s ePermits system — before that permit clears, and the county’s Asbestos Program (EPGMD) reviews the submittal and issues a Certificate of Submittal listing the project’s requirements, per broward.org. The trigger isn’t the building’s age; it’s whether the scope opens up drywall, flooring, ceilings, or insulation that could hide asbestos-containing material. Under EPA’s NESHAP rule (40 CFR Part 61, Subpart M), a thorough inspection is required before renovating or demolishing a regulated facility, and Broward’s ePermits process enforces that at the permit desk. A cabinet swap that never touches flooring may not need the same scope as a gut renovation that strips drywall to the studs.

Does the 4-or-Fewer-Unit Residential Exemption Apply to Your Project?

Residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units are exempt from most federal and county asbestos rules beyond the online SRRA submittal itself, per broward.org, so a single-family home or duplex clears the county’s paperwork without the full survey documentation a larger building needs. That exemption is narrower than it sounds — it removes the survey-and-notification package required of bigger projects, not whatever sits behind a wall built before the early 1980s, when asbestos was common in joint compound, 9x9 floor tile, and pipe insulation, per the EPA. “The exemption is about which paperwork the county requires, not about what’s in the wall,” our licensed inspectors note. We still recommend a survey before opening up a pre-1980s structure, exemption or not — the alternative is finding out mid-demolition, when stopping the crew costs more than testing would have.

What Renovation Scope Requires a Full Survey vs. the SRRA Alone?

The scope of work determines whether the SRRA submittal covers you or whether a full survey with sample-based documentation is the right order, and it scales fairly predictably from cosmetic work up to a gut renovation.

Renovation Scope	Survey Typically Needed	Why
Cosmetic only — paint, cabinets, fixtures	Usually none beyond confirming scope	No suspect material disturbed
Kitchen/bath remodel disturbing flooring or drywall in a pre-1980s home	Full pre-renovation survey	Materials from that era are frequently ACM
Whole-structure gut renovation or interior demolition	Full survey, plus DEP notice review	Large material volume disturbed; Ch. 62-257 notice may apply
Building with 4 or fewer residential units	SRRA submittal online; survey still recommended for older stock	Exemption covers the paperwork, not the material risk
Commercial or multi-family renovation (5+ units)	Full survey required, no exemption	Federal NESHAP and county rules apply in full

If your project sits between rows — a partial gut in a triplex, say — a full survey settles the question instead of guessing.

How Long Does a Pre-Renovation Survey Take, and What Does It Cost?

A pre-renovation survey for a typical Broward County property starts at $450 and includes an on-site visit of roughly 30 to 60 minutes, followed by lab analysis on a standard 2- to 3-business-day turnaround, with 24-hour rush results often available when a permit deadline is tight. Pricing scales from that starting point by sample count and square footage rather than a flat fee. A typical visit follows the same sequence regardless of scope:

1. Walkthrough of the renovation area, flagging every suspect material the scope of work will disturb.
2. Bulk sample collection from each distinct material, sealed and logged with chain-of-custody documentation.
3. Lab submission for Polarized Light Microscopy under EPA Method 600/R-93/116, at an NVLAP- or AIHA-accredited lab.
4. Written survey report identifying each material, its location, and its result.
5. Documentation formatted to support the SRRA filing and, if required, the DEP notice.

Because our inspectors don’t perform abatement, the report isn’t shaped by an incentive to find a problem worth removing — it’s an independent answer your contractor and the permit office can both act on. For work that also involves interior demolition, a pre-demolition survey covers a broader documentation standard than a renovation-only scope.

What Happens After the Survey — Filing the SRRA and, If Required, the DEP Notice?

Once the survey is complete, the report supports two filings that don’t always both apply: the SRRA submitted through Broward County’s ePermits system for every renovation permit, and — depending on the material found and the project’s size — Florida DEP’s Notice of Demolition or Asbestos Renovation under Chapter 62-257.900, F.A.C., which generally requires a 10-working-day notice before work begins. The county’s Asbestos Program reviews the SRRA and issues its Certificate of Submittal with any added requirements; the DEP notice, when it applies, runs on its own clock, so a survey ordered late can delay a start date that was otherwise ready to go. There is no established safe level of asbestos exposure, per OSHA — part of why both filings exist rather than a contractor’s judgment call on-site.

Broward County’s independent asbestos testing and survey specialists handle both the sampling and the paperwork trail your permit office and contractor will ask to see, without a financial stake in whether a sample comes back positive. If you’re not sure whether your renovation needs a full survey or just the SRRA submittal, check when a survey is required or request a free quote with your scope of work and we’ll tell you which one fits before the permit clock starts running.