A hazardous materials survey is an inspection and sampling exercise that finds out which hazardous substances are in a building, where they are and in what condition, before anyone cuts, sands or demolishes anything. In Ontario, if you own a property and plan renovation, alteration, repair or demolition, you need to know about asbestos and other designated substances before the work is arranged. This guide explains what a survey includes, when to book one, what the report should contain and what to do with the results.
TL;DR
- A survey identifies materials such as asbestos, lead-based paint, mould, PCBs and mercury, using sampling analyzed by an accredited laboratory.
- Do it before renovation, demolition or structural work, not after you open the walls. Discoveries mid-project cause delays, extra cost and exposure.
- In Ontario, owners must determine whether designated substances are present and pass that information to prospective contractors before a binding contract is made.
- A good report lists locations, conditions, estimated quantities, lab results, limitations and recommendations.
- If something is found, work stops in that area until a qualified abatement contractor deals with it.
Table of Contents
- What a hazardous materials survey is
- What a survey can find in a home or building
- When to do a survey
- What Ontario requires of owners
- How a survey is carried out
- What a good survey report contains
- What it costs in Ottawa
- What to do when hazardous materials are found
- Our perspective
- Booking your survey and the work that follows
- FAQ
- Sources
What a hazardous materials survey is
The survey is the first step of abatement. CCOHS explains that abatement begins with assessing and testing the work area to determine which hazardous materials are present and how far they extend. Testing generally calls for an occupational hygienist. The same source lists the materials most often involved: asbestos, lead-based paint, mould, PCBs, mercury, sewage and fire-damage by-products.
In Ontario, the legal framework is built around designated substances. O. Reg. 490/09 lists acrylonitrile, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, coke-oven emissions, ethylene oxide, isocyanates, lead, mercury, silica and vinyl chloride. For an older house, the substances that come up most are asbestos, lead and mercury, plus mould where there has been water damage.
You may see the same work called a hazardous building materials assessment, a designated substances survey or an asbestos survey. The scope differs: an asbestos-only survey covers one substance, while a full hazardous materials survey covers several. Ask for the scope in writing before you agree to anything.
What a survey can find in a home or building
Older Ottawa properties often hide materials that were standard for decades. WorkSafeBC notes that asbestos can sit in flooring, tiles, shingles and light fixtures, which is why experts who know where to look should be hired before materials are disturbed.
| Material | Typical places in older buildings | What the survey does |
|---|---|---|
| Asbestos | Flooring, tiles, shingles, insulation, light fixtures | Samples suspect materials for lab analysis |
| Lead | Painted surfaces, older finishes | Identifies lead-containing surfaces |
| Mould | Basements, bathrooms, areas with past water damage | Assesses the affected area and extent |
| Mercury | Switches, fluorescent lighting components | Records locations and quantities |
| PCBs | Older lighting ballasts and electrical equipment | Records locations and quantities |
For more on why a standard home inspection will not do this job, see our piece on why a home inspection often won’t find asbestos.
When to do a survey
The answer is simple: before the work is designed, priced or booked. Three situations make it close to non-negotiable.
- Renovation that opens walls, ceilings or floors. Kitchens, bathrooms and basements disturb the materials most likely to contain asbestos or lead.
- Demolition or strip-out. Even a single room strip-out disturbs plaster, flooring and insulation.
- Buying an older property you plan to renovate. Knowing what is inside before closing the budget avoids surprises.
BC Housing stresses early investigation because hazards found after work begins can bring delays, extra costs, penalties and exposure. It also says targeted sampling can suit a tightly defined task but may miss hazards elsewhere in the building. If you are only replacing one bathroom floor, targeted sampling may be enough. If the plan grows, the survey should grow with it.
Our owner’s roadmap on how hazardous materials delay renovation shows how that plays out on a real schedule.
What Ontario requires of owners
The rules differ by province, so this section applies to Ontario only.
