What Austin Homebuyers Need to Know About Lead & Asbestos Testing

Understanding Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was used extensively in construction for decades because of its exceptional resistance to heat, fire, and corrosion. It was added to everything — insulation, floor tiles, roofing shingles, drywall mud, textured paints, popcorn ceilings, and the pipes running through your walls. Left alone and undisturbed, asbestos-containing materials pose minimal risk. The danger comes when those materials are cut, sanded, demolished, or disturbed during renovation, releasing microscopic fibers that become permanently trapped in your lungs. Over time, those fibers cause serious conditions including mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer, and asbestosis, a progressive lung disease.

Where Asbestos Is Commonly Found

Due to its heat resistance and fiber strength, asbestos was incorporated into a wide range of building materials. If your home was built before the late 1980s, any of the following should be considered suspect until tested by a licensed inspector:

• Wall and attic insulation — especially blown-in or batt insulation in older homes
• Popcorn ceilings — one of the most common locations found in Austin-area homes
• Composite floor tiles — including 9"×9" vinyl tiles common in homes built before 1980
• Drywall joint compound (mud) — still found in some products imported and sold today
• Roofing shingles and siding — especially older fiber cement or asphalt-based products
• Hot water and steam pipes — wrapped insulation around older pipe systems
• Textured wall and ceiling paint — spray-applied textures applied before 1978
• Areas around furnaces and wood-burning stoves — heat shields and floor/wall backing materials

Understanding Lead Paint

Lead paint was the standard in residential construction before 1978 — applied to walls, ceilings, window sills, doors, banisters, and porches across the country. Intact lead paint in good condition carries relatively low risk. But when it starts peeling, chipping, chalking, or gets disturbed by renovation work, it becomes a serious hazard — especially for children under six, who are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning.

Lead accumulates in the body over months and years, causing developmental damage, neurological effects, and a range of serious health conditions. Construction workers performing renovations without proper precautions are at particularly high risk when lead dust is released into a work area.

Highest-Risk Locations for Lead Paint

Lead-based paint was applied throughout homes, but the highest-risk areas are surfaces that receive the most contact, friction, and wear — the kind that generates fine dust that can be easily inhaled or ingested:

• Windows and window sills — friction from opening and closing generates lead dust over time
• Doors and door frames — same friction issue; one of the most common exposure points
• Banisters and railings — high-contact surfaces in stairwells and porches
• Porches and exterior trim — weathering and UV exposure accelerates paint deterioration
• Walls and ceilings — often buried under multiple layers of newer paint
• Stairs and balustrades — wear from foot traffic exposes older underlying layers

The "Asbestos Was Banned" Myth

This comes up constantly, and it matters: many buyers assume that because asbestos was largely banned, their home is in the clear. The reality is more complicated. The U.S. attempted a near-total ban in 1989 — but much of it was overturned by federal courts in 1991. Today, asbestos-containing materials are still found in products imported and sold domestically, including joint compound, caulk, floor tiles, and certain drywall products.

OSHA requires contractors to test for both lead and asbestos before working on any home built before 1978 — but enforcement is inconsistent, and contractors are sometimes tempted to skip the step and get straight to work. Our advice: don't leave it to chance. Make testing a requirement before any renovation begins, and ask for documentation that it was completed.

Verified Testing Vendors in Central Texas

We don't guess at vendor recommendations. Every firm listed below has been verified as live, actively serving the Central Texas market, and reachable by phone. Confirm current availability and pricing directly before scheduling.

Required Legal Disclosures

Federal law requires real estate agents, sellers, and landlords to provide every buyer or renter of a pre-1978 home with specific disclosures and an EPA-approved pamphlet before a contract is signed. This is not optional — failure to comply can result in significant fines and legal exposure for agents and sellers alike. As your agents, we take this responsibility seriously on every transaction.

Buyers of pre-1978 homes also have the right to a 10-day inspection period specifically for lead-based paint testing. This period can be waived in writing, but it cannot be removed — make sure it's properly accounted for in your contract timeline.

Read the full EPA disclosure requirements →

The Bottom Line

Real estate transactions are significant events — but the relationships, and the home itself, last far longer. Making sure a home is safe before closing, before renovation, before a contractor tears into a wall — that's part of doing this right. Whether you're buying a 1965 ranch home in Pflugerville, a mid-century bungalow in North Austin, or anything else built before 1978, this step is worth taking seriously.

The cost of testing is minimal. The cost of skipping it — to your health, your family's health, and your legal standing — is not. If you have questions about what to require during due diligence, how to evaluate an older home, or how to protect yourself in any transaction, that's exactly what we're here for.