About Broward Asbestos Testing

When a lab result can hold up a closing or stall a demolition bid, the name on the report matters as much as the number on it. It’s fair to ask who tested the property, how they’re credentialed, and whether they stand to gain from what the lab finds. Broward Asbestos Testing answers that last question the same way on every job: we test and report, and we don’t sell the abatement work afterward.

Why work with an independent testing company instead of an abatement contractor?

Broward Asbestos Testing performs testing and inspection only, never abatement or removal, so a lab result carries no financial incentive attached to it — the inspector who collects your sample doesn’t profit from a positive finding and doesn’t lose a sale by reporting a negative one, unlike firms that test a property and then bid the removal job that follows a positive result. That separation is the reason property managers and general contractors across Broward County keep bringing us projects that may eventually need a licensed abatement contractor: the finding and the fix come from two different companies with two different incentives. OSHA has been clear that there is no established safe level of asbestos exposure, so every sample gets the same treatment regardless of what a different answer might be worth to someone else’s invoice.

Who performs the testing, and where are samples analyzed?

Samples are collected on site by Florida-licensed inspectors and analyzed off site at accredited laboratories, using Polarized Light Microscopy — EPA Method 600/R-93/116 — for bulk materials such as ceiling texture, floor tile, and joint compound, with air sampling and TEM analysis available when airborne fiber counts are needed. Asbestos cannot be identified by sight, only by lab analysis, which is one reason every sample from a Broward County home or building goes to a lab accredited by NVLAP or AIHA rather than getting an on-site guess. Our licensed inspectors describe the standard this way: “We tell a homeowner what the lab found, not what we think it probably is — a visual guess isn’t a result.”

That standard shows up in a few specific ways on every project:

• Florida-licensed inspectors handle on-site sample collection, not subcontracted technicians
• Bulk samples go to labs accredited by NVLAP or AIHA and analyzed under EPA’s PLM method
• Airborne fiber samples are analyzed by TEM when air testing is part of the scope
• Standard lab turnaround runs 2-3 business days, with 24-hour or same-day rush often available

What does Broward Asbestos Testing actually do, and what do we not do?

Broward Asbestos Testing handles sample collection, lab coordination, and plain-language reporting for residential and commercial properties across Broward County — we do not remove, encapsulate, or dispose of asbestos-containing material, and we do not hold an abatement contractor’s license, by design. That line stays fixed regardless of what a sample turns up, which is part of what keeps a testing engagement separate from the removal decision that sometimes follows it.

Our scope	What we don’t do
Residential and commercial asbestos testing, single-sample and multi-sample	Removal, abatement, or encapsulation of asbestos-containing material
Pre-demolition and pre-renovation surveys tied to permit requirements	Filing the demolition or renovation permit itself
Air sampling for airborne fiber counts	Ongoing air-quality monitoring during an active abatement project
Coordination with NVLAP- or AIHA-accredited laboratories	Operating our own in-house lab
Plain-language reporting of what a sample contains	Recommending a specific abatement contractor or removal method

For a homeowner or GC weighing whether a project needs a single test or a full asbestos inspection, that scope table is usually the fastest way to see where our part ends and a licensed abatement contractor’s part begins.

How does independent testing fit into Broward County’s permitting process?

Before a demolition or renovation permit is approved in Broward County, the county’s Asbestos Program requires an online Statement of Responsibilities Regarding Asbestos, filed through the county’s ePermits system, and larger projects can also trigger the Florida DEP’s Notice of Demolition or Asbestos Renovation under rule 62-257.900, which carries a 10-working-day notice requirement before work starts, according to broward.org. The federal NESHAP rule (40 CFR Part 61, Subpart M) requires a thorough asbestos inspection before demolition or renovation of regulated facilities, and our reports are formatted to support that paperwork rather than leave a GC or homeowner to interpret raw lab data alone. Residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units are generally exempt from most of those federal and county notification requirements beyond the SRRA submittal itself, though a survey is still commonly ordered ahead of a larger renovation for safety and documentation.

That’s the practical reason independence and paperwork accuracy travel together on this kind of project: a report has to hold up with the county’s Asbestos Program and, where it applies, with FL DEP, not just satisfy the person who ordered it.

Broward Asbestos Testing works with homeowners, GCs, and property managers across Broward County, from older coastal cities with pre-1980 building stock to newer inland communities where renovation permits are the more common trigger. For the fuller picture of how the team approaches a project end to end, our home page walks through the services on offer county-wide. If a report needs to be in hand before a bid, a closing, or a permit deadline, get my free quote and we’ll confirm sample count and turnaround before anyone shows up.