Asbestos testing labs in Texas

Texas asbestos rules in brief

• Who runs the program: The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Asbestos Program handles asbestos licensing and abatement and demolition notifications. source
• Licensing: Texas requires people and companies that work with asbestos in public buildings to hold a DSHS license, including inspectors doing surveys and abatement contractors; sampling in a public building also requires a license. (Texas Asbestos Health Protection Rules (TAHPR), 25 TAC §296.50(a), §296.53(a)) source
• Notice before work: Texas DSHS must receive the notification at least 10 working days before the asbestos abatement start date, demolition start date, or start of any other activity that will disturb asbestos. Notification is required before renovations that disturb any asbestos-containing building material in a public building or the NESHAP threshold amount in a facility, and before demolishing a building or facility even when no asbestos is present. For demolishing a single private home, DSHS says one private residence is not subject to the asbestos NESHAP and notification is not required. (TAHPR §296.251; 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart M) source
• Homeowners: DSHS's FAQ answers 'Most of the time, no' to whether a homeowner with asbestos in the home needs to do anything to protect their health, and points homeowners whose repairs would disturb asbestos to a consultant. source

Read on the official pages linked, November 15, 2026, and re-checked by a second reader. A summary, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the agency before work starts.

Older homes in Texas and where the labs are

In Texas, 4,029,680 of 12,128,515 housing units (33%) were built before 1980, rank 41 of 45 states and DC by that share (Census ACS 2020–2024, table B25034). Homes of that age are the ones most likely to contain asbestos-containing materials such as insulation, flooring and popcorn ceilings. The counties with the most older homes, and how far each is from the nearest NVLAP-accredited asbestos lab site:

Over 50 miles from the nearest listed site: Bexar County, Nueces County, Lubbock County. Many labs accept samples by mail; ask before you ship. Distance runs from the county’s centre (mean of its ZIP-code points) to the lab’s ZIP-code point, in a straight line. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25034 (Year structure built), county level, downloaded November 15, 2026.

How far the labs stretch in Texas

Texas has 20 listed asbestos lab sites for about 4,029,680 homes built before 1980: one site per 201,484 older homes, the 27th most stretched of 35 states with a listed site (the middle state has one per 455,948).

• 20 of the 20 sites are accredited for material samples by PLM (pieces of popcorn ceiling, vinyl floor tile, pipe wrap or other building material).
• 4 of the 20 sites are accredited for air samples by TEM (air samples, such as the clearance test after asbestos removal).

Counts from the accreditation list; homes from Census ACS 2020–2024 (B25034). A site count, not capacity: one lab can process many samples, and many accept samples by mail.

Labs here that print a homeowner price

• Apex Precision Analytical Services, Inc.: $40.00 per sample · 48 hours · lab’s page
• Omni Environmental, Inc.: $40.00 per sample · Up to 5 business days · lab’s page
• Cates Laboratories, Inc.: $50.00 · 3-4 days · lab’s page
• Moldlab, Ltd.: $50.00 per sample · 3 days · lab’s page
• Moody Labs, LLC: $60.00 per sample · 2 days · lab’s page
• EMSL Analytical, Inc.: $95.00 per sample · lab’s page

As printed on the lab’s website, read November 13, 2026. Confirm the price and the test with the lab. Compare all published prices, including labs in other states.