It is one of the most common questions on a New York City renovation: the filing asks for an ACP-5, so who is actually allowed to sign it?
The answer is specific. In NYC, an ACP-5 — the Asbestos Assessment Report — must be completed and signed by a New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Certified Asbestos Investigator. It is not a form any inspector, contractor, or expediter can fill in, and a filing signed by the wrong person will not clear the job.
What the Investigator's Signature Certifies
The ACP-5 is the investigator's certification, based on an on-site investigation and accredited laboratory results, about the materials in the scope of work. It certifies one of the findings that allows a project to proceed without a full abatement filing: that no asbestos-containing material is present in the work area, that asbestos-containing material is present but will not be disturbed by the work, or that the amount to be disturbed falls below the thresholds that trigger an abatement notification.
That is why the signature carries weight. The investigator is not just reporting lab numbers — they are certifying, to DEP and the Department of Buildings, that they inspected the scope, identified the suspect materials, and that the conclusion matches the evidence.
Who Cannot Sign an ACP-5
A general contractor cannot sign one for their own job. A home inspector cannot sign one. A laboratory cannot sign one, and neither can a filing representative or expediter.
Two credentials are often confused here. New York State Department of Labor asbestos licensing covers inspection and sampling work. The NYC DEP Certified Asbestos Investigator credential is the separate city certification required for the investigator who performs the asbestos investigation and signs the ACP-5 for a New York City filing. A valid filing needs the right credential in the right role — a familiar name or a general inspection report is not a substitute.
An ACP-5 Is Scope-Specific, Not a Blanket Pass
An ACP-5 covers the project, location, and scope described in it — the rooms, materials, and work the investigator actually assessed. It does not clear materials outside that scope, and it does not carry over to a different project.
That matters when a job grows. If a renovation expands into a new room, opens a wall or ceiling that was not in the original scope, or adds materials that were never sampled, that new scope needs its own investigation before it is disturbed. Treating an old ACP-5 as a building-wide clearance is how projects end up stopped mid-work, waiting on testing that should have happened first.
What Happens When the Scope Does Contain Asbestos
If the investigation finds asbestos-containing material that will be disturbed above the applicable thresholds, an ACP-5 alone is not the route. That material is handled as an asbestos project, with abatement by licensed handlers and the required DEP notification before renovation proceeds.
Either way, the sequence is the same: survey first, samples analyzed by an accredited laboratory — typically in about 24 hours — then the report and the correct filing for the result. Inspections are scheduled within 1–2 days. Surveys start from $750, with a typical home total of $900–$1,500, plus the $50 ACP-5 filing fee.
What Clear Advisory Handles
Clear Advisory, Inc. is a Brooklyn-based environmental consulting firm serving all five boroughs. Founder Jevon Gratineau holds New York State DOL credentials as an Asbestos Inspector, Asbestos Contractor, Asbestos Supervisor, and Asbestos Management Planner, and our team includes a NYC DEP Certified Asbestos Investigator. Services include asbestos surveys with 24-hour lab results, ACP-5 filings, asbestos testing, abatement, and project monitoring and supervision.
Not sure whether your filing needs an ACP-5 — or who should sign it? Send us the scope before the work starts, and we will tell you exactly which filing your project needs.
Call (877) 586-7172 or email info@clearadvisory.org to schedule a survey.