ORCAA Finance Committee recommends raising asbestos, demolition fees for single-family homes 

Asbestos and demolition notification fees for single-family residences could more than double under a recommendation unanimously approved by the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) Finance Committee. 

The proposed increase would bring the fee to $100 from $47. 

The committee passed the recommendation at its regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, and sent it to the full ORCAA Board of Directors later that day. A final budget decision is expected at an April board meeting. 

ORCAA processed more than 300 asbestos and 300 demolition notifications in fiscal year 2025, yet the program has a roughly $60,000 annual deficit. Program expenses climbed to $225,370, compared with a three-year average revenue of $158,643, according to agency figures. 

The new fee structure is projected to generate approximately $200,450 annually and recover about 90% of program costs. Staffers said the remaining gap would be addressed through operational efficiencies. 

Below is a breakdown of the proposed fee changes: 

Asbestos fees 

• Single Family Residence – by Owner: $47 → $100 

• 10–259 linear feet or 48–159 square feet: $201 → $250 

• 260–999 linear feet or 160–4,999 square feet: $435 → $500 

• 1,000–9,999 linear feet or 5,000–49,999 square feet: $871 → $1,000 

• Greater than 9,999 linear feet or 50,000 square feet: $1,742 → $2,000 

• Annual (limited to 260 linear feet or 160 square feet): $650 → $750 

• Emergency: $65 → Double the project amount 

Demolition fees 

• Single Family Residence – by Owner: $47 → $100 

• Commercial and Other: $80 → $200 

• Emergency: $65 → Double the project amount 

Emergency fees set at double the standard project rate are a practice already adopted by most other Washington local clean air agencies to discourage unnecessary emergency filings. 

Fee coverage 

Compliance Manager Mike Shults said the single-family fee had been held artificially low for years to avoid discouraging homeowners from filing required notifications, but that it had long since stopped covering actual program costs. 

At $100, the fee would fund a range of agency services, including administrative processing, asbestos survey reviews, site inspections, public education and enforcement actions. 

Staffers also reviewed survey methodology to ensure samples were collected correctly and sent to accredited laboratories, a step Shults said matters more than most homeowners realize. 

Communications and Outreach Manager Dan Nelson used his own kitchen remodel as a case in point. With contractor bids ranging from $50,000 to $78,000, he said a $100 notification fee and a completed asbestos survey could save a homeowner $5,000 to $6,000 by doing the demolition work themselves. 

Briefing the full board later that day, Thurston County Commissioner Emily Clouse, who chairs the ORCAA Finance Committee and serves as ORCAA Board Vice Chair, characterized the fee increases as “relatively minor” but acknowledged their real-world impact on residents. 

She echoed Nelson's kitchen remodel scenario as a practical illustration, noting a homeowner who files the $100 notification and performs their own demolition work could save anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000 on a comparable project. 

Committee concerns 

Despite the unanimous vote, some committee members voiced reservations. 

Clallam County Commissioner Michael French said fee increases, however modest, risk pushing some residents toward noncompliance. He also raised concerns about whether rising costs could discourage redevelopment in communities with aging building stock. 

Greg Brotherton, Chair of the ORCAA Board of Directors and a Jefferson County Commissioner, acknowledged that many homeowners might quietly weigh whether to file a notification at all if they were confident a project contained no asbestos. 

Shults cautioned against that approach, noting landfills are increasingly requiring asbestos survey documentation before accepting construction debris. Homeowners found out of compliance, he warned, could face fines far exceeding the $100 fee. 

Mason County Commissioner Randy Neatherlin offered a reluctant second to the motion. He said he understood the fiscal reality behind the proposal, but stressed that fee increases always trickle down to residents regardless of who formally pays them. 

"It does suck to increase the rates," he said. "I'm almost usually always against that type of thing."