Pre-Demolition Inspections

Pre-Demolition Inspection

A pre-demolition inspection may be one of the most helpful and cost-efficient steps a responsible party can take to identify materials that should (or must) be removed from buildings prior to demolition. In some cases it may be required by regulation. A pre-demolition inspection can help identify environmental issues that need to be addressed immediately or that can be included in demolition bid specifications.

If environmental issues are identified and addressed in the demolition bid specification, entities may receive more accurate bids from contractors and others that are better qualified to manage the environmental responsibilities associated with demolition. This may help avoid costly changes to contracts after they have been awarded.

The Role of Federal, State, and Local Government Inspectors

The role of government inspectors varies considerably based on their legal authority, responsibilities, and local practices. The inspectors, who may be referred to as inspectors, enforcement officers, compliance investigators, or by some other title, visit a site to observe whether regulatory requirements are being met.

Although inspectors may provide entities with helpful information about regulatory requirements, their primary purpose for being at a site is to observe whether regulatory requirements are being met, and not to provide compliance assistance or consulting services. However, most states have compliance assistance programs to assist the regulated community. Federal and state inspectors may not conduct their activities in the same manner.

Examples of State Compliance Assistance Programs

In addition to performing routine inspections of projects, federal, state or local government agency inspectors may inspect a site in response to a complaint or a report of potential problems at a site. It is possible that a demolition project will be inspected by more than one government agency on more than one occasion.

Pre-demolition Inspection vs. Pre-Bid Walk Through

The pre-demolition inspection provides important detailed information about the site that should be used in preparing the request for bids. By providing prospective bidders with more complete information about a demolition site, entities are more likely to get consistent comparable bids that can be evaluated more easily. Pre-demolition inspection provides basic information about:

The condition of the site and the building at the site.
The environmental issues at the site.
The size of the building and the building materials that are present.
Other information needed in to make decisions about the types of bids to seek.

A pre-demolition inspection can put an organization in a much better position to ensure the work will be done right and at the lowest possible cost.

In some cases, special licenses or credentials are needed. For example, there are regulations that provide for the accreditation of people involved in various types of asbestos work (accreditation is also known as licensing or certification in some states).

The requirement to use an accredited worker may not apply to all municipal demolitions or renovations involving all kinds of residential structures. Consult local or state agency office that accredits workers for more information. It is a good practice to use accredited individuals for all types of work involving asbestos-containing materials.

A pre-bid walk through is a chance for prospective bidders to look over the property and determine what they feel they will need to do to meet the requirements spelled out in the solicitation for bids.
It gives prospective bidders an opportunity to give a more complete bid that more accurately reflects the costs they will incur at the specific site rather than bidding solely based on documents or photos of a site.

Monitor environmental work

In order to manage liability, control costs, and have control over the work, entities should plan to monitor the environmental work that is being done as part of the project. Trained in-house staff or a qualified independent third party should monitor the work. This is not a responsibility of federal, state or local government environmental inspectors.

It may also be helpful to consider reuse and recycling of building materials during the pre-demolition planning process. Effective planning for reuse and recycling may result in reduced disposal costs and diversion of valuable building materials from the landfill.

Some issues to consider:

Do the specifications require recycling of certain materials?
Is the potential revenue from the sale of recyclables considered in bid evaluation? (Does revenue from the sale of scrap metal accrue to the demolition contractor or get passed back to the owner?)
Will the overseeing entity allow local building material reuse organizations to salvage reusable building components (kitchen cabinets, wood trim, doors, light fixtures, etc.), when appropriate, before buildings are demolished?
Is deconstruction considered, rather than demolishing, for appropriate structures? This may include buildings that are structurally sound, have not been damaged by vandals/fire/water, and contain high-quality –new or old – building materials or components may be good candidates for deconstruction.

More on evaluation can be found in the Deconstruction Rapid Assessment Tool and under Reuse and Recycling Opportunities and Demolition.

Pre-Demolition Inspections

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