The short answer
If your home was built or renovated before 1987, Northern Beaches Council says it may contain asbestos, and corrugated fibro roofs from that era often do. Don’t cut, drill, sand or pressure clean it. SafeWork NSW says removing more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos needs a licensed removalist, which covers any whole roof, and a clearance inspection follows licensed removal. It goes to an EPA-licensed facility; council names Kimbriki. One Sydney removalist publishes $40 to $100 per m² for removal only, before the new roof.
Is my roof asbestos?
Northern Beaches Council’s asbestos page says: “If your home was built or renovated before 1987, it may contain asbestos.” The NSW EPA’s cut-off is homes built before 1990. On the Beaches that takes in a lot of fibro holiday cottages and post-war houses from Manly to Palm Beach, and the corrugated grey sheet roofs on many of them, their garages and their carports.
You can’t tell by looking. Council says to have it tested by a licensed asbestos assessor, and lists NATA on 1800 621 666 to find an accredited lab. Until you know, treat it as asbestos.
What not to do
Council’s first rule is “Don’t cut it!” SafeWork NSW lists “high-pressure water spray, jets, power or similar tools and instruments” among the equipment that should never be used on asbestos, and warns: “be careful when working on asbestos roofs – they are brittle and you can easily fall through.” So no pressure cleaning, no drilling for a solar bracket or antenna, and no walking on it.
Who can remove an asbestos roof in NSW
Roof sheeting is usually non-friable (bonded) asbestos. SafeWork NSW’s rules are:
- “A non-friable asbestos removal licence is required to remove more than 10sqm of non-friable asbestos.” A whole roof, or even a garage roof, is well over 10 m².
- “A friable asbestos removal licence is required to remove any amount of friable asbestos.” Badly weathered or storm-broken sheeting can need assessing for this.
- SafeWork recommends a licensed removalist even for amounts under 10 m².
- “A clearance inspection is required at the completion of all licensed asbestos removal work, prior to reoccupation”, and “Clearance certificates must be issued by independent asbestos assessors.”
The removalist and the roofer are often different businesses. Ask who holds the asbestos licence, and get the removal, disposal and clearance as separate lines on the quote.
Council approval and the exempt route
Replacing roof cladding is often exempt development under NSW’s Codes SEPP, but exempt work can’t involve removing more than 10 m² of bonded asbestos, or any friable asbestos, unless a licensed asbestos removalist does the removal (clause 1.16). Council’s asbestos page also says that if asbestos is present and you plan to renovate, demolish or do maintenance, “you’ll need to check with Council’s Planning and Assessment department if consent is required.”
Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and bush fire prone land each change the picture. The approvals section of our re-roofing page covers them, and council’s planning line is 1300 434 434.
Disposal: Kimbriki and the EPA
Council says: “All asbestos must be transported to and disposed of at a facility that is appropriately licensed” by the NSW EPA, and that “We have a licensed disposal facility right here on the Northern Beaches at the Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre.” The EPA’s list of facilities adds: “Always phone the landfill you plan to visit in advance to ensure they accept household asbestos waste.”
Council also notes that the EPA tracks the transport of household asbestos waste. A licensed removalist handles the wrapping, transport and tracking for a roof; ask for the disposal receipt with your clearance certificate.
What asbestos roof removal and replacement cost
There are two bills: removal and disposal, then the new roof. These are the published Sydney and national figures for removal, each with its publisher:
Published asbestos roof removal prices
| What’s charged | Published price | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Asbestos cement or fibro roofing, removal only, per m² | $40 to $100 | Hazardous Removal, Sydney |
| Minimum job fee | $1,500 to $2,000 | Hazardous Removal, Sydney |
| Asbestos roof removal, total | $3,500 to $5,500 | hipages, national guide |
| Minimum removal cost many removalists charge | $2,000 | hipages, national guide |
Removal only, not the new roof. The first two rows are a Sydney asbestos removal contractor’s cost page (first published 17 September 2025), which also lists testing at $200 to $600 and a clearance at $300 to $800. The last two are a national marketplace’s guide (updated 27 November 2025), which doesn’t say what size of roof its total assumes. Checked 1 October 2026; neither says whether GST is included.
