The Health Department inspector, in accordance with the regulation, has the authority to “close” a property if it is deemed to be unfit for occupancy or use.

A red “Closed to Entry” placard means that a property is so contaminated that it cannot be entered, even by the owner or occupants, until a contractor or the owner submits a complete site-specific decontamination work plan to the Health Department.

A yellow “Closed to Occupancy” placard means that authorized persons can enter the property (for the purposes of cleaning or decontaminating only) during daylight hours, usually between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

A green “warning” placard simply advises the occupants that hazardous chemicals associated with drug manufacturing or use have been found in the house and they should take proper steps to protect themselves.

While a green placard places no legal restrictions on entry or use of the house, it is advisable to contact the SLVHD to get additional information before entering.

Question #2: “How do I decontaminate my property? Do I have to hire a contractor, or can I do it myself?”

Each property is different, and each has varying levels of contamination, so the decontamination process will be different for each property (see Question #4). The property owner of record, i.e., the person or persons whose names appear on the title as recorded in the Salt Lake County Recorder’s Office, may decontaminate a property by him- or herself, or may choose a contractor from a list maintained by the SLVHD.

Although the Health Department maintains the list of contractors, the Health Department does not certify or endorse any of them. It is up to the owner to decide how best to decontaminate the property.

However, be advised that a property owner of record who decides to do the work personally will be responsible for complying with the same applicable local, state, and federal regulations, just as the listed contractors are. The only exception is that the owner is not required to have a business license.

Question #3: “So how do I get started?”

You should contact the Health Department representative who posted the property. He or she will review the information that lead to the closure. This will provide you with some idea of how contaminated your property is, what chemicals were used, what parts of the property should be decontaminated, and what sampling will be required for the decontamination process to be completed.

At this point you may wish to contact a Certified Decontamination Specialist for bids. They may want to do a Pre-Decontamination Assessment in order to give an accurate bid. After this, you or the contractor will be required to submit a Written Work Plan on a form provided by the Health Department.

The plan should include official information about the property and a summary of who will do the work; when it will be done; what items, if any, will be thrown away; what items and rooms will be decontaminated; where the contaminated items be disposed of; and the sampling that will be done to verify decontamination.

A floor plan of the house or building must be included as well, and contractors need to include information about their qualifications and worker health and safety.

Once the Written Work Plan has been approved, a Permit to Decontaminate will be issued. You will be required to keep a copy of this permit on site as you work if you are doing the work yourself, or your contractor will be required to keep it on site while they are working there.

Failure to follow the work plan may result in the revocation of the Permit to Decontaminate.

There will be a $400 Chemically Contaminated Property Management fee charged by the Health Department for reviewing the Work Plan and conducting other activities related to the decontamination charged before a permit will be issued

Question #4: “I've got the house all done. What do I do now?”

After the decontamination is completed, and before any rehabilitation work is done, you should contact the Health Department representative and schedule a Post-Decontamination Site Assessment.

You or your contractor should have available at this time a written Final Report, summarizing the work that has been done and the results of the final sampling.

The Health Department inspector will verify your documentation that the work has been done according to the Work Plan, and that the sampling results show no excessive chemical residues. If all is in order, the inspector will remove the “closed to entry” sign.

Usually during the same inspection, property will be evaluated to determine if it is ready to be occupied. If so, it will be opened to occupancy and released to the owner. If not, it will be posted “closed to occupancy” while any required rehabilitation is done, i.e., floor coverings are put in place, any deficient wiring is corrected, any required fixtures are installed.

Question #5: “You keep mentioning sampling. What samples do I need to take?”

There is only one sample that is required, the methamphetamine residue sample. This sample is swiped from every room in the house and the ventilation system and then submitted to a laboratory qualified to run the test. If these samples show no residue over the limits specified in the regulation, the property is considered to be decontaminated.

However, other samples may be required. If the “cook” was using methods that required mercury or lead, samples for these metals will be required. In addition, in some cases, the “cook” may have used highly toxic solvents. Samples may be required to verify that there is no residue of these chemicals in the house.

Question #6: “This sounds expensive. How much does it usually cost?”

Each contaminated property is different. Some may be relatively easy to decontaminate, others may require more work and materials.

Unfortunately, the Health Department does not keep record of costs of each property, and the Health Department has no control over prices that any contractor may charge.

Question #7: “Does the Health Department issue a certificate of decontamination, or some other certification that the property is safe?”

It is the duty of the property owner to certify that his property has been decontaminated according to the requirements of Health Regulation #32.

The Health Department cannot assume this responsibility for properties it neither owns nor controls. The owner of a decontaminated property should keep all records of testing and decontaminating for as long as he owns the property.

Question #8: “I don’t know for sure, but I think another property I own is contaminated. What do I do?”

Any property owner who has reason to believe that a property has been contaminated by chemicals should report it to the Health Department. If an owner suspects that the property is being actively used as a lab, he should contact the law enforcement agency where the property is located. If it is a site of a former lab, he should contact the Health Department directly.

In most cases, investigations of these former labs are inconclusive. Usually there is not enough evidence to justify the closure of the property to entry or occupancy. However, the Health Department inspector may recommend certain steps for the owner to take in order to ensure that the property is not contaminated. Even though the owner may not be required by law to complete these steps, he is still responsible for the condition of the property.

For additional information, contact the Salt Lake Valley Health Department at (801) 313-6641.