Have a basement finish, a furnace swap or a kitchen update coming up in Oakdale? Testing tells you early whether old materials are in the way. We arrange it, take out what the lab confirms, and look after the state notice and the disposal records.
Oakdale’s median build year is 1985, and close to 4 in 10 of its homes predate 1980.
Cement shingles taken off the back wall of a rambler before a kitchen bump-out is built
Example project
Home
1960s one-story rambler in Oakdale with cement shingle siding
Original request
Push the kitchen out about 4 ft with a small bump-out on the back of the house
Testing
An MDH-certified inspector tests three things on the back wall: cement shingles, window caulk and the building paper
Found
Asbestos in the cement shingles
Clear
No asbestos in the caulk or the building paper
Area
About 260 sq ft of back wall
Timeline
Five-day notice, then one working day
Cost
$3,100
In this example, the owners of a 1960s rambler in Oakdale want a bigger kitchen without a full addition. Their builder will push the back wall out about four feet, so the shingles on that stretch of wall, and a little past it on each side, have to come off.
When a sample from the tile, the black adhesive or the sheet vinyl shows asbestos, floor tile and mastic removal explains how those layers come up.
Ceilings
Texture on a ceiling you’re about to scrape, sand or drill into deserves a lab test first. If asbestos turns up, see popcorn ceiling removal.
Testing
Not sure what you have? Asbestos testing tells you before anyone cuts or scrapes.
Drywall and joint compound
If an Oakdale remodel will open a wall, have its plaster, taped seams and joint compound tested first. A positive result sends that wall to our drywall and joint compound removal service.
Attic insulation
Topping up the attic insulation? Look first. If the old layer is loose and granular rather than batts, it could be vermiculite, and that changes the plan. Read vermiculite attic insulation removal before anyone starts the job.
Exterior siding
Cement shingle siding in the way of an addition or new siding comes off under asbestos siding removal.
Oakdale homes
More of Oakdale’s homes date from the 1990s than from any other decade, close to a quarter, with the 1980s a near second. About 1 in 6 homes came from the 1970s, and fewer than 1 in 20 were built before 1950.
Owners and renters
Roughly 8 in every 10 Oakdale homes are one-unit homes, and slightly more than a fifth of the occupied ones are rented out. Landlords get no do-it-yourself exemption. In a rental, any removal larger than the state limits goes to a licensed contractor.
Oakdale’s permit page says finish work such as tiling and carpeting needs no building permit. That has nothing to do with asbestos. If the old floor under your new tile tests positive, the state limits for licensed removal still apply, permit or no permit.
Installing a furnace, a boiler or new ductwork does need a mechanical permit, and the city’s 2026 fee schedule lists residential and commercial demolition permits. Neither page mentions asbestos, so plan testing before those jobs start.
If it is intact, yes. When asbestos flooring is still in one piece, MDH allows a new floor to go right over it. Cracked or crumbling tile is another matter, and so is any plan that cuts into the old layer. Test it in those cases and plan on licensed removal.
Is a small amount safe to take out myself?
Not necessarily. Small amounts under the state limits fall outside MDH’s rules, but MDH stresses that outside the rules does not mean safe. Its recommendation is licensed removal for any asbestos material, whatever the amount.
Is finding asbestos mid-project an emergency?
Not under MDH’s rules. A discovery partway through a remodel doesn’t qualify, so the licensed contractor still files the five-day notice and the removal waits for it. Leave that material alone in the meantime.
What should a contractor give me at the end?
Paperwork you can file away. MDH suggests getting the waste manifest records, the air-sampling lab report and the MDH permit, along with copies of the contractor’s Minnesota license and the certificates its workers and supervisor hold. Before you pick anyone, it also suggests comparing more than one bid, each built on a site visit and a written work plan.
Our Maplewood page covers the same services for that city, or you can return to the home page.
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