- Ontario’s guide to the asbestos regulation says that before demolition, alteration or repair work is tendered or arranged, the owner must have an examination done to determine whether material likely to be handled, disturbed or removed contains asbestos.
- The same guide says prospective constructors must receive a copy of the asbestos report, and constructors must provide it to prospective contractors when the work is being arranged. The point is that regulatory costs can be included in bids and measures planned before work starts.
- The Ministry of Labour states that before a project begins, the owner must determine whether designated substances are present and prepare a list. Tendering information must include that list before a binding contract is made.
- O. Reg. 278/05 applies to construction projects and to repair, alteration or maintenance of buildings. It requires representative bulk-material sampling to establish whether material contains asbestos and, if so, how much and which type.
Other jurisdictions have their own mechanisms. In B.C., for example, a Notice of Project must reach WorkSafeBC at least 48 hours before moderate- or high-risk asbestos work. Federal properties follow PSPC’s asbestos standard, which requires a qualified person to carry out a baseline survey, with sampling frequency meeting federal, provincial or territorial regulations. If you own property outside Ontario, check your province’s rules.
For the Ottawa-specific angle on waste and penalties, read our guide to asbestos disposal rules under O. Reg. 278/05.
How a survey is carried out
The process follows the same pattern whatever the building.
1. Scope and records review
The surveyor defines what is being assessed, which areas will be accessed and which are excluded. A risk assessment should be completed for each scope of work, according to CCOHS. Building age, past renovations and earlier reports help target the inspection.
2. Visual inspection
The surveyor walks every accessible area and notes suspect materials, their condition and their approximate quantity. Where the work will open walls or floors, an intrusive inspection helps. A technical guideline from Western Australia notes that opening building fabric helps identify concealed materials and avoid unplanned discoveries, delays and avoidable costs. The principle applies in Ottawa as well.
3. Sampling
Surveys collect representative samples of building materials for analysis by an accredited laboratory. In Ontario, asbestos samples must be collected randomly by a competent worker and be representative of each homogeneous area, with minimum sample counts set out in the regulation’s Table 1. Under federal standards, bulk sampling must be done by a qualified person, and suspect material is treated as asbestos-containing until laboratory analysis shows otherwise.
That last point matters on site: do not scrape, drill or break suspect material yourself to “check” it. Leave sampling to the professional.
4. Laboratory analysis
The lab confirms whether each sample contains the substance and at what level. Turnaround and cost depend on the lab and the number of samples.
5. Report
The findings are compiled into a written report, covered in the next section.
What a good survey report contains
A report you can hand to a contractor and an estimator should include:
- The purpose and scope of the survey.
- Findings with locations, conditions and estimated quantities.
- Laboratory results.
- Photographs and marked floor plans.
- Limitations, including areas not inspected or inaccessible.
- Recommendations for safe management or abatement, verified by a qualified professional.
For asbestos, PSPC describes a baseline survey that records suspected and confirmed friable and non-friable material, with location, condition, accessibility and quantity. Read the limitations section carefully. If the ceiling void or the crawlspace was not inspected, that area still needs attention before work touches it.
What it costs in Ottawa
Survey cost depends on the size of the property, the number of samples and how many substances are in scope. For the testing side of our own work, our published range for testing and lab analysis is $300 to $600 CAD. That is the figure on our abatement services page, and the final amount depends on what your property needs.
The survey is the small number in the budget. The numbers that follow it are larger, which is exactly why it comes first. Our published ranges give a sense of scale: small Type 1 or 2 asbestos jobs run $1,500 to $3,500 CAD, and vermiculite attic removal runs $5,000 to $15,000 CAD. Whole-home or Type 3 work has no published price because it depends on the survey findings. Knowing the scope before you tender means the bids you collect are comparable.
What to do when hazardous materials are found
Stay calm and stop the work in that area. CCOHS advises that if asbestos is found during renovation, work should stop, the area should be enclosed and barricaded, and a qualified asbestos-removal specialist should be engaged before other work resumes. WorkSafeBC adds that employers must hire a qualified abatement contractor to remove asbestos once it is found.
