Asbestos by State

State rules

Texas

Texas places asbestos in the Department of State Health Services, a health agency, not in the environmental-quality commission. The Asbestos Program page says it works to prevent occupational and environmental disease by identifying, evaluating, and controlling asbestos hazards, with regional inspectors who monitor removal and answer community concerns. The mission statement on the page is to protect people in workplaces and buildings and to see that asbestos is disposed of properly. Public navigation includes licensing and registration requirements, online licensing, a find-a-licensee link, and abatement and demolition notification questions. EPA lists Texas among the twelve AHERA waiver states and prints an asbestos help line and a separate licensing line.

Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.

Try a ZIP like 30303, “Travis County” or “Columbus, OH”
Who runs the asbestos program
Texas Department of State Health Services, Asbestos Program
Who must be licensed or accredited
DSHS describes licensing and registration for the asbestos program and publishes a find-a-licensee path and abatement and demolition notification questions.
Official program page
Official page →

DSHS says asbestos is present in over half of public buildings and is a particular concern in schools. That is why the program pairs building inspections and removal oversight with an AHERA section in the site menu. Because EPA lists Texas as a waiver state, school asbestos compliance is a state DSHS function, and the menu includes AHERA compliance, a licensee lookup for the AHERA program, and complaint and open-records links. A school renovation can need both the AHERA file and an abatement or demolition notification.

Licensing and registration are their own submenu, with online licensing and a find-a-licensee tool. This directory does not put a licensee URL in the roster field because the specific find-a-licensee address that was checked returned HTTP 404. Start at the program page that returned HTTP 200 and use the link printed there. EPA’s contact page lists Asbestos Help and AHERA Help at 512-834-6787 and asbestos licensing at 800-572-5548. Those are two different mailboxes, AsbestosHelp@dshs.texas.gov and Asbestos.Reg@dshs.texas.gov.

Regional inspectors are the enforcement presence outside Austin. Outreach is described as education aimed at voluntary compliance with state and federal law. OSHA’s construction standard still applies to employers. Before you hire, use the licensing submenu to confirm the company, use the AHERA contacts if the building is a school, and call 512-834-6787 for help or 800-572-5548 for a licensing question, which are the numbers EPA publishes for those desks.

Official resources in Texas

Texas DSHS asbestos program

Licensing, notifications, regional inspectors, and AHERA links.

EPA state asbestos contacts

Lists Texas among AHERA waiver states and gives help and licensing numbers.

EPA asbestos in schools

Federal school baseline that waiver states implement.

OSHA construction asbestos standard

Worker-protection rule for removal crews.

Key facts for Texas

What to do next

  1. Start at the DSHS asbestos program page and use the licensee link printed there.
  2. Call 800-572-5548 for a licensing question and 512-834-6787 for program help.
  3. For a school, use the AHERA section because Texas is a waiver state.
  4. Ask which regional inspector covers the removal before work starts.

Looking for your city or county in Texas?

We haven't found official program-level pages for Texas we can verify yet, so we don't show local numbers here rather than guess. Here's what to use instead, in order:

  1. General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across Texas, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
  2. Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.
    Texas Department of State Health Services
    Website →
    Phone: (512) 834-6787 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)
    Your city or county office: Local governments →
    Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Texas page on USA.gov can point you to the right office.
  3. Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.

Helpful guides

Asbestos rules planner →

Do you serve Texas? Get a featured listing for $30/month, clearly labeled as a paid placement.