Published rate for the new Colorbond roof
| What’s charged | Published price | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Colorbond and metal, per m² of roof | from $170 | Aussie Roof Repairs, Sydney (undated) |
One Sydney contractor’s undated re-roofing rate, checked 1 October 2026, including “stripping the old roof, new sarking and standard flashings”. It doesn’t say whether GST is included or whether asbestos removal is in the strip-out, so ask.
More re-roofing figures, including tile and per-job bands, are in the roof replacement cost guide. Many asbestos re-roofs pass $20,000, which brings in Home Building Compensation Fund cover before work starts or a deposit is taken, a full written contract and a cooling-off period.
Broken asbestos sheets after a storm
A branch through a fibro roof leaves broken asbestos on the roof, in the gutters and sometimes in the yard. Keep people and pets away, don’t sweep, hose or vacuum it, and call the NSW SES on 132 500 for storm damage. Mention asbestos when you call your insurer and the roofer. Emergency roof repairs and storm damage covers make-safe tarps and the order of calls.
Common questions
Can I remove an asbestos roof myself in NSW?
Not a whole roof. SafeWork NSW says a non-friable asbestos removal licence is required to remove more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, and a friable licence for any amount of friable asbestos. It recommends a licensed removalist even under 10 m².
How do I know if my roof is asbestos?
Only a test can tell you. Northern Beaches Council says homes built or renovated before 1987 may contain asbestos, and suggests a licensed asbestos assessor. NATA (1800 621 666) can point you to an accredited lab.
How much does asbestos roof removal cost?
A Sydney asbestos removalist publishes $40 to $100 per m² to remove asbestos cement or fibro roofing, with a minimum job fee of $1,500 to $2,000. A national marketplace guide gives $3,500 to $5,500 for an asbestos roof removal. Those are removal only; the new roof is extra. See the roof replacement cost guide.
Where can I dump asbestos on the Northern Beaches?
Council names the Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre as the licensed disposal facility on the Northern Beaches. The NSW EPA says to always phone a landfill first to check it accepts household asbestos. For a roof, the licensed removalist handles disposal.
Can an asbestos roof be painted or sealed instead?
SafeWork NSW says the best solution for an asbestos roof is to replace it. If that’s not an option, it says a fungicide and sealant can be applied to clean the roof surface before re-painting, never with high-pressure water.
Where this information comes from
The prices, rules and advice on this page come from these published pages, checked on 1 October 2026 (prices) and 12 October 2026 (SafeWork, council and EPA).
- Northern Beaches Council: asbestos · Local council guidance, undated
- NSW EPA: dealing with household asbestos · NSW Environment Protection Authority, updated 22 November 2025
- NSW EPA: facilities that accept household asbestos · NSW Environment Protection Authority, undated page
- SafeWork NSW: asbestos · NSW work health and safety regulator, updated 14 August 2026
- SafeWork NSW: managing risks of exposure to asbestos · NSW work health and safety regulator, updated 30 June 2025
- Hazardous Removal: cost of asbestos removal · Sydney asbestos removal contractor, cost page first published 17 September 2025
- hipages: how much does asbestos removal cost · National trades marketplace cost guide, updated 27 November 2025
- Aussie Roof Repairs: roof replacement Sydney · Sydney roofing contractor (Oatley), undated
- State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, clauses 2.53 and 2.54 · NSW planning law: minor external building alterations, including roof cladding
- Northern Beaches Council: exempt and complying development · Local council guidance, undated
- icare: do I need HBCF? · NSW Home Building Compensation Fund, undated page
- NSW Government: guide to providing home building contracts · NSW Fair Trading guidance, updated 11 June 2026
- NSW SES: prepare your home · NSW State Emergency Service guidance
