Job-Site Debris Checklist for Tarrant County Contractors: Permits, Testing and Where Each Load Can Go
Most job-site debris problems start before the first wall comes down. Inspect for asbestos where the rules require it, follow the lead rules in pre-1978 homes, permit the dumpster if it sits in the street, and keep regulated material out of general loads. Then know which public routes are closed to contractors — in Fort Worth, every Drop-Off Station is.
Call (682) 432-7401
Before demolition
The decisions that cannot be undone once the material is disturbed.
- 1
Inspect for asbestos where the federal rule applies
Before demolishing or renovating a building the federal asbestos rule covers, the owner or operator must thoroughly inspect the affected part for asbestos. The rule covers commercial, institutional, public and industrial buildings and larger residential buildings; a residential building of four units or fewer is outside it, unless it is one of several on a site under one owner.
- 2
File the notice before demolishing a regulated building
Every demolition of a covered building needs written notice, even when no asbestos is present, postmarked or delivered at least 10 working days before the work begins. A renovation needs it when it will disturb at least 260 linear feet of regulated asbestos-containing material on pipes, 160 square feet on other components, or 35 cubic feet where those cannot be measured. In Texas the notice goes to the Department of State Health Services.
- 3
Check the Texas rules for public and commercial buildings
The Texas Asbestos Health Protection Rules add a survey requirement: before renovating or demolishing a public building, a commercial building or a regulated facility, the owner must have an asbestos survey done, by a DSHS-licensed inspector in a public building. A business the public walks into, such as a store or an office, counts as a public building. DSHS must be notified at least 10 working days before abatement or demolition starts.
- 4
Treat pre-1978 homes as lead work
For renovation done for pay in housing built before 1978, the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies, and in Texas the EPA runs it. The firm must be EPA-certified, a certified renovator must be assigned to the job, and every worker must be a certified renovator or trained by one. Minor repair and maintenance is exempt: 6 square feet or less of painted surface per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside, with no window replacement, no demolition of painted surfaces and none of the prohibited practices such as open-flame burning.
- 5
Check for a historic district
In a Fort Worth historic district such as Fairmount, exterior alterations, new construction and demolition need a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit can be applied for, and demolition cases go to the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission.
Staging the container
- 1
Permit it if it touches the street
A dumpster in a Fort Worth street, parking lane or on a sidewalk needs a temporary street use permit from Transportation and Public Works, with at least 3 to 5 business days’ lead time, a certificate of insurance naming the city as additional insured, and a traffic control plan.
- 2
Use the city’s own layout
The city’s typical traffic control plans include a “Typical Layout for a Dumpster” — Plan 310 — drawn for a dumpster in the parking lane and for one in the travel lane.
- 3
Route closures through right-of-way management
Construction-based work that needs a full or partial street closure is processed by TPW’s Right-of-Way Management permitting team rather than as a simple street use permit.
Material by material
What decides where each kind of debris can go.
| Material | Rule and route |
|---|---|
| Asbestos-containing material | Handled under the asbestos rules by licensed professionals, never in a general load. Fort Worth’s Drop-Off Stations and the Environmental Collection Center both refuse it. |
| Lead-painted components from pre-1978 homes | Worked by the certified renovation firm under the RRP rule’s lead-safe practices, including how the waste is contained. |
| Refrigerators, freezers, AC units | Under 40 CFR 82.155 the final processor must recover the refrigerant or get a signed statement saying who did. They do not go in a general debris load. |
| Lead-acid batteries | Barred from municipal solid waste by Texas Health and Safety Code §361.451. Back to a battery retailer or wholesaler, or an authorized recycler. |
| Concrete, brick, rock, dirt, tile | Refused at Fort Worth’s Drop-Off Stations and in the suburban bulk programs checked here. A landfill, or a recycler that takes inert material. |
| Roofing and shingles | Refused at Fort Worth’s Drop-Off Stations, and excluded from bulk in Burleson, North Richland Hills and Benbrook. |
| Drywall, framing, cabinets, fixtures | General construction debris. In Fort Worth, contractors take it to the Southeast Landfill or a permitted site, or hire a hauler. |
Public routes that are closed to contractors
The client’s bulk pickup is not your disposal route. Keller prohibits remodeling and construction debris from bulk, and its hauler does not pick up commercial demolition, construction or remodeling debris. North Richland Hills excludes construction waste from a contractor working on the property. Burleson refuses remodel building material. Haltom City’s hauler is not required to take construction or remodeling material.
