NOTE This standard governs the complete demolition and removal of entire above-grade structures, including their foundation systems, on redevelopment and clearance sites. (1.1)

NOTE Structure demolition delivers a cleared, graded pad as the start condition for a new use. It applies across commercial, industrial, institutional, and civil redevelopment, including site assembly for new construction and the removal of structures rendered obsolete, unsafe, or condemned. The work spans the engineering survey, utility disconnection, protection of adjacent property and the public, the physical takedown of the structure, debris management and diversion, foundation removal, and restoration of the site to a demolition-complete grade. (1.2)

NOTE The work of this section includes the following. (1.3)

NOTE Asbestos-containing materials, lead-based paint, PCBs, mercury, and other regulated materials must be removed under Hazardous Material Abatement and cleared before any structural disturbance occurs. The abatement-before-demolition sequence is mandated by OSHA and the EPA asbestos NESHAP and is a non-negotiable precondition for the work of this section. (1.5)

NOTE Selective or partial demolition of a structure that is being retained is excluded. (1.6)

NOTE Removal of specific walls, ceilings, or MEP systems within a building that remains in service is governed by Selective Demolition. Where a single project contains both a retained portion and a demolished portion, the demolition boundary shall be fixed by a limit-of-demolition line on the drawings, and this section governs only the work on the demolition side of that line. (1.7)

NOTE Clearing of vegetation, trees, and surface obstructions where no structure stands is excluded and is governed by Site Clearing. (1.8)

NOTE Erosion and sediment control, and the earthwork, grading, and backfill that follow demolition, are excluded. (1.9)

NOTE Erosion and sediment control measures during and after demolition are governed by Erosion And Sediment Control. Earthwork, structural fill, and final grading that prepare the pad for new construction are governed by Earthwork. This section ends at a rough-graded, demolition-complete condition. (1.10)

NOTE The owner's exposure on a demolition project is concentrated in the takedown sequence and the protection of adjacent property. A contractor without a record of comparable work is the single largest source of progressive-collapse and third-party-damage risk, which is why qualification is a gating QA requirement rather than a preference. (4.2)

NOTE The competent-person survey is the federal floor, but multistory and long-span structures fail in ways that require a structural engineer's analysis of progressive collapse and lateral stability during partial demolition. Defaulting to an engineer-sealed survey for these cases closes the most common gap between a code-minimum survey and the analysis the work actually demands. (4.5)

NOTE Vibration and settlement claims from neighboring owners are routine on demolition projects, and a claim made without a baseline record is impossible to defend or refute. A photographic and descriptive record of existing cracks, settlement, and finishes, accepted by the Owner before work starts, protects both the Owner and the Contractor from unsubstantiated claims. (4.8)

NOTE OSHA 29 CFR 1926.850(a) requires a written survey by a competent person of the condition of the structure, the possibility of unplanned collapse, and the condition of adjacent structures before demolition begins. This is a binding federal requirement with no exception for fast-track work; the survey is a contract deliverable, not an internal contractor step. (5.2)

NOTE OSHA 29 CFR 1926.850(b) requires that services be located and shut off, capped, or controlled outside the building line before work starts. Live services inside the demolition footprint are a fatal-incident and fire hazard, so the disconnection is a precondition to mobilization, not a task performed alongside takedown. (6.2)

NOTE A spec that says only "disconnect all utilities" creates a responsibility gap: many serving utilities require their own crews and lead time, and a missed coordination step stalls the entire takedown. Naming the disconnecting party for each service, and the lead time it requires, eliminates the most common schedule failure on demolition projects. (6.4)

NOTE The demolition method shall be selected on the basis of structure height, construction type, site constraints, and proximity to occupied or sensitive adjacent structures. (7.1)

NOTE No single method suits every structure. Method selection drives the protection scheme, the submittal requirements, and the cost, so it is the controlling decision of the project. The configurations below describe the methods this standard recognizes; the selected method shall be stated in the demolition work plan and reflected in the protection and monitoring plan. (7.2)

NOTE Mechanical demolition with a high-reach excavator is the default method for structures within the reach of available demolition attachments. (7.3)

NOTE A long-reach demolition excavator fitted with interchangeable attachments — hydraulic concrete crusher or pulverizer, steel shear, universal processor, or hydraulic breaker — is the workhorse method for structures up to roughly 20–35 m (65–115 ft). It offers controlled, progressive takedown with continuous dust suppression at the attachment and is the lowest-risk choice where the structure is within reach. (7.4)

NOTE Wrecking-ball demolition may be used for masonry and concrete structures where precision is secondary and adequate crane swing radius and debris clearance exist. (7.5)

NOTE A crane-suspended steel ball, swung or dropped, is effective on heavy masonry and unreinforced concrete but offers poor control over debris throw and structural response. It is unsuitable in tight urban sites or near sensitive adjacent structures. (7.6)

NOTE Controlled explosive demolition (implosion) may be used only as a permitted alternate method, subject to the additional submittals and notifications of this section. (7.7)

