NORTHAMPTON — City Hall will be closed throughout December for an asbestos abatement, with all city departments and staff located within the building to be moved to alternate locations, likely until the new year, according to city officials.

During the work, the mayor’s office and License Commission will be located at the Northampton Police Station on Center Street. The Office of Planning & Sustainability and Office of the Auditor will be at the Senior Center on Conz Street, and the City Clerk’s Office and Office of the Assessor will be moved to nearby Memorial Hall, where other city departments such as Central Services are already located.

Asbestos abatement is the process of containing the release of asbestos fibers, which can be found inside many building materials and be exposed during renovation work. Asbestos fibers can cause serious health effects to humans, such as mesothelioma.

Alan Wolf, the mayor’s chief of staff, said in an interview that the asbestos was located in the attic of City Hall, which has been sealed off due to concerns, the only way in being an opening above the mayor’s office that’s screwed tightly shut. Though the attic’s contamination has been long known, the decision to close down City Hall for abatement arose from upcoming roofing work that could have exposed workers to the asbestos.

“There’s basically an entire additional floor up there, and it’s full of asbestos,” Wolf said of the attic. “The roof is in need of repair, and step one is to get all the asbestos out of there.”

According to the city, several municipal staff members have already begun to move to new locations in preparation for the closure. The city also recommends communicating to offices by email during this period, and to email in advance if an in-person visit is necessary.

As of Wednesday, municipal offices across the city are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, and will not reopen until Dec. 2, at which point the City Hall closure takes effect.

Emails for the affected city departments are as follows:

■Mayor’s Office/License Commission: mayor@northamptonma.gov

■Planning & Sustainability: planning@northamptonma.gov

■Office of the Assessor: assessor@northamptonma.gov

■Office of the Auditor: kfisher@northamptonma.gov

■City Clerk’s Office: cclerk@northamptonma.gov

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.