Demolition Permits & Asbestos Surveys in Spokane

Before the Tear-Down

What Has to Happen Before You Can Demolish a Building

People are often surprised that the paperwork takes longer than the demolition. In Spokane County, a house can come down in a day or two, but getting legally cleared to do it takes a few weeks. Here's what's involved and who's responsible for each piece. On a JTC job, the answer to "who handles this?" is always us, but you should still understand the process.

1. The Demolition Permit

Every full structure demolition needs a permit from the jurisdiction the parcel sits in. In the Spokane area that means one of several counters:

• City of Spokane, parcels inside city limits, through Development Services.
• City of Spokane Valley, the Valley has issued its own permits since incorporation in 2003.
• City of Liberty Lake, Millwood, Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, each incorporated city permits its own parcels.
• Spokane County Building & Planning, unincorporated areas: Mead, Colbert, Nine Mile Falls, Otis Orchards, Newman Lake, and rural parcels.
• Idaho side, City of Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum, or Kootenai County for unincorporated land.

The application typically requires the asbestos survey report, proof of utility disconnects, and sometimes a site plan. Small sheds often fall under a size threshold that doesn't require a permit; garages and anything with utilities almost always do.

2. The Asbestos Survey

This is the step that catches people off guard. In Spokane County, the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) requires that a structure be surveyed for asbestos by a certified inspector before demolition, regardless of the building's age. Asbestos was used in floor tile, sheet vinyl, siding, roofing, ceiling texture, drywall joint compound, pipe insulation, and duct wrap well into the 1980s, and older-looking materials are not a reliable guide.

The inspector samples suspect materials and sends them to a lab. The report lists what was found, where, and how much. If nothing regulated is present, you're clear to proceed. If it is, that material has to be removed by a licensed abatement contractor before demolition, and the clearance documentation goes in the file.

On the Idaho side, Idaho DEQ administers asbestos demolition notifications under federal NESHAP rules. Requirements differ in the details, but the practical answer is the same: survey first, abate if needed, notify before you demolish.

3. The Notification & Waiting Period

After the survey (and abatement, if needed), SRCAA must be notified before demolition begins, and there is a waiting period, typically around ten days, before work can start. This is the step that sets the floor on the timeline: no matter how fast the permit comes back, the clock on the notification has to run.

4. Utility Disconnects

• Electric and gas, disconnected and verified through Avista (or Kootenai Electric on parts of the Idaho side). The meter comes off and the service is confirmed dead before a machine goes near the structure.
• Water and sewer, capped at the property line or main; the city often inspects the cap.
• Septic, tanks must be properly pumped and abandoned, coordinated through the county or the Panhandle Health District in Idaho.
• Anything else, propane tanks, oil tanks, wells, irrigation, and communications lines all get addressed before demo day.

How the Timeline Actually Works

Run in sequence these steps take a long time. Run in parallel they take a few weeks. On a JTC job we order the survey the day the quote is signed, submit the permit application as soon as the survey report is in hand, file the SRCAA notification the same day, and schedule utility disconnects to land just before demolition day. That's the difference between a contractor who "does demolition" and one who runs the process.

5. Fire debris is the same sequence, plus a few extra gates

After the 2026 Spokane Complex Fires, burned structures still need the survey, the Notice of Intent, and a demolition or debris permit. Two extras show up on a lot of parcels: EPA household hazardous materials clearance before grading or excavation, and Graham Road as the dump for ash. The homeowner walkthrough is the fire debris cleanup guide. The hire page is fire debris removal in Spokane.

For what all of this costs, see our house demolition cost guide, or go straight to the house demolition page to get a fixed quote.