Short answer
Police remove the chemicals and equipment and notify the registered owner. Residue can remain in the structure. Councils regulate former lab sites under the Public Health Act 2005 and may issue a public health order; the owner arranges a suitably qualified person to assess the property, works are carried out, and post-works samples go to an accredited laboratory.
Step 1 — Police
Queensland Police remove dangerous chemicals, manufacturing equipment and visible remnants. Queensland Health notes that contamination can still remain in the building and furnishings after that. Under the state’s community housing practice guide, police notify the registered owner with a Notification of Hazardous Chemicals Contamination letter.
Step 2 — The council
Queensland Health says health risks from former illicit lab sites are regulated by local governments under the Public Health Act 2005. A council can issue a public health order. Somerset Regional Council’s guidance, for example, says the council can advise on finding a qualified tester, the steps involved, and complying with an order.
Step 3 — Assessment
The 2011 national guidelines expect a former manufacturing site to be investigated by a suitably qualified expert — someone with environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental health or occupational hygiene experience and relevant qualifications. For a rental, the RTA says the owner arranges a suitably qualified person to assess the property when a public health order is issued.
What the assessment covers
Surface sampling of every room (including any used by a child under 16), ducts and vents, and — at manufacturing sites — the yard, drains and anything chemicals may have been tipped into.
Step 4 — Works
The owner engages a contractor for the works the assessment identifies. Queensland Health recommends professional help; an owner can also have an occupational hygienist or environmental scientist manage the process.
Step 5 — Clearance testing
Queensland Health advises that post-clean-up samples be tested by an accredited laboratory that can certify the result. Clearance testing is most persuasive when done by someone independent of the contractor. If a public health order applies, confirm with the council what it needs to see before the order is lifted.
If the property is rented
The RTA sets out what applies: the owner keeps the property fit to live in and pays for works and order compliance; tenants deal with their own belongings and arrange temporary accommodation if the tenancy continues while the property is vacated; rent can be reduced or waived by written agreement.
Questions
Who is responsible after a drug lab is found in my property?
Queensland Health says property owners are responsible for making sure the property is safe for future occupants. The RTA says owners carry the cost of public health order compliance on a rental.
Will the council get involved?
Queensland Health says local governments regulate health risks from former illicit lab sites under the Public Health Act 2005. A council may issue a public health order.
How do I know when the property is safe again?
When post-works samples, analysed by an accredited laboratory, show surfaces are below the guideline. If a public health order applies, ask the council what testing it needs to see.
Sources
- Illicit drug laboratories — Queensland Health
- Testing and remediating: clandestine drug laboratories and other drug contamination in community housing and crisis accommodation (Practice guide v2, Dec 2022) — Queensland Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy
- Drug contamination in a rental property — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland)
- Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Guidelines (2011) — Australian Government — Attorney-General’s Department / Australian Crime Commission
- Illegal drug laboratories — Somerset Regional Council
Facts on this page checked against these sources on 29 October 2026.