Before you renovate, demolish, or file with the DOB, you need to know whether the materials you're about to disturb contain asbestos. A survey answers that — with lab results, not guesses.

Clear Advisory performs asbestos surveys across all five boroughs. Inspections are scheduled within 1–2 days, and lab results typically come back in about 24 hours.

What a Survey Includes

  • A walk-through of the work area to identify every suspect material the project will disturb — floor tile and mastic, pipe insulation, joint compound, plaster, roofing, ceiling materials, and similar.
  • Sampling of each suspect material. Different materials, and different layers of the same material, are sampled separately — tile can test negative while the mastic under it tests positive.
  • Accredited lab analysis (PLM, with TEM confirmation where the material requires it), with each sample sealed, labeled, and logged on a chain of custody.
  • A written report listing every material sampled, where it was found, its condition, and its result — the document your contractor, board, and DOB filing rely on.
  • The ACP-5 filing where the results support one, so your DOB application can move.

When You Need a Survey

  • DOB filings for renovation or demolition. Most alteration and demolition applications require an asbestos assessment of the work area before a permit issues.
  • Renovation of pre-1980s buildings. Asbestos was standard in flooring, insulation, plaster, and roofing for decades. Age alone doesn't confirm it — only lab analysis does.
  • FISP (Local Law 11) facade work. Before facade repairs disturb roofing, flashing, caulk, or masonry coatings, those materials need to be checked.
  • Buying, selling, or refinancing. A survey documents what's in the building before it becomes your problem mid-project.
  • Before demolition. A full survey of the structure is required so abatement, where needed, happens before the building comes down — not during.

How It Works

  1. Call or email. Tell us the scope of work and the address of the work area. We'll tell you what needs sampling.
  2. Inspection within 1–2 days. A certified inspector collects samples on site, seals and labels each one, and patches the sample locations.
  3. Lab results in about 24 hours. Samples go to an accredited lab under chain of custody.
  4. Report and filing. You get the written report, and where the results support it, the ACP-5 is filed so your project proceeds. If a material is positive, the report shows exactly which one, where, and how much the work will disturb — so abatement can be scoped before construction starts, not after.

Pricing

A survey is priced from the site visit plus lab analysis:

  • Site visit: from $750
  • Lab analysis: priced by the number of samples your project needs — you'll know the count and the expected total before the lab work runs.
  • ACP-5 filing fee: $50, billed when results come back

Most homes land between $900 and $1,500 in total, depending on how many materials need sampling. You'll know the sample count — and the expected total — before the lab work runs. No fixed quotes that quietly grow later.

FAQ

How fast can I get a survey done? Inspections are scheduled within 1–2 days, and lab results typically return in about 24 hours. For most projects, the full sequence — survey, results, report, ACP-5 — takes days, not weeks.

Does a survey damage my walls or floors? Samples are small pieces of material taken from discreet spots, and each location is patched after sampling. The goal is the minimum disturbance that produces a defensible result.

What if asbestos is found? You get a report that identifies the material, its location, and how much of it your scope will disturb. If it's above the threshold, it needs abatement by a licensed contractor before or during the work, with a DEP notification (ACP-7). Finding it at survey stage makes it a scheduling item; finding it mid-demo makes it a stop-work problem.

Can I just test one material myself? A visual guess can't identify asbestos, and a sample without a chain of custody can't support a DOB filing or an ACP-5. A survey by a certified inspector, analyzed by an accredited lab, is the version that holds up.

Do you work in my borough? Yes — all five boroughs: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

Who performs the survey? Clear Advisory's team holds New York State DOL certifications as Asbestos Inspector, Asbestos Contractor, and Asbestos Supervisor, along with NYC DOB Site Safety Supervisor credentials.

Schedule a Survey

Inspections are scheduled within 1–2 days, with lab results in about 24 hours.

Call (877) 586-7172 or email info@clearadvisory.org to schedule a survey.

Clear Advisory · 100 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 · (877) 586-7172