NOTE Implosion suits large urban high-rises, chimneys, and cooling towers that cannot be reached mechanically, but it is highly regulated and requires permits, a licensed blaster, a sealed blast plan, pre-weakening of structural members, blast-mat protection, and public notification. Specs that treat implosion as just another contractor option without these requirements generate extensive RFIs and may require permit modifications. (7.8)

NOTE Top-down systematic dismantlement shall be used where crane swing radius and debris throw cannot be tolerated on dense urban sites. (7.9)

NOTE Standard excavators working on removable structural decking platforms remove the structure floor by floor from the top down. This is the method of choice on dense urban sites where debris throw and crane swing into adjacent properties are unacceptable. It transfers progressive floor-loading risk to the lower structure and demands floor-by-floor load analysis. (7.10)

NOTE Progressive floor loading during top-down demolition can exceed the design capacity of the floors below, causing uncontrolled collapse. Requiring an engineered accumulation limit per floor — rather than leaving accumulation to operator judgment — directly addresses the most common cause of demolition collapse incidents. (7.12)

NOTE The extent of foundation removal shall be defined in the contract documents and shall not be inferred from the instruction to demolish the structure. (8.1)

NOTE "Demolish the building" is routinely bid as above-grade only, leaving grade beams, slabs, footings, and piles in place. Because the foundation removal scope is driven entirely by the future use of the site, it must be stated explicitly — the depth of removal, whether grade beams and piles are included, and how resulting cavities are to be filled. (8.2)

NOTE Where the site will receive new construction, the default is removal to 24 in (600 mm) below finish subgrade or to undisturbed subgrade, whichever is deeper. Where the site will remain open or unbuilt, a shallower break-down or leave-in-place with cavity fill may be acceptable. The selected condition governs the backfill and grading that follow under Earthwork. (8.4)

NOTE The protection scheme is a direct function of method and proximity. A high-reach takedown on an open site needs only perimeter hoarding, whereas a top-down dismantlement adjacent to an occupied building may require underpinning, shoring, catch platforms, and continuous instrumentation. The protection and monitoring plan shall match the protection measures to the assessed risk from the engineering survey. (9.2)

NOTE Vibration damage and the claims it generates are a leading demolition liability. A defined PPV limit, monitored continuously at the nearest sensitive receptor, gives both an objective compliance threshold and a defensible record. The default limit of 0.5 in/s (12.7 mm/s) PPV reflects USBM RI 8507 guidance for occupied and sensitive structures; tighter limits apply to fragile or historic neighbors. (10.2)

NOTE Leaving dust control to contractor discretion fails predictably in arid climates and near occupied buildings. The suppression method and equipment shall be specified in the dust control plan, not assumed; water application rates shall be sufficient to suppress visible airborne dust at the property line. (10.6)

NOTE Demolition debris shall be managed in accordance with the approved debris management plan, with diversion and recycling targets met by weight. (11.1)

NOTE Construction and demolition debris is the largest material stream a demolition project produces, and diversion targets are increasingly tied to LEED credits and state mandates. The plan governs on-site processing, the recycling target, and the off-site venues; concrete and metal routinely divert above 90%, so an aggregate target in the 50–75% range is readily achievable. (11.2)

NOTE Salvage conflicts arise when an owner lists items to retain without a firm cutoff date and the contractor proceeds and damages or removes them. Stating each salvage item, the responsible party, and a removal deadline with a defined consequence for missed deadlines prevents the dispute before it starts. (11.5)

NOTE On-site crushing of concrete rubble into RCA for sub-base fill avoids both disposal cost and import cost, but reuse requires that the product meet a defined gradation and abrasion limit. Gradation per ASTM C33 No. 57 or No. 67 and abrasion testing per ASTM C131 or C535 confirm the RCA is suitable before it is placed; the final fill use is governed by Earthwork and the geotechnical recommendations. (11.7)

NOTE Controlled explosive demolition shall be performed only by a licensed blaster under the sealed blast plan and required permits. (12.1)

NOTE Implosion is the most heavily regulated demolition method and concentrates risk into a single irreversible event. The blast plan, the pre-weakening of structural members, the charge layout, and the initiation sequence shall all be the work of a licensed blaster, and no explosive material shall be brought to the site before the permits and submittals of this section are approved. (12.2)

NOTE Bridge demolition shall be sequenced and load-managed in accordance with NCHRP Report 460 and the project structural analysis. (13.1)

NOTE Bridges, towers, silos, and similar discrete structures fail differently from buildings because their stability depends on a load path that the demolition sequence progressively dismantles. NCHRP Report 460 provides the sequencing and load-management framework for bridge removal; an equivalent structural analysis shall govern other special structures. (13.2)

NOTE On completion of demolition and foundation removal, the site shall be left in a demolition-complete condition ready to receive subsequent earthwork. (14.1)

NOTE This section ends at a clean, rough-graded pad. Final structural fill, compaction to design density, and finish grading are governed by Earthwork, and erosion and sediment control measures are maintained under Erosion And Sediment Control until the site is stabilized. (14.2)