What is an asbestos clearance certificate?
A clearance certificate is the document issued after a clearance inspection of an area where licensed asbestos removal has been done. Regulation 42 says the area must not be reoccupied until one is issued, and regulation 41 says the inspection must be done by someone independent of the remover.
Published 15 September 2026 · Updated 15 September 2026 · Written and checked by the team at NZ Asbestos Removal
The short version
- No reoccupation until the certificate is issued (reg 42).
- The inspection is by a licensed asbestos assessor for Class A work, and an independent competent person otherwise (regs 41, 57).
- Independent means independent of the remover. That is the whole point of the requirement.
- For a home, the licensed remover commissioned to do the work must ensure the clearance happens.
- Air monitoring is required during Class A removal, carried out by a licensed assessor (regs 43, 57).
What it is
When licensed asbestos removal work finishes, the area is inspected before anyone goes back into it. If the inspection is satisfied that the area is safe to reoccupy, a clearance certificate is issued. Regulation 42 makes the certificate the gate: the area must not be reoccupied until it has been issued.
Who is allowed to issue it
This is the part people get wrong. Under reg 41, the clearance inspection must be carried out by an independent licensed asbestos assessor for Class A removal work, and by an independent competent person for other licensed removal work. "Independent" means independent of the person who did the removal.
Assessor licences are issued under reg 57 and, like removal licences, are listed on the WorkSafe asbestos licence holder register with a status of Current, Suspended, Expired or Cancelled. You can check the person named on your paperwork.
You may still read that Class B work needs no clearance. That is wrong, and it was wrong on an earlier version of this site. Reg 41 covers licensed removal work generally; for Class B it is an independent competent person rather than a licensed assessor.
What the inspection covers
For Class A work, air monitoring must be carried out during the removal by a licensed assessor (regs 43 and 57), and the clearance for friable work involves both a visual inspection and air testing. For non-friable Class B work, the clearance is an inspection by the independent competent person that the area is safe to reoccupy.
Who arranges it on a house
For residential premises, the licensed remover who was commissioned to do the work must ensure the clearance inspection happens. On a job we arrange, we engage and pay the clearance provider separately from the remover, so that the independence in reg 41 is real and not just on paper. That is set out on our disclosure page.
Keep it
The certificate is the evidence that the removal was completed and the area was cleared. Keep it with the property file alongside the laboratory report and the disposal dockets. Buyers, insurers, councils and future builders all have reason to ask for it, and reconstructing it later is not possible.
It also matters for landlords: WorkSafe says residential landlords must identify asbestos and prepare a management plan for work with a risk of exposure, and the clearance paperwork is part of what keeps that plan honest.
We are not a licence holder. NZ Asbestos Removal is not a WorkSafe asbestos licence holder. Removal we arrange is carried out by licensed partners named, with their licence class and number, on each quote.
Sources
- Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 (regs 41, 42, 43, 57)
- WorkSafe, Asbestos licensing overview
- WorkSafe, asbestos licence holder register
- Asbestos Safe Consultancy, prices (checked 15 September 2026)
Every rule and price on this page was checked against its source on 15 September 2026.
Questions people ask
Do I need a clearance certificate after Class B asbestos removal?
Yes. Regulation 41 requires a clearance inspection after licensed removal work; for Class B it is carried out by an independent competent person rather than a licensed asbestos assessor. Regulation 42 says the area must not be reoccupied until a certificate is issued.
Who issues an asbestos clearance certificate in New Zealand?
An independent licensed asbestos assessor for Class A work, and an independent competent person for other licensed removal work (reg 41). Assessors are licensed under reg 57 and appear on the WorkSafe asbestos licence holder register.
Can the company that removed the asbestos issue the clearance?
No. Regulation 41 requires the clearance inspection to be done by someone independent of the remover.
How much does a clearance certificate cost?
The only published New Zealand figure we could source is Asbestos Safe Consultancy's price list, which shows clearance certificates from $299 plus GST (checked 15 September 2026). On a removal we arrange, the clearance is included in the fixed quote and priced separately from the removal.
What happens if there is no clearance certificate?
The area must not be reoccupied (reg 42). Practically, you also have no record that the removal was completed properly, which becomes a problem at sale, at insurance renewal and the next time a trade works on the building.
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