Your house burned. Here is what has to happen first.

Most people in this situation are not searching for an "asbestos survey." They are trying to find out how to clean up after a house fire, whether they can haul the debris themselves, and what stands between them and rebuilding. Here is the honest answer, in order.

A Spokane property after the 2026 fires. Our surveys meet the requirements mandated by the Spokane Clean Air Agency before debris from properties like this can be removed.

1. Do not move, sift, or haul the debris yet. Fire debris is legally classified as demolition debris in Washington. It cannot be buried on your property and it cannot be hauled anywhere until it has been tested.
2. Get an asbestos survey of the ash and debris. Spokane Clean Air requires this, and it has to be done by an AHERA-certified building inspector. This is the step almost nobody knows about, and it is the one holding up everything else.
3. File a Notice of Intent with Spokane Clean Air. Required whether the result is positive or negative. Fees and waiting periods are currently waived for fire-affected owners.
4. Clear the debris the right way. A negative result means you or a licensed contractor can haul it. A positive result means a certified asbestos abatement company handles it.
5. Pull your demolition or building permit. The City and County both require a copy of your NOI before they will issue one.
6. Rebuild.

The survey is step two of six, and steps three through six cannot legally start without it. If you take one thing from this page: schedule the survey early, because it is the bottleneck on your entire timeline.

What is a fire survey?

A fire survey (also called a post-fire asbestos survey, fire debris asbestos testing, fire damage asbestos inspection, or ash testing) is a sampling and laboratory analysis of the ash and debris left behind by a burned structure. An AHERA-certified building inspector collects samples from the debris field in a grid pattern, submits them to an accredited laboratory, and issues a written report stating whether asbestos-containing material is present.

The terms get used interchangeably. If a contractor, adjuster, or permit clerk asks you for an "asbestos inspection," a "debris survey," or "ash sampling" after a fire, they are all asking for the same document.

Asbestos can be present in building materials regardless of how old the structure was. Siding, roofing, flooring, mastic, joint compound, insulation, and ceiling texture are all common sources. When those materials burn or collapse, the fibers do not burn away. Asbestos is heat-resistant by nature, which is exactly why it was used in construction, and it ends up in the ash, where it becomes airborne easily if the debris is disturbed by a shovel, a skid steer, or the wind.

Why Spokane County requires a fire survey before debris removal

Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) enforces asbestos regulations across Spokane County under Regulation I, Article IX. Those rules apply to anyone altering a structure in any way, which includes homeowners, landlords, contractors, property managers, and demolition companies.

For fire-damaged property, the requirement is specific and it is not optional:

• Property owners of wildfire-damaged or destroyed structures must obtain an asbestos survey before removing debris and ash, including debris from the house, the garage, and any outbuildings.
• The survey must be performed by an AHERA-certified building inspector. A general contractor, restoration crew, or insurance adjuster cannot do it for you.
• A Notice of Intent must be filed with Spokane Clean Air whether the survey comes back positive or negative.
• The City of Spokane and Spokane County both require a copy of that NOI before they will issue a demolition permit or a building permit.

That last point is the one that catches people out. The fire survey is not just an air quality formality: it sits at the front of the permit chain. Until the survey is complete and the NOI is filed, you cannot legally clear the lot, and until the lot is cleared and permitted, you cannot rebuild.

What "AHERA-certified" means and why Spokane Clean Air keeps saying it

AHERA stands for the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. An AHERA-certified building inspector has completed accredited training and holds current certification to identify and sample suspect asbestos-containing materials. It is a specific, verifiable credential, not a general environmental qualification.

Spokane Clean Air uses that exact wording in its guidance to fire-affected property owners because the credential is the requirement. A survey performed by someone without it does not satisfy the regulation, which means the debris still cannot legally move and the NOI cannot be accurately filed. Owners have lost weeks discovering this after the fact.

Before you hire anyone for a fire survey in Spokane, ask two questions:

1. Is the person collecting the samples an AHERA-certified building inspector, and can you see the certification?
2. Which laboratory analyzes the samples, and is it accredited?

NOW Environmental answers yes to the first and analyzes samples in our own AIHA-proficient laboratory. We have held these credentials and served Washington property owners, industry, and government agencies since 1991.

What our Spokane fire survey includes

How the fire survey process works

1. Call and schedule

   Reach our Spokane office at (509) 620-4306. We will confirm the property address, how many structures burned, and whether you are working with a contractor, a restoration company, or handling it yourself. Rush scheduling is available for fire-affected properties.

2. Field sampling at your property

   An AHERA-certified building inspector comes to the site and collects grid samples from the ash and debris of each burned structure. You do not need to be present, though many owners choose to be. Nothing should be moved or cleaned up before this step.

3. Laboratory analysis

   Samples go to our lab for PLM analysis. Call us for current turnaround times, which we prioritize for fire-affected properties.