Fort Worth is explicit. Its Drop-Off Stations are for residents, and the city says landscapers and construction contractors must dispose of their waste at permitted mulching or compost sites or at the Southeast Landfill instead.
A pile of contractor debris left at a client’s curb is therefore a problem for the client, not a free collection. Plan the haul as part of the job.
Closeout
- Keep disposal tickets and manifests with the job file
- Keep the asbestos inspection and any notice on file
- Keep lead-safe work records for pre-1978 homes
- Return the permit and pull the traffic control
- Sweep the street and parking lane where the dumpster sat
- Walk the curb for anything left behind
FAQ
Related questions
- Do I need a permit for a dumpster on a Fort Worth street?
- Yes. A dumpster in the street, a parking lane or on a sidewalk needs a temporary street use permit from Transportation and Public Works, with at least 3 to 5 business days’ lead time, a certificate of insurance and a traffic control plan. A dumpster entirely on private property does not use the right-of-way.
- Do I need an asbestos inspection before a home remodel?
- The federal asbestos rule and the Texas rules both leave out a single private home, or an apartment building of four units or fewer, unless it is part of a larger project such as several houses on one site under one owner. That is not the whole picture: workplace safety rules can still apply to your crew, and the risk to the household does not depend on the rule. Testing suspect material before disturbing it is the safe default.
- Can my client put remodel debris out for bulk pickup?
- Generally not. Keller, Burleson, North Richland Hills and Haltom City all keep contractor or remodeling debris out of curbside bulk in some form, and Fort Worth sends contractors to its Southeast Landfill or permitted sites.
- Where can contractors take debris in Fort Worth?
- Not the Drop-Off Stations. The city directs construction contractors to the Southeast Landfill or to permitted mulching or compost sites.
Read next
- Contractor debris removal options
- What to do with remodeling debris
- Construction debris removal cost
- Contractor junk removal
Sources
The public rules and figures on this page come from these pages. Programs, limits and hours change, so check the source before relying on a detail.
- eCFR — 40 CFR 61.145, asbestos standard for demolition and renovation
- eCFR — 40 CFR 61.141, asbestos NESHAP definitions
- Texas DSHS — Asbestos laws and rules (25 TAC Chapter 296)
- Texas DSHS — Asbestos notifications
- eCFR — 40 CFR 745.83, RRP definitions including minor repair and maintenance
- eCFR — 40 CFR 745.89, RRP firm certification
- City of Fort Worth TPW — Temporary street use permit application
- City of Fort Worth TPW — Typical traffic control plans for permit submittals (PDF)
- City of Fort Worth — Historic Preservation (Certificates of Appropriateness)
- City of Fort Worth — Drop-Off Stations
- Community Waste Disposal — Keller service details
- City of Burleson — Bulk and Brush Pickup
- City of North Richland Hills — Acceptable garbage
- City of Haltom City — Trash and recycling services
- eCFR — 40 CFR 82.155, safe disposal of appliances
- Texas Health and Safety Code §361.451 — lead-acid battery disposal
Ready when you are
You point. We haul. That is the whole arrangement.
Pick a pickup window online, or send a few photographs and get a free quote back first. Homes or businesses, one item or a whole property.
Or call (682) 432-7401
The Fort Worth branch
Junk Koala Fort Worth
2001 Beach St, Ste 524
Fort Worth, TX 76103