Under RCW 64.44.0601, a contractor, supervisor or worker may not do decontamination, demolition or disposal work unless the state Department of Health (DOH) has issued them a certificate. If you own a contaminated property and want it decontaminated, demolished or disposed of, RCW 64.44.0502 says you must use an authorized contractor unless the local health officer authorizes otherwise. For residue left from drug use, DOH’s drug residue page3 says it has no policy on when to test, so we suggest asking your local health department how it handles your case.
Who may do the work
DOH’s drug lab cleanup certification page says a drug lab cleanup worker, supervisor or contractor in Washington must get and keep certification through the department’s program. Under WAC 246-205-091, a contractor may advertise, offer or do decontamination, demolition or disposal work at an illegal drug manufacturing or storage site only after getting a certificate from DOH. WAC 246-205-111 says authorized contractors at a decontamination site must use only DOH-certified workers and supervisors, with a certified supervisor they employ on site to oversee the work.
Under RCW 64.44.010, an “authorized contractor” is one certified as RCW 64.44.0601 provides, and that section requires a DOH-issued certificate. The local health officer may decide when an authorized contractor is needed (RCW 64.44.020). If the officer decides one is not needed, WAC 246-205-5704 says the officer must still take appropriate steps to make sure the property is decontaminated.
Under RCW 64.44.0601, a contractor, supervisor or worker who violates any provision of this law may be fined for each violation. DOH’s answers for people applying for certification also say other agencies, including the Department of Labor and Industries, may fine workers who are not certified or not trained for unauthorized cleanup of contaminated spaces.
What the law covers
Under RCW 64.44.010, property is contaminated when it is polluted by hazardous chemicals so that it is unfit for people to live in or use because of immediate or long-term hazards. The same section lists “substances associated with the illegal manufacture of controlled substances.” WAC 246-205-010 defines an illegal drug manufacturing or storage site as any property where a person illegally manufactures or stores a controlled substance, or where law enforcement or the owner believes a person did.
Here is exactly what RCW 64.44.010 says about methamphetamine: “Methamphetamine in amounts exceeding the decontamination standards set by the department when found in transient accommodations such as hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, resorts, inns, crisis shelters, hostels, and retreats that are regulated by the department.”
For residue left from drug use, DOH’s drug residue page3 says it has no policy on when to test for methamphetamine or other drug residue. We did not find an official source that says directly whether residue from drug use in a private home counts as contaminated property under these laws. We suggest asking your local health department how it handles your case, though practices differ: King County’s public health page on illegal drug labs says the department no longer investigates or declares properties contaminated and unfit for use.
If you find signs of a drug lab or drug residue
If you see evidence of drug manufacturing, distribution or storage, DOH’s drug residue page3 says to contact your local law enforcement. In that case, the page says, your local health officer will determine whether the area is considered contaminated. DOH’s meth lab page5 also names an Anonymous Meth Hotline for reporting suspected drug lab activity.
DOH’s meth lab page5 says no one should enter a place used as an illegal drug lab without proper protective equipment unless the area has been ventilated and decontaminated. It says people who entered a meth lab after the bust was completed, but before the property was properly cleaned and ventilated, have had headache, nausea, dizziness and fatigue. It says to contact your health care provider if you have any of these symptoms.
For residue from drug use, DOH’s drug residue page3 says household cleaners like soap and water are useful for removing it from surfaces but do not completely break the drugs down, so the active drug may be on the used cleaning materials, such as a paper towel or cleaning cloth, or in the wastewater. It says not to open windows or doors or use fans if you see powdered fentanyl, because this can blow the powder into the air and put you at risk of breathing it in. It does not recommend painting over drug residue to cover it up.
What the local health officer does
This section covers what state law says the local health officer must do, but local practice can differ: King County’s public health page on illegal drug labs says the department’s role is limited to sites identified as contaminated before 2010. For suspected inactive drug lab sites, the same page strongly recommends contacting a Washington-certified drug lab decontamination contractor to evaluate the property for possible contamination and cleanup, at the owner’s expense. If you suspect an illegal drug lab is still operating, or illegal drug activity is ongoing, it says to contact local law enforcement.