4. You receive your survey report

   We deliver a written report with the results for every sample. Keep copies: you will need them for the landfill, the permit office, and your insurance claim.

5. File your Notice of Intent with Spokane Clean Air

   An NOI is filed with SRCAA whether the result is positive or negative. Fees and waiting periods are currently waived for fire-affected owners. The NOI can be filed online, and a copy is required by the City and County before a demolition or building permit is issued.

6. Debris removal and disposal

   What happens next depends entirely on your result. See below.

What your survey result means

Some owners choose to skip sampling and simply assume the debris contains asbestos. That is allowed, but it commits you to the positive-result path, meaning full abatement-contractor removal and Graham Road disposal for everything. For most single-family properties, testing first is the less expensive route.

Fire surveys and your insurance claim

Required environmental testing is commonly addressed under debris removal or site cleanup coverage. Many homeowners policies contemplate the cost of testing that a regulatory agency requires before a lot can be cleared, which is exactly what a Spokane fire survey is. Check your policy language and confirm with your adjuster before work begins.

What we provide for a claim

• An itemized, dated survey report suitable for submission with a claim file.
• Sample-by-sample laboratory results with locations, which supports scope-of-loss documentation.
• Written confirmation that the survey was performed by an AHERA-certified building inspector, which is what establishes that the testing was required rather than optional.
• Direct communication with your adjuster, public adjuster, or restoration contractor if you would like us to speak with them.

Why documentation matters more than you would expect

Two properties on the same street can have very different cleanup costs depending on whether asbestos is present. A positive result changes who is legally allowed to touch the debris and where it can be disposed of, and that difference can be substantial. A laboratory report is the evidence that supports the higher scope. "It probably has asbestos in it" is not something an adjuster can pay against; a signed survey is.

The same applies to smoke-affected homes that did not burn. A documented indoor air quality or mold test result is far easier to negotiate with than a description of a smell.

Fire survey by fire

We are working with property owners affected by each of the 2026 Spokane-area fires. The requirements are the same across all of them, and the fee waiver from Spokane Clean Air applies to fire-affected owners.

Whichever fire affected your property, the sequence is identical: survey the debris, file the NOI, then clear the lot. Call (509) 620-4306 and tell us the address.

Your house did not burn, but the smoke got in

A structure does not have to burn to be affected. Smoke and soot travel through windows, doors, attic vents, and HVAC systems, and firefighting water introduces a second problem: moisture in wall cavities, insulation, and subfloor, which can lead to mold growth within days.

If your home is standing but smells of smoke, has visible soot on surfaces or in ductwork, or took on water during the response, testing tells you what you are actually dealing with before you sign a restoration contract.

Testing available for smoke-affected homes

• Indoor air quality and air pollution testing for particulate and combustion residue.
• Mold inspection and testing where firefighting water or suppressant reached the structure.
• Lead and asbestos surveys before any repair work disturbs damaged materials, which is a separate requirement from the fire debris survey.
• Asbestos surveys before renovation or partial demolition of a fire-damaged but standing structure.

For contractors, restoration and remediation companies

If you are mobilizing crews on fire-affected lots across Spokane County, you need surveys done quickly, documented properly, and without a bottleneck at a third-party lab. We work directly with general contractors, demolition contractors, restoration companies, remediation firms, and property managers handling multiple properties.

To set up an account or discuss volume work, call (509) 620-4306 or send us a message.

Who needs a fire survey in Spokane

• Homeowners whose house, garage, shop, or shed burned, whether the structure was a total loss or partially damaged.
• Landlords and property managers clearing damaged rental property before rebuilding or re-leasing.
• General and demolition contractors who need a compliant survey report on file before mobilizing on a lot.
• Restoration and remediation companies that need documentation before beginning cleanup on a fire-affected property.
• Commercial property owners with damaged retail, office, warehouse, or multifamily buildings.
• Insurance adjusters and public adjusters documenting scope and hazardous material conditions for a claim.
• School districts, agencies, and tribal entities with fire-damaged facilities, including three-year AHERA school inspections.
• Buyers and sellers of fire-affected parcels who need to know what clearing the lot will actually cost.

Fire survey service area

Our Spokane office at 1403 W. 3rd Ave serves Spokane County and the surrounding Inland Northwest, including the neighborhoods hit hardest by the 2026 fires.

• Spokane
• Spokane Valley
• Indian Trail
• North Spokane
• Balboa
• Five Mile Prairie
• Nine Mile Falls
• Suncrest
• Deer Park
• Airway Heights
• Cheney
• Medical Lake
• Liberty Lake
• Millwood
• Mead
• Colbert
• Chattaroy
• Elk
• Newman Lake
• Greenacres

Why property owners choose NOW Environmental