Demolition FAQ Port Arthur, TX

Yes. Texas DSHS must be notified at least 10 working days before any building is demolished, even when no asbestos is present. The notice goes in through the DSHS online notification system or on the mailed form. Emergency and government-ordered demolitions are exempt from the 10-day wait.

Working days, Monday to Friday. Ten working days is two full work weeks, so a Monday start needs the notice in by the Monday two weeks earlier. Use the date calculator on this page, then confirm the date with DSHS or your contractor.

Texas requires a DSHS-licensed inspector to survey public buildings before they are demolished. For a single-family house the rule is less clear-cut, so confirm it with DSHS. Either way, tell contractors the year the house was built and whether it has transite siding, and ask whether they need a survey before they price the job.

Yes. Transite is asbestos-cement siding found on older houses, and it is handled as asbestos. Port Arthur bid listings indicate the city landfill may not accept it, so ask each contractor where it will go and whether disposal is in the price.

The notice goes to DSHS through its online notification system or on the mailed form. Ask each contractor whether filing it is part of their price, and keep a copy of the filed notice.

Ask DSHS or your contractor, and keep a copy of whatever is filed. We could not confirm from the DSHS notification page whether an owner can file it directly, so we will not guess.

Read the order for the deadline and keep a copy. DSHS exempts government-ordered demolitions from the 10-working-day wait. Put the deadline in your request so contractors can tell you whether they can meet it, and contact the city about the order itself.

Start with the city's Building Inspections division, which handles permits through the city's online permit portal. We could not find a published demolition permit type or fee, so ask the city what it needs for your address before you set a start date.

Plan on it. Demolition should not start with live gas, power or water lines in the building. Ask the City of Port Arthur and your utility companies how disconnects work for your address, and tell contractors what is already off.

City bid notices for Port Arthur demolitions have asked contractors to hold a landfill permit with an escrow account, with a minimum of $500 in the listings we saw. We could not check the notices themselves. For a private job, ask your contractor where the debris will go and whether any permit or fee is in the price.

It depends on size, foundation, asbestos and debris. In 2020 the city paid about $3,800 to $4,400 per house on bulk contracts for 13 dangerous houses. A single private teardown costs more than bulk city work; online bid trackers give a rough range of $10,000 to $50,000. Only a site visit gives a real number.

The machine work is the short part. The city's 2020 contract allowed 14 days for seven houses. Before any of it, allow at least 10 working days for the DSHS notice, plus time for a survey, abatement if it is needed and the city permit.

Usually. Transite is asbestos-cement siding, so it is handled as asbestos, which can add a survey, licensed removal and separate disposal. Port Arthur bid listings indicate the city landfill may not accept it.

Yes, if you ask for it. Slab, pier and driveway removal is often priced as a separate line, so check whether each quote includes it. Our concrete and slab removal page covers what that work involves.

No. Port Arthur Demolition is a free quote-request service. We pass your request to independent local demolition contractors, who quote you and contract with you directly. We don't own equipment or do demolition work ourselves.

Whoever signs the contract needs the right to authorize the work. If the estate is not settled or several heirs share the house, sort out who can sign before you book a crew. A probate attorney can tell you what applies to your case.