The short answer: what you can do yourself
Asbestos (amiant in Catalan, amianto in Spanish) is only dangerous when fibres get into the air: when it breaks, is cut or drilled. In Catalonia, any work that handles asbestos-containing materials may only be done by specialist companies registered in the Registre d'Empreses amb Risc d'Amiant (RERA, the register of companies with asbestos risk). A private individual cannot remove it themselves.
What is left for you is the organising, and that you can do yourself: commission the survey, pick a registered company, check it has an approved work plan, get the works permit from the town hall and apply for rebates and grants. The only hands-on job a private person does in Barcelona is taking small, intact fibre-cement items to one specific drop-off point, covered below.
Where it turns up and when it has to go
Most of the time it is fibre cement (known locally as «uralita»): roof sheets, rooftop water tanks, pipes and downpipes, flues, ventilation grilles, planters. Typical finds are an old tank on the roof of an Eixample building, a fibre-cement shed or carport roof at a house in Castelldefels, or an old soil stack in a bathroom.
Condition is what matters. Indoor material in good condition that is not shedding fibres and is not at risk of damage can stay, with periodic checks, clear marking and occupants informed. If it is deteriorating or cracked, or the renovation will disturb it (you plan to cut, drill or knock down a wall with the stack inside), it has to be replaced, sealed or removed, and a RERA company does that.
If the asbestos is in common parts of the building, such as the roof, stacks or rooftop tanks, the decision and the cost belong to the comunidad de propietarios, so start there.
What to prepare and who does what
The survey. Identification and condition assessment must be done by people with proven training and experience, following a recognised method; usually a sample is taken and sent to a lab. Commission it before the renovation quote, not on the day the crew has already opened the wall.
The company. The Departament d'Empresa i Treball publishes the list of RERA-registered companies on treball.gencat.cat as a spreadsheet; look up your contractor's name and tax number there. The company prepares a pla de treball (work plan) with protective measures for workers and neighbours and submits it to the labour authority, which in Catalonia is the Departament d'Empresa i Treball. Work cannot start until the plan is approved, and the company must give at least 3 working days' notice of the start. Short, irregular jobs can run under a generic plan, and emergencies under an urgent one.
You. Provide access, get the comunidad's agreement if common parts are involved, and obtain the works permit from the town hall.
Step by step: from survey to disposal
One: the survey and a report on composition and condition. Two: two or three quotes from RERA companies covering removal, packaging, transport and waste treatment. Three: the company gets its work plan approved.
Four: the works permit from the town hall. Removing asbestos is building work, and whether it goes through a comunicat or a llicència depends on its scope and on what else the renovation includes; check the procedure page or ask at the OAC. In Barcelona, the 2026 ICIO tax ordinance includes a 50 % rebate on the ICIO tax for works removing fibre cement. You have to request it; it is not applied automatically.
Five: the grant. The Agència de Residus de Catalunya approved the rules for asbestos removal grants (Resolució TER/1547/2026, DOGC of 21 May 2026). Owners can apply, whether individuals or companies, and so can comunitats de propietaris. Under the resolution, the maximum is 30,000 € per property; up to 49.99 m² of material, up to 2,000 €; from 50 to 99.99 m², up to 40 €/m², with lower per-m² rates above that. It requires a RERA company and an approved work plan. Deadlines are set by each call for applications, so check whether one is open before work starts.
Six: the works and disposal. Asbestos waste is hazardous: it is collected separately, packed and labelled, never mixed with ordinary rubble. Ask the company for the paperwork showing handover to the waste manager.
Small items, the neighbour's roof and dumped waste
In Barcelona, small fibre-cement items from private homes (planters, small tanks, pieces of pipe) are only accepted at the Punt Verd de Zona Vall d'Hebron. They must be whole, with no breaks or cracks. Do not break them, wrap them in cling film, wear gloves and a disposable mask, and wash your clothes afterwards without shaking them out. Check the maximum quantities and opening hours before you go; 010 answers questions.
If the damaged fibre-cement roof belongs to a neighbour, tell the owner. If nothing happens, notify the District through an OAC office. If you see asbestos debris dumped on the street, call 010 and give the exact location.
Common mistakes
Taking down «just one uralita sheet» yourself or giving it to a general building crew. It is not allowed and it is dangerous, and broken fibre cement is harder and costlier to clear.
Not checking the contractor against the RERA list. No registration means no approved work plan, and no plan means no grant.
Starting the renovation before the survey. Once the stack has been cut, stopping and cleaning up costs more than testing first.
Mixing asbestos waste with rubble in the skip. It is hazardous waste with its own handling route.
Forgetting the incentives. The ICIO rebate is requested when you process the works, and the grant within the call's deadline.
Rules and amounts change, so check the current procedure pages before you apply. If you would rather not deal with it yourself, BCN YARD handles the paperwork together with the renovation.