Some older houses have siding made of asbestos cement, as boards or shingles. Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality lists cement siding among the materials that can contain asbestos, and its rules decide who may test it, who may take it off, and where it can go. On a re-side, those rules apply before the first board comes off. The short version: have it tested, keep it in whole pieces if it comes off, and dispose of it only at a landfill permitted to take asbestos.
This guide sets out what DEQ’s rules (Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 340, division 248) and DEQ’s own homeowner guidance say, and where Marion County takes the waste. It is general information, not legal advice; DEQ’s asbestos program has the final word on any project.
What is asbestos cement siding?
DEQ’s guide to cement asbestos says cement asbestos products may include shingles, siding, roofing, ducts and chimney flues, and “may also go by the product name of Transite”. Under Oregon’s rules, a material counts as asbestos-containing when it contains more than 1 percent asbestos by weight.
What matters most is whether the material is friable. Oregon defines friable asbestos material as material that, when dry, can be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure, or by the forces of demolition, renovation, transport or disposal. Nonfriable material cannot. DEQ’s homeowner fact sheet names “cement siding, roofing or paneling” among nonfriable materials. Nonfriable is not the same as harmless: DEQ says intact material that is not broken, worn, damaged or disturbed “poses little or no danger”, and that removal disturbs it and can release fibers.
How to tell whether your siding has asbestos
You cannot tell by looking. DEQ says so plainly, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s homeowner guidance says the same unless the material is labeled. DEQ’s guide puts it this way: “The only way to determine if a material contains asbestos is to take a sample and have it analyzed by a laboratory.”
DEQ strongly recommends that an accredited asbestos inspector take the samples. A homeowner remodeling the home they live in may take a sample themselves. Breaking off a piece is itself a disturbance, so follow DEQ’s sampling instructions if you do.
Does a re-side need an asbestos survey?
Usually, if the house was built before 2004. Oregon’s rules require the owner or operator of a renovation to have an accredited inspector complete an asbestos survey before work starts. Homes of four or fewer units built after January 1, 2004 are exempt. DEQ’s fact sheet sums it up: residential buildings built before that date “must have an asbestos survey conducted by an accredited inspector prior to any demolition or renovation activities, with one main exception”, owner-occupants doing their own renovation work inside their home.
That exception is narrower than it sounds for siding. The rule’s full exemption covers abatement “inside a single unit private residence” done by the owner who lives there. For work the owner does outside the house, the rule exempts the owner only from DEQ’s notification requirement, and only when the house is not a rental, a business or about to be demolished. Read together, the rules do not clearly exempt an owner re-siding their own pre-2004 house from the survey. Ask DEQ before assuming they do. DEQ can also waive the survey for a residential building case by case, on a written request with supporting documents.
Most of Salem’s housing is older than the cutoff: about three quarters of the city’s homes were built before 2000, by this site’s sum of the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 estimates. That is a reason to ask about a survey on most re-sides here, not a sign that any particular house has asbestos siding.
Who may remove asbestos siding in Oregon?
It depends on whether the siding stays intact.
- Intact, nonfriable siding can be removed by the property owner, or by any contractor licensed by the Construction Contractors Board. DEQ’s homeowner page says a CCB contractor “must submit a nonfriable notification form to DEQ, follow all work practices, packaging, and disposal requirements”, and the rules want that notice at least five days before the project begins. Nonfriable work is exempt from DEQ’s abatement licensing, but the exemption ends the moment the material becomes friable.
- Siding that breaks up is treated as friable. DEQ’s guide says that if cement asbestos “cannot be removed without breaking”, the friable rules apply, and DEQ’s fact sheet says only a DEQ-licensed asbestos abatement contractor may do friable work. DEQ publishes a list of licensed contractors, each of which must also be registered with the CCB.
- A homeowner doing it themselves. DEQ’s rules allow a homeowner to remove asbestos-containing material from the house that is their primary residence, and an owner-occupant removing it from the home they live in files no DEQ notification or fee. DEQ still “strongly recommends against” doing it yourself, and you take on every handling, transport and disposal rule.
How it comes off matters as much as who takes it off. DEQ’s cement asbestos guide says to take the material off “in whole pieces”, and that “Sanding, sawing, grinding, chipping or use of power tools is not allowed.” Prying boards off whole, keeping them wet and bagging them as they come down is the opposite of an ordinary tear-off.
Can you side over asbestos siding?
Covering it is not a way around the rules. Oregon defines an asbestos abatement project to include the “enclosure” and “encapsulation” of asbestos-containing material, not only its removal, and DEQ’s fact sheet lists enclosing and encapsulating among abatement activities. The EPA notes that with covering, “the asbestos remains in place”, which means a future owner or contractor will meet it again. Neither DEQ nor the EPA publishes guidance on residing over cement asbestos siding in particular, so if you are considering it, ask DEQ how the rules apply before any contractor quotes it.
Packaging and disposal
Asbestos waste cannot go out with household trash or ordinary construction debris. Under DEQ’s rules and guidance, it has to be:
- Kept wet, until it reaches a disposal site permitted to accept it. Rain does not count as wetting under the rules.
- Packaged leak-tight, in at least two 6-mil plastic bags or similar packaging, with an asbestos warning label and the name and address of the person who removed it.
- Transported with DEQ’s waste shipment form (form ASN 4) to a landfill permitted to take asbestos, after telling the landfill operator what is coming and getting its approval.
In Marion County, asbestos is accepted only at the Brown’s Island Demolition Landfill in Salem, “Wednesdays by permit only”. The county’s disposal requirements add that a specific time and date must be set up a week ahead, that nothing is accepted when the wind is above 10 miles per hour, that waste is unloaded by hand, and that improperly packaged waste is turned away. A disposal fee applies; the county’s page has the current amount and how to request a permit. DEQ’s list of permitted landfills also names Coffin Butte Landfill in Benton County. For a house on the Polk County side, including West Salem, call the landfill you plan to use before hauling anything.
What to ask a siding contractor
On a house built before 2004, especially one with cement board siding or shingles, ask before you sign:
- Has the siding been tested, or will an accredited inspector survey it? A quote that assumes the siding is asbestos-free without a test is a guess.
- Who files the DEQ notification, and when?
- How will it come off? Whole pieces, kept wet, no saws or grinders. And what happens if it starts to break up: a DEQ-licensed abatement contractor has to take over.
- Where will it go? The landfill, and who arranges the disposal appointment.
- Is the contractor licensed? Look the license up on the CCB license search. On a house built before 1978, ask for the CCB’s lead-based paint renovation license as well, since old paint on the trim is a separate rule.
Planning the rest of the re-side
Asbestos is one step of a larger job. Siding replacement in Salem covers the tear-off, sheathing repair, weather barrier, flashing and the permits that can apply, and what siding do I have? helps you identify what is on the walls now. When you are ready, request a siding quote, mention the age of the house and what you know about the siding, and we will follow up about the quote.
This page is general information, not professional advice about your specific situation. Have it assessed by a qualified professional before making decisions.