Philadelphia Asbestos Control Regulations

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Licenses and Certifications
Unless otherwise noted, the licenses listed below are obtained through certification by the Department of Public Health.

Contractor:  All companies including sub-contractors performing asbestos abatement in the City of Philadelphia must be licensed. 

• Contractor List

Worker/Supervisor Qualifications:  The City of Philadelphia does not issue worker or supervisor licenses. All workers & supervisors must have licenses on site that are issued by the Commonwealth  of Pennsylvania, Department of Labor & Industry.

Asbestos Project Inspector (API):  A licensed API is required to be on site for the duration of all major projects in order to perform inspections and take air samples.  The API must be employed or retained by the building owner and be independent of the contractor.

• Inspector List

Asbestos Investigator:  An asbestos investigator identifies the presence and evaluates the condition of asbestos, and reviews the scope of work for renovations and demolition in buildings. An Asbestos Investigation Report completed by an asbestos investigator is required to accompany the Department of Licenses and Inspections permit applications for the partial or complete demolition of buildings and for projects that propose alterations in excess of $50,000.

• Investigator List

Analytical Testing Laboratory:  Analytical testing laboratories must be licensed.  Qualifications include accreditation by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) for analysis using phase contrast microscopy (PCM) and by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis and Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) for bulk analysis. Additionally, only those individuals certified by the Department of Public Health and listed on the Board Approved Asbestos Analyst Registry of the AIHA will be permitted to perform on-site analysis.

• Lab List

Training: The City of Philadelphia does not certify training providers. All training providers must be approved by the EPA & the State where the training course is provided for each discipline certifications are issued.

Project Inspections:  The Department of Public Health performs random project inspections before, during and/or after all size projects. The Department accepts certification from the Asbestos Project Inspector as determination that a project has met all the conditions of project completion.  In most cases, the Department responds immediately to citizens complaints regarding improper removal or disposal of Asbestos Containing Materials.