Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Chemicals and Toxics
    • Climate Change
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Environmental Justice
    • Greener Living
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Pesticides
    • Radon
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Guidance
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • EPA Administrator
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History
    • Staff Directory
Related Topics:
  • Large-Scale Residential Demolition
Contact Us

Community Involvement and Demolition

EPA's goal is to provide an environment where all people enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and have equal access to the decision-making process to maintain a healthy environment. Community relations should be part of any planned demolition activity. Community engagement is important for residential demolitions because they can involve management of harmful materials and they also present opportunities for site reuse. 

Demolition Stakeholder Engagement

Governments, businesses, non-profits and others involved with demolitions can engage with communities to ensure citizens are aware of demolitions and take note of any necessary health and safety precautions. To highlight some community best practices related to potential community involvement issues, EPA hosted the webinar, Effective Blight Elimination Communication Strategies. In this webinar, midwest communities and the National Demolition Association discussed strategies to promote engagement directly with demolition industry/program stakeholders and community focused blight elimination best practices.

The following links exit the site Presentations:

  • St. Louis Development Corporation (PDF) (18pp, 3.69 MB)
  • Detroit Land Bank Authority (PDF) (16 pp, 3.15 MB)
  • National Demolition Association  (18 pp, 1.68 MB)

Background resources:

  • National Demolition Association
  • Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership Lead-Safe Portal
  • St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative Demolition Tracker
  • St. Louis Peace Park Planning
  • City of Detroit Demolition Portal
  • Detroit Land Bank Authority

Environmental Justice and Demolition

Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies.

Audience at a public meeting

You are not obligated to follow EPA’s environmental justice practices. However, you may want to look to EPA’s commitment to environmental justice when you address community involvement in the demolition process. The approach you choose should suit your community's unique needs.

  • EPA’s Environmental Justice Program
  • Public Participation Guide
  • Demolition (from the Center for Community Progress)
  • Columbus Area Commissions- Columbus, OH uses area commissions to act as a liaison between neighborhood groups, property owners, residents, developers and city officials.
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on January 31, 2023
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data.gov
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Open Government
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions

Follow.