Methamphetamine and Meth Labs
Legally Declared Meth Lab and Undeclared Meth Lab
If a property has been declared a meth lab:
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The property has to be cleaned up or remediated before it can be sold and the seller must disclose that the property was declared a Meth Lab. For more information, see: Laws and Ordinances MDH maintains cleanup guidance for properties that have been declared a meth lab. Meth testing is a part of the cleanup process and documentation of testing should be available. Testing must show that the levels are below the California health-based standard for meth residue to be safe, see: Clandestine Drug Lab General Cleanup Guidance (PDF: 284KB/63 pages) |
- A property is often declared a meth lab by a local authority which is usually the sheriff's office. For a list of local government contacts:
- If the property was declared a meth lab, by local authority, after 1 January 2006, it will be listed on the deed to the property.
- Local Community Health Services Agencies (CHS) maintain lists of properties declared meth labs. See:
- MDH has a partial list of properties declared meth labs before January 2006. To find out if the property you are interested in, see:
If a property has not been declared a meth lab:
| For undeclared labs, it is difficult to be completely certain if a property was a former meth lab. Instead, you can estimate the probability (determine the odds) that the property is a former meth lab. Meth use can leave residues on surfaces of property. The amount depends on how the meth was used. See the Cleanup Guidance for more information on meth use and safety. |
- For information on how to identify if a property was used as a meth lab see:
- Discuss the property with local law enforcement to determine how likely it was to have been a meth lab. To find your local authority, see:
- You may hire a remediation contractor to inspect the property and take samples for methamphetamine testing. Testing results must be below the California health-based cleanup standard for meth residue to be safe. Remember that you need the permission of the owner to have a contractor inspect the property. See:
