About 48% of Tukwila homes date from before 1980. Seattle Asbestos Removal works on asbestos testing, removal and teardown prep there, and a remodel starts with a survey of whatever the work will touch.
Renters and apartment buildings define Tukwila’s housing. About 60% of households rent, and about 53% of homes sit in buildings of five or more units. For many Tukwila homes, then, the rental rules apply, not the owner-occupant ones.
Survey of an apartment building ordered by the buyer before closing
Example project
Building
1960s three-story apartment building in Tukwila, 14 units, with an inside corridor on each floor
Original request
A buyer plans new windows, kitchens and corridor finishes and wants the survey before closing
Testing
About 36 samples from every common area and four sample units, taken by an accredited inspector
Found
Asbestos in the sprayed ceilings of the corridors and stairs and in the kitchen sheet vinyl of two units
Clear
No asbestos in the unit ceilings, the stair treads or the roof
Timeline
Two days on site, then a written report in about a week
Estimated survey cost
$3,000
In this example, a buyer is under contract on a 1960s apartment building in Tukwila and plans new windows, kitchens and corridor finishes. Rental buildings get no owner-occupant shortcut, so the buyer hires an accredited inspector while the sale is still open.
Who samples depends on the building. For a rental unit or an apartment turnover, the sampling is done by a certified inspector. A resident owner of a single-family house is the exception and may sample a remodel personally. The details are on asbestos testing and surveys.
Popcorn ceiling removal
Roughly 1,400 Tukwila homes date from the 1960s and 1,020 from the 1970s, ages that put ceiling texture on the testing list. Wet removal and the 48-square-foot PSCAA notice trigger are on the popcorn ceiling removal page.
Floor tile and sheet vinyl
Kitchens, entries and laundry rooms may have vinyl tile over black adhesive. Tile that lifts whole counts as nonfriable, and floor tile and sheet vinyl removal covers layers and backings.
Pre-demolition abatement
Tukwila’s Permit Center publishes an asbestos form for demolition permits. You can follow the whole sequence on pre-demolition asbestos abatement.
Rental and apartment abatement
Landlords do not get the owner-occupant exceptions, and about 60% of Tukwila households rent. The rental rules are laid out on rental and apartment asbestos abatement.
Tukwila’s housing and asbestos
About 4,100 of Tukwila’s roughly 8,500 homes, 48%, date from before 1980, and about 15% from before 1950.
Apartments and rentals
Over half of the housing units here sit in apartment-size buildings with five or more units. The largest building decade is the 1980s with about 1,660 homes, then the 1960s with about 1,400. Treat age as a hint about where to sample, not as a result.
The city’s demolition form
The Permit Center’s Asbestos Report form for demolition permits, revised in January 2025, states that an asbestos survey is required for any demolition of a structure with a roof area of greater than 120 square feet. It also says PSCAA will not accept a demolition notification after the demolition has occurred. The Permit Center’s number is (206) 431-3670.
Disposal
Cedar Hills Landfill in Maple Valley, by Tuesday and Friday appointment, accepts King County waste from outside Seattle, which covers Tukwila. Republic Services in Seattle accepts asbestos waste from every city and county. Phone ahead, since both outlets set paperwork requirements.
Two questions come first on a Tukwila project, and the survey answers both: what will the work disturb, and can the material stay, be sealed or be removed? The size of the job then sets the notices. Small removal jobs below these amounts need none from PSCAA. In one calendar year, friable pipe wrap at 10 linear feet or other friable material at 48 square feet needs a PSCAA notice. Every demolition waits 10 days under PSCAA rules, and a roof over 120 square feet also needs a notice. L&I has its own notice above 48 square feet or 10 linear feet. The measured quantities in the survey show which of these apply to your building.
Certified workers do the removal inside a sealed work area, keeping the material wet. An owner who lives in the single-family house is the one person allowed to do it personally. The bagged, labeled waste then goes to a facility on PSCAA’s list with its paperwork.
Does Tukwila require an asbestos survey for demolition?
According to the Permit Center’s form, yes, for any structure with a roof area of greater than 120 square feet. PSCAA separately requires a certified inspector’s survey before any demolition.
Does Tukwila follow the same asbestos rules as Seattle?
The agency rules are the same. Tukwila lies in King County, under PSCAA, and state L&I rules apply. Permits come from Tukwila’s own Permit Center, not Seattle’s.
Can a tenant or landlord remove asbestos themselves in Tukwila?
Not as a tenant or landlord. A rental is outside PSCAA’s single-family exception, so the work needs a certified contractor, and the survey needs a certified inspector.
Where does Tukwila asbestos waste go?
A site on PSCAA’s authorized list, with a waste shipment record. For Tukwila that means Cedar Hills Landfill, which takes King County waste only on Tuesday and Friday appointments, or Republic Services in Seattle.
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