Mold after water damage in Florida: the 48 hour window and licensing

The window

The EPA's position is short and worth quoting exactly: "It is important to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth" (epa.gov). The agency also frames the underlying principle as "the key to mold control is moisture control", and notes that "there are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water or moisture".

That is why a restoration company will want to start extraction and drying before the insurance position is settled. It is a reasonable thing for them to want. It is also why you should still get the scope, the readings and the equipment log in writing as they go.

How much you can handle yourself

The EPA gives a size threshold: "If the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet (less than roughly a 3 ft. by 3 ft. patch), in most cases, you can handle the job yourself". It then says that "if there has been a lot of water damage, and/or mold growth covers more than 10 square feet", you should consult its remediation guide, and that if you hire a contractor you should "make sure the contractor has experience cleaning up mold" and ask them to follow recognized guidelines. Where "the water and/or mold damage was caused by sewage or other contaminated water", the EPA says to call in a professional.

• Do not run the HVAC system if you know or suspect it is contaminated, because it can spread mold through the building. That is the EPA's advice and it is easy to get wrong in a hot house.
• Fixing the moisture source comes first. Cleaning mold without stopping the water simply resets the clock.
• Porous materials that stayed wet, such as carpet pad and ceiling tiles, are usually removed rather than cleaned.

Mold and your policy

The general shape, as the Texas insurance regulator explains it to consumers, is that where mold develops on an item damaged by a covered sudden and accidental water loss, the item is covered, while damage from gradual leaks or seepage, "and that includes damage from mold", usually is not. It also notes that "mold from a flood would not be covered because home policies don't cover floods" (tdi.texas.gov). Many policies carry a specific mold limit or endorsement.

Florida policy wordings vary and your own document governs. Look for the mold, fungi or microbial section on your policy and the corresponding limit on your declarations page, and ask your agent what that limit is before you need it.

Licensing in Florida

Florida licenses this work. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation "is responsible for licensing and regulating mold assessors and mold remediators", with license types for mold assessor and mold remediator (myfloridalicense.com). Verify a license number on the department's own lookup before work starts.

The assessor and the remediator are different roles for a reason: one decides what needs doing and whether it worked, the other does it. Where the job is large enough to need both, having the same company do both is worth asking questions about.

This is general information, not medical, legal or insurance advice. If anyone in the household has respiratory problems or a weakened immune system, ask a doctor about the health side rather than a contractor.