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Hiring a demolition contractor: the license, the asbestos check, and what 14 cities' demolition permits show

To hire a demolition contractor, check three things: a license that covers demolition (in California the C-21 class), a demolition permit pulled in the firm's own name, and an asbestos survey and notice where your state requires one. Then check the firm's record. Demolition work is concentrated: in Denver the five busiest firms hold 73.9% of the 1,139 demolition permits, and in Cleveland 37.8%. Most firms that turn up in the file did one job: 68.0% of Denver's 122 demolition firms had a single permit in three years.

By Contractor Records · data through October 17, 2026

What 14 cities' demolition permits show

City Demolition permits Firms Busiest 5 firms' share Firms with one permit Reached final Usual days, issue to final
New York City 1,736 349 22.3% 36.7% 97.3% 32
Austin, TX 1,925 506 30.8% 55.9% 83.6% 133
Cleveland, OH 1,572 120 37.8% 50.8% 93.1% 42
Denver, CO 1,139 122 73.9% 68.0% 91.3% 21
Miami, FL 1,018 470 12.5% 70.0% 88.7% 133
St. Louis, MO 744 37 48.1% 16.2% 94.7% 164
Pittsburgh, PA 368 57 52.4% 49.1% 92.5% 119
Columbus, OH 283 49 54.8% 34.7% 83.5% 104
Cincinnati, OH 260 69 46.5% 68.1% 89.1% 268
Minneapolis, MN 187 44 53.5% 45.5% 87.1% 151
Cary, NC 154 58 40.9% 56.9% 92.7% 73
Sacramento County, CA 147 105 15.6% 81.0% 89.7% 115
Cape Coral, FL 142 65 39.4% 67.7% 97.3% 50
Honolulu, HI 554 171 24.0% 53.8% 73.2% 422

Permits from October 2023 to September 2026 (Honolulu July 2022 to June 2025; Cape Coral from January 2025). "Reached final" is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed out. Each city files a slightly different mix under demolition: some include interior and partial demolition, some only whole buildings.

Two things stand out. First, demolition permits usually close: New York City (97.3%), Cape Coral (97.3%) and St. Louis (94.7%) close almost all of theirs, against 75.1% for New York City electrical permits. A demolition firm whose own finished share sits well below its city's figure is the one to ask about. Second, a few firms do most of the work. In Denver the busiest firm alone holds 48.0% of demolition permits. A firm with dozens of demolitions in your city has been through that city's demolition inspections many times; a firm with one has not shown you that yet.

See every Cleveland demolition firm by finished share →

The four checks before you sign

1. The license covers demolition. California licenses it as its own class: the C-21 Building Moving/Demolition contractor "raises, lowers, cribs, underpins, demolishes and moves or removes structures, including their foundations" (CSLB, read 23 October 2026). Elsewhere demolition usually sits under a general contractor or specialty license, or a city registration. Look the number up on the state board the day you sign; our guides for California, Ohio, Florida and New York show where.

2. The permit is in the firm's name. The FTC's scam list includes contractors who "ask you to get any required building permits" (FTC, read 20 October 2026). All 10 building departments in our demolition permit guide require one to tear down a building; it has each rule, including Austin's neighbor notice and historic review.

3. Asbestos is handled, in writing. The federal asbestos rule (NESHAP) excludes "residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units", but not when the house comes down as part of a project that also demolishes a non-residential building or more than four units (EPA, June 2012 memo). EPA adds that "state and local agencies may have more stringent standards". Colorado is one: a building being demolished must be inspected by a Colorado-certified asbestos inspector, a notice must be filed "even if no asbestos was found", and "a ten working-day notification period is required before the demolition can commence"; the notice costs $50 plus $5 per 1,000 square feet (CDPHE, read 23 October 2026). Ask the contractor who orders the survey, who files the notice, and whether abatement is in the price.

4. The utilities and the hole are in the scope. The contract should say who arranges the gas, electric, water and sewer disconnections the city asks for, what happens to the foundation and basement (removed or filled), what fill is used, and whether the lot is graded and seeded. Ask for each as a line item so two bids can be compared; our house demolition cost guide has the filed values by city.

