Local governments can support landlords, property managers and real estate agents to respond to the public health risks of a methylamphetamine (meth) clandestine drug laboratory (clan lab) and other illegal drug contamination in a property by:
- educating people about testing and remediation (clean-up) responsibilities following notification of a meth clan lab
- initiating enforcement action, when necessary, to ensure appropriate cleaning of a building used as a meth clan lab to make it safe
- educating people on how to clean a property used to smoke drugs or grow cannabis
The manufacturing of illicit drugs in a property can contaminate or damage a building. These impacts may pose a health and safety risk to occupants or visitors to the property.
Meth clan labs and meth contamination of a house is considered a much higher risk to public health, compared to a house where drugs have only been smoked. Such properties should be tested, remediated and validated by qualified testing and remediation companies, to make sure the house is clean and safe to live in.
Notification of a meth clan lab to local governments
The WA Police (WAPOL) through their investigations find meth clan labs. WAPOL may seize the equipment and other items as evidence to support any legal proceedings.
As part of an agreement between WAPOL and the Department of Health’s Environmental Health Directorate, WAPOL will notify the department of meth clan lab locations and requests the department to coordinate a response to manage any public health risks. The department reviews the case and then refers details on to the local government environmental health services or the Department of Housing and Works for a response.
Estimated number of notifications per year
Local government's may only be notified of a small fraction of clan labs from police activities. Based on current trends there may be only about 15 clan labs notified to local governments across Western Australia each year.
There is no formal process for police notification of properties where cannabis is being grown or meth has only been smoked.
Where an occupant, owner or agent of a property suspects contamination, any resulting investigation or action is normally done privately or through the insurer without the matter being brought to the attention of State or local government. However, sometimes the Department and/or the LGA will become involved.
Public health risks
The public health risks to people associated with a clan lab have been documented in the
enHealth guidance on clandestine drug laboratories and public health risks (external site). These risks can be serious for a clan lab that operated within a residence, especially for more vulnerable populations such as young children or pregnant women.
The report on the residues associated with smoking methylamphetamine (meth) (PDF 1MB), which is the main smoked drug that may give rise to property contamination, indicates that such properties are much more common that clan labs and the associated contamination and relative risks they represent are far less. The Department also reiterated this finding in its Public Health Risks of Residues from Smoking Methylamphetamine (PDF 174KB).
Testing and remediation
Drug smoke house residue versus clan lab contamination
If a local government receives a request or complaint about possible drug residue at a property, it may be assumed, in the absence of any suspicion or evidence of a clan lab, that the most likely source is smoking meth. While meth smoke residues are normally associated with a lower exposure risk, the local government may need to provide public health advice, especially where laboratory results are available that show surface residue in excess of the Health Investigation Level of 0.5 µg/100cm2 (swab samples).
Enforcement action
Local governments have powers under the Public Health Act 2016 and Health Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1911 to make sure a property owner makes a house clean and safe to live in.
The main applicable legislation for local government authorised officers is the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1911 (the HMP Act). However, the Public Health Act 2016 (PHA) also provides enforcement options. The local government's compliance and enforcement strategy may include, and be used to inform, enforcement activities for managing health and safety risks arising from illicit drug use and manufacture.
The Public Health Act provides powers of entry (Section 240(1)), inspection and seizure by authorised officers and high penalties for non-compliance. Authorised officers may also consider action in relation to a material or serious public health risk activity (Part 11).
Depending on the nature and the extent of the contamination a property may be required to be vacated until management action has occurred. The Health Miscellaneous Provisions Act may be used where any part of a house or building is deemed unfit for human habitation, i.e. where illegal drugs have been manufactured or resulted in contamination, then an unfit for habitation notice may be issued by an authorised officer to the owner or occupier.
Key resources
Testing and remediation (clean-up) companies
For landlords, property managers and realestate agents
For tenants and home buyers
National guidance on clandestine drug laboratories
Department of Health research and policy position
More information
Environmental Health Directorate
Email: ehinfo@health.wa.gov.au
Phone: (08) 9222 2000
Last reviewed: 10-02-2026
Produced by
Environmental Health Directorate