When law enforcement learns a property has been contaminated by hazardous chemicals, RCW 64.44.020 says it must report this to the local health officer. The same law says the officer must post a written warning on the property within one working day of being notified, and inspect it within 14 days. The warning tells people that hazardous chemicals may be there or may have been removed, and that entry is unsafe.
If the inspection finds contamination, RCW 64.44.030 says the officer must issue an order declaring the property unfit and prohibiting its use. WAC 246-205-520 says the order must be served within 10 working days of the officer finding the property contaminated. The requirements for that order, in WAC 246-205-560, include describing what the owner must do to have the property decontaminated and stating the potential health risks.
If the property is found unfit for use
Once a local health officer has found a property unfit for use, RCW 64.44.040 makes it unlawful for anyone to enter it or remove anything from it, and doing so is a misdemeanor. Exceptions include officials doing their duties, and authorized contractors or owners doing the cleanup with the local health officer’s authorization. The same law says the officer can still let occupants or owners take out personal belongings that are not contaminated.
Under RCW 64.44.030, a request for a hearing must be made within 10 days of the order being served. In any hearing on whether the property is fit for use, the owner has to show that it is decontaminated or fit for use.
If you own the property
If you are a landlord and believe a tenant contaminated a rental that is now vacated or abandoned, RCW 64.44.020 says you must contact the local health officer about it. The same law says local health officers or boards may charge owners reasonable fees for inspections the owners ask for. Under RCW 64.44.0502, the owner is responsible for the costs of any required testing and of the cleanup, demolition and disposal, as well as costs the local health officer incurs in enforcing the law.
RCW 64.44.0502 says the contractor and the owner must prepare a written work plan for the cleanup, demolition or disposal and submit it to the local health officer, who may charge a reasonable fee to review it. When an authorized contractor is required, WAC 246-205-5704 says the owner must have the plan approved by the officer before cleanup starts. The same rule also calls for records of the cleanup, notarized copies of all records sent to the officer, and a request asking the officer to review them and declare the property decontaminated.
Except for vehicles and vessels (see below), RCW 64.44.0502 gives the local health officer 30 days from the unfit order to set a reasonable timeline for the cleanup. The officer must mail the proposed time frame to your last known address, postmarked no later than the 30th day after the order. The same law says you can ask for more time by sending the officer a letter that explains why within 35 days of the postmark on that notice, no matter when you receive it.
Who can test the property
For drug labs and drug storage sites, DOH’s drug residue page3 says testing and cleanup are regulated by the state rule and law covered on this page. For those sites, WAC 246-205-531 says samples are to be collected by Department of Ecology staff, DOH-certified drug lab supervisors or local health officers. The rule says the sample results may be used to determine contamination.
DOH’s answers for people applying for certification say a home inspector needs drug lab certification to test for meth contamination. They also say certified supervisors must work under a licensed drug lab contractor, even when they are only collecting samples. DOH’s drug residue page3 says testing by a certified contractor gives more accurate results than a field test or spectrometer.
If a local health officer has not declared the property contaminated, DOH’s drug residue page3 says you can also take samples and send them to a lab, and that the Department of Ecology has a list of labs accredited to analyze for methamphetamine. The Department of Ecology’s Lab Search page says the most up-to-date information on accredited labs is in its Lab Search database. DOH’s drug residue page also says Washington has cleanup standards for methamphetamine, lead, mercury and volatile organic carbons (VOCs) but not for fentanyl, and no labs are accredited by the Department of Ecology for fentanyl analysis.
Before anyone lives there again
Under WAC 246-205-5704, the owner or contractor must do the cleanup according to the approved work plan and meet the standards in WAC 246-205-541. For methamphetamine, that standard is less than or equal to 1.5 micrograms per 100 square centimeters.
Within 10 working days of a request to review the cleanup records, the local health officer must check that the work followed the approved plan and met the standards (WAC 246-205-580). The officer may require the owner to provide more testing by an independent laboratory or firm qualified to do it. If the approved work is done and the property is retested according to the plan and properly documented, RCW 64.44.0502 says the health officer must allow reuse of the property.
DOH’s meth lab page5 says only your local health agency can determine whether a property has been properly decontaminated. It says no one should rent, buy or live in a home used as an illegal drug lab until it has been decontaminated. It also says no decontamination procedure can guarantee absolute safety for moving back in.