In practice:
- Keep people and pets out of the area and leave materials undisturbed.
- Get the survey report in writing, including lab results.
- Ask an abatement contractor to scope the removal or containment from that report.
- Resume renovation only once the affected area is cleared and documented.
If you are comparing next steps for your own house, our 6 steps to safe asbestos renovation walks through the sequence of testing, containing and clearing. For readers elsewhere, this overview of asbestos checks before renovating covers the same principle of hiring a qualified surveyor and testing company to locate materials in a home.
Owners of heritage properties face extra layers of material and finish. See surveying hazards in heritage homes before work for Ottawa specifics.
Our perspective
We see the same pattern on older Ottawa properties. The owner has a renovation plan and a budget, then a wall is opened and something unexpected is behind it. The project stops, the schedule slips and the numbers change. Almost every one of those cases could have been avoided with testing before the plan was finalized.
That is why we treat the survey as part of the project and not as paperwork. Our quotes are itemized line by line, so when testing finds something, you can see exactly what abatement adds and what it does not. Because we do licensed abatement, demolition and renovation under one roof, the findings go straight into the scope without handoffs between companies.
Our advice: have the survey done first, keep the report with your project documents, and give it to every contractor who bids. You get comparable quotes, and the crew knows what to protect and what to avoid. We aim to give estimates within 24 hours, so there is no reason to wait.
Jason
Booking your survey and the work that follows
HMJ Contracting is a licensed and insured abatement contractor serving Ottawa, Renfrew and the surrounding area. We handle asbestos, mould and lead abatement, along with air quality testing, permit management, debris hauling and post-job documentation. Our team has more than 25 years of local experience, and we carry a 5.0-star Google rating.
If your survey points to removal, see our abatement services for scope and published price ranges, or our mould remediation services if the findings involve moisture. If demolition or renovation follows, we can plan it with the same crew. Contact us through hmjcontracting.com for a free estimate.
FAQ
Is a hazardous materials survey mandatory for a home renovation in Ontario?
Ontario requires owners to determine whether designated substances such as asbestos are present before a project begins, and to include that information when work is tendered. The asbestos regulation applies to construction projects and to repair, alteration or maintenance of buildings. Check the current text of the regulation, or ask a qualified surveyor, for your specific project.
Can I take the samples myself?
We advise against it. Ontario requires samples to be collected by a competent worker and to be representative of each homogeneous area, and disturbing suspect material can release fibres. Leave sampling to a qualified professional and a lab.
What is the difference between a survey and a home inspection?
A home inspection reviews the general condition of a property. A hazardous materials survey is targeted at specific substances, uses sampling and laboratory analysis, and produces a report with locations and quantities. Our article on what a home inspection often misses explains the gap.
Who gets a copy of the report?
In Ontario, the report goes to prospective constructors and then to prospective contractors when work is being arranged. This lets them price the regulatory requirements and plan before work starts. Keep your own copy with the property records.
How long is a survey valid?
A survey describes the building as it was inspected, within its stated limitations. If you open new areas, change the scope or discover untested materials, the findings may need to be extended. Ask your surveyor to state the limits in the report.
Sources
- CCOHS: Abatement of Hazardous Materials
- O. Reg. 490/09 Designated Substances
- WorkSafeBC: homeowners share responsibility in protecting workers from asbestos
- BC Housing: Manage Environmental Risks in Home Building Renovation
- Ontario: Demolition, alterations and repairs guide
- Ontario: Asbestos in the workplace
- O. Reg. 278/05 Designated Substance, Asbestos on Construction Projects
- O. Reg. 278/05 current consolidation
- WorkSafeBC OHS Guidelines Part 20
- PSPC Standard on Asbestos Management
- BC Housing: Scope of Work, Hazardous Building Material Survey and Inventory
- DHW Technical Guideline: intrusive hazardous materials survey
- CCOHS: Asbestos, Control Strategies for Workplaces
- WorkSafeBC: Asbestos