Check a demolition firm in five minutes

  1. Get the license number and the exact business name.
  2. Search the number on your state board and read the status line.
  3. Open your city's demolition list here (for example New York City, Denver or Pittsburgh), find the firm, and note its permit count, the months it was active and its finished share.
  4. Compare its finished share with the city figure in the table above.
  5. Ask for the address of a demolition the firm did last year and search it on the city's portal: you should see the demolition permit in the firm's name and a final.

The general questions to ask a contractor apply too; insurance matters more than usual on a demolition, so ask for the certificate and call the agent (bonded vs insured).

What the record cannot tell you

Whether the asbestos survey was done, how the crew treated the neighbors' fences, or whether debris went to a licensed landfill. Several cities in our file (Austin, St. Louis, Arlington, Boulder, Scottsdale, Wilmington and San Diego County among them) record no job value on demolition permits, and a demolition done without a permit is not in any file. Our counts end at the last refresh.

How we know this

Demolition permits are those each city files under a demolition or deconstruction work type over its three-year window (Honolulu and Cape Coral differ, as noted under the table). Busiest-five share is the share of demolition permits held by the five firms with the most; "firms with one permit" counts firms with exactly one. Reached final is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed with a final inspection, and days is the median from issue to final. License, asbestos and scam rules are quoted from CSLB, US EPA, Colorado CDPHE and the FTC, read 20 to 23 October 2026.

Numbers come from NYC Department of Buildings permits and DOB NOW filings on one- and two-family homes (NYC Open Data); City of Cleveland building permits; City and County of Denver residential construction and demolition permits; City of Miami building permits (since 2014); City of Pittsburgh permits (Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center); City of Cincinnati building permits (residential, Residential Code of Ohio); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); Town of Cary building permit applications (issued permits only), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.

Questions

  • How do I choose a demolition contractor?

    Ask for the license number and three addresses of houses they took down in your city in the last year, then look up their demolition permits. A firm whose permits reach a final is one that capped the utilities and cleared the lot to the inspector's satisfaction. In Cleveland 93.1% of demolition permits a year or more old reached a final, the usual one in 42 days.

  • Does a demolition contractor need a license?

    In California, yes: CSLB's C-21 class covers a contractor who 'demolishes and moves or removes structures, including their foundations'. Other states license demolition under a general or specialty license, or leave it to the city. Our state license guides link each board's lookup.

  • Who pulls the demolition permit, me or the contractor?

    The contractor, in its own name. The FTC lists a contractor who asks you to get the permits as a scam sign, and a permit in your name makes you the responsible party for the asbestos notice, the utility caps and the site.

  • Does a house need an asbestos inspection before demolition?

    Federal rules exclude residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units, unless they come down as part of a larger project (EPA). States can be stricter: Colorado requires an inspection by a Colorado-certified inspector and a ten working-day notice before any demolition, with a $50 base fee plus $5 per 1,000 square feet.

  • How long does a demolition permit take to close?

    From issue to final, the usual demolition permit took 21 days in Denver, 32 in New York City, 42 in Cleveland and 268 in Cincinnati. The machine work is a few days; the rest is utility caps, backfill and the final inspection.

Build your own list

Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.

New York City demolitionCleveland demolitionDenver demolitionMiami demolitionPittsburgh demolitionCincinnati demolitionSacramento County (unincorporated) demolitionCary demolition

Related guides

For one city

All guides →

Sources
  1. C-21 Building Moving/Demolition Contractor — CSLB (accessed 2026-10-23)
  2. Information for Owners and Managers of Buildings that Contain Asbestos — US EPA (accessed 2026-10-23)
  3. Notification of Rules and Regulations Regarding the Demolition of Buildings — US EPA (June 2012) (accessed 2026-10-23)
  4. Asbestos support and guidance: renovation, demolition, and certification — Colorado CDPHE (accessed 2026-10-23)
  5. How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam — FTC Consumer Advice (accessed 2026-10-20)