Records, sales and the state list
For real property, RCW 64.44.030 says a copy of the unfit order is also filed with the auditor of the county where the property is. RCW 64.44.0502 says a release for reuse document is recorded in the real property records, showing the property has been decontaminated, demolished or disposed of under state health department rules.
Under RCW 64.44.020, local health officers must report every contaminated property to the state health department, which may share its list with health associations, landlord and realtor groups, prosecutors and other interested groups. The same law says the department must promptly remove properties from the list once they have been decontaminated under the law.
When a home is sold, RCW 64.06.020 says the seller must give the buyer a completed seller disclosure statement, unless the buyer waived it or the sale is exempt. That form asks: “Has the property been used as an illegal drug manufacturing site?”
Cars, boats and manufactured homes
For a vehicle or vessel that the local health officer has declared unfit for use, RCW 64.44.0502 says the owner must have it demolished, disposed of or decontaminated by an authorized contractor, or under a work plan the officer approved, within 30 days of receiving the order. If the owner has not done this (even an owner who is not responsible for the costs), and the local health officer or law enforcement has taken over the work and all its costs, the same law says all of the owner’s rights, title and interest in the vehicle or vessel are treated as forfeited.
Under RCW 64.44.0502, the owner of a stolen vehicle or vessel is not responsible for these costs if they neither knew of nor agreed to anything that led to the theft and contamination. But if the registered owner is insured, the same law says they must submit a claim to their insurer within 15 calendar days of receiving the order declaring the property unfit, and give proof of the claim to the local health officer or law enforcement agency.
The Department of Licensing (DOL) says it is a gross misdemeanor to advertise for sale or sell a contaminated motor vehicle, boat or manufactured home. After an approved cleanup plan is completed, it says the local health jurisdiction will give you a Release for Reuse document and a Department of Licensing Decontamination Form. If the title shows the “contaminated” brand but no “decontaminated” brand, DOL says the vehicle, boat or manufactured home cannot be legally sold.
Drug residue in a car
A vehicle may contain fentanyl or methamphetamine residue if it was stolen and then picked up by law enforcement, says the Department of Health’s drug residue page3. The same page says stolen vehicles might need decontamination, and that a vehicle with fentanyl residue likely also has methamphetamine residue.
Finding a certified contractor
Under WAC 246-205-131, the state health department must keep a list of authorized drug lab cleanup contractors. DOH’s certified cleanup companies page publishes that list and says it is for information only and is not an endorsement of any contractor. If you own the property, the local health officer must give you a list of authorized contractors when you ask (WAC 246-205-5704).
Under WAC 246-205-091, a contractor applying for certification must show it is licensed, bonded and insured as a general contractor and has at least one DOH-certified supervisor and one certified worker. During a project, workers and supervisors must make their certificates available for inspection at all times (WAC 246-205-071). Before you hire any company, including one you reach through this site, check that its name is on DOH’s list.
DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program page says the department certifies the workers, supervisors and contractors who clean up illegal drug labs. It says to contact your local health department with general questions about illegal drug labs, such as contaminated properties and the status of cleanups.
Health risks, as DOH describes them
For residue left from drug use, DOH’s drug residue page3 says some people have reported temporary health effects, such as rashes and headaches, that go away once they leave the area. It says there are currently no known adult deaths from exposure to drug residue, and no documented cases where second-hand smoke from methamphetamine or fentanyl use caused an overdose. It also says young children have a higher risk of exposure and more serious effects, such as overdose, because they are more likely to crawl on surfaces like floors that might have residue.
For drug labs, DOH’s drug labs page says toxic fumes, spills, explosions and fires make them dangerous places, and labs can create large amounts of toxic waste. DOH’s meth lab page5 says exposure to high levels of contaminants found in meth labs can cause shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, dizziness and lack of coordination. It says such exposure can also cause chemical irritation and burns to the skin, eyes, mouth and nose, and in severe cases, death.
DOH’s meth lab page5 says not much is known about the long-term health effects from these labs. But it says animal and human toxicity studies show the chemicals used to make meth can cause a range of health effects. These include cancer, damage to the brain, liver and kidneys, birth defects, and reproductive problems such as miscarriages.
Meth and drug residue cleanup: a short overview
We read every source on October 26, 2026. If a source didn't say it, this page doesn't say it.