When mold shows up after a water event in Lubbock, a licensed assessor is called first and the removal is done by a separate licensed contractor.
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Mold after water damage is growth that appears on wet materials after a leak or flood has been dried. In Texas, a Mold Assessment Consultant licensed by TDLR assesses it, and a separate Mold Remediation Contractor licensed by TDLR removes it, under Occupations Code Chapter 1958. Lubbock Water Damage Restoration handles the water side and refers Lubbock homeowners to licensed mold work.
Mold after water damage is one of the most common worries a homeowner has once the water is cleared up. It often shows as dark spots on drywall, a musty smell in a closet, or a patch on the back of a cabinet that was not visible before. Mold needs moisture to grow, which is why the drying work matters, and it is also why a mold question can appear days or weeks after the water itself.
This site's crews stop the water, remove it and dry the structure to readings. When growth is seen or suspected, the crew stops the work in that area and says so. It does not carry out the mold assessment, and it does not remove the mold itself, because Texas requires those to be done by separately licensed parties on the same project, except for a school district project.
The steps are straightforward. A licensed Mold Assessment Consultant assesses the building and writes down what is present and where. A separate licensed Mold Remediation Contractor carries out the removal to that scope. The water side, which is the crew's job, is finished and dried to the readings before the remediation and the repair are planned. The pages for each licensed part explain what to check.
Stop the water if it is still coming in, avoid disturbing the growth, keep people and pets away from the area, and call a licensed Mold Assessment Consultant. Do not scrub, paint over or spray the growth yourself, because that can spread it.
Photograph the growth and the area around it before anything is touched. Write down when you first saw it and what had happened before, so the assessor has the history it needs.
Tell the water damage crew, if one is on site. The crew will record the growth in the job file, and it will not move forward in the area until the assessor has seen it.
Under TDLR's rules, one party may not both assess and remediate mold on the same project, except for a school district project. The separation keeps the assessment independent from the removal, so the person deciding the scope is not the one paid to carry it out.
The separation protects the homeowner. A single firm could find more mold than is there or call for more removal than the assessment supports, and there would be no one to check the decision.
The separate-firms page on this site explains how the rule applies in practice, and what to ask a firm before you hire it.
Ask for each person's license number and the company's license number, then check each with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The company that does the removal must also carry commercial general liability insurance of at least one million dollars per occurrence, as TDLR requires.
Make sure the assessor and the contractor are different companies on your project, and that each holds the license for its part. Keep the names and numbers in writing, with the date you checked them.
A firm that cannot give you a license number, or that suggests one is not needed for the work, should be checked further before you go on. The license is what the Texas rules require, and it is the first thing to confirm.
It can, if the moisture source has not been stopped or the area was not dried to the readings. Removing mold does not fix a leak, and a surface that stays damp will grow mold again. The remediation and the drying need to be complete.
That is why the water source is checked first, and why the drying readings are kept after the work is finished. A post-remediation check, where the assessment calls for one, is carried out by the assessor, not by the contractor who did the removal.
Ask the assessor to tell you what to watch for after the work. A musty smell, a new stain or a damp patch are the usual signs that something has been missed.
The size and location of the growth, the number of materials to be removed, the amount of containment, and whether the building is a home, a shop or a school. The licensed assessor and contractor each give their own written price, which is explained before any work starts. This site publishes no figure.
Growth in one closet costs less to assess and remove than growth spread across several rooms and inside the structure. Access, containment and the number of samples also change the price.
The assessment and the remediation are quoted separately by two parties, so you can compare each quote on its own scope.
Keep children, elderly people, pregnant women and anyone with asthma or a weakened immune system out of the area where mold is visible, and do not let them help with cleaning. Do not use a fan that blows across the growth toward living spaces. Wear a properly fitted respirator and gloves if you must enter, and do not dry-sweep or use a household vacuum on mold. If anyone has breathing problems or symptoms they link to the house, speak to a doctor.
When the crew sees or suspects growth, it stops disturbing the area beyond what is needed to stop the water. It records what it has seen and tells you what the next step is, so nothing is cleaned or removed before the assessor has looked.
The moisture source must be stopped before growth can be dealt with. If the leak is still active or the readings are still rising, the crew says so and the assessor will not be able to give a stable answer.
A licensed Mold Assessment Consultant walks the building, records the conditions and the growth, decides where to sample, and writes the assessment with its scope. The assessment is the document that sets the remediation work.
A licensed Mold Remediation Contractor carries out the removal to the written scope. The contractor is not the assessor on the same project, and it works within the assessment. Containment and cleaning are documented as the work goes on.
Once the remediation is complete, the area is dried to the readings and the repairs are planned. The assessment, the remediation records and any post-remediation check are kept together, and the homeowner holds the file.
Growth on wall board or ceiling board is usually found after the surface has been wet and dried without its cavity being fully checked. The assessor decides whether the board must be removed, and the removal follows the scope.
Framing and subfloors can hold growth that is not visible from the room. The assessor looks at the cavity and the underside where it can, and it records what is seen and what is not reached.
Carpet pad and stored items can grow mold quickly when they stay wet. The assessor decides what can be cleaned and what must be removed, and the removal is recorded item by item.
A leak that was hidden for a long time often leaves growth in the structure. The assessor works from the readings and the openings made by the leak-finding crew, and the scope can be larger than the visible area suggests.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what mold after water damage should cost.
Mold after water damage in Lubbock is handled under the same Texas rules as anywhere else in the state. The licensing is done by TDLR, so the assessor and the remediator are checked the same way in each of the 18 ZIP areas this site covers.
Lubbock had 257,141 residents at the 2020 Census, and mold questions come from houses, apartments and shops across the city. This site does not describe any local rate of mold or any particular type of building, because neither is sourced. The assessment is what decides the scope in each case.
Mold questions from Idalou, New Deal, Shallowater, Ransom Canyon and Wolfforth follow the same state rules. The assessor and the remediator may have to travel further, and the timing should be agreed in writing before the work begins.
In Texas, mold assessment is done by a TDLR-licensed Mold Assessment Consultant, separate from the remediation contractor.
In Texas, mold remediation is carried out by a TDLR-licensed Mold Remediation Contractor after a separate assessment.
Texas keeps the mold assessor and the remediation contractor separate on each project, except for school districts.
A school district project is the one Texas mold case where one party may do both assessment and remediation.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
In Texas, mold assessment and mold remediation are licensed work through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, under Occupations Code Chapter 1958.
A Mold Remediation Contractor licensed in Texas removes or cleans mold to a written scope set by a separate assessment.
When water gets into a Texas home, make the area safe first: keep out of standing water near electricity, stop the source if you can reach it, and remove standing water only if it is safe.
Mold is not harmless, and the level of risk depends on the type of growth, how much there is and who is exposed. This site does not assess the risk in your house. Keep people away from the area, and get the assessment done by a licensed consultant who can explain the findings.
No. Painting over growth hides it and does not stop it. The moisture is still there and the mold can grow through the paint. The area should be assessed and handled under the scope the assessor writes.
This site cannot say. Costs depend on the assessment, the remediation, the cause of the damage and any insurance policy. Keep the written assessment, the remediation records and your photographs, and ask your insurer what it needs.
It depends on the scope, the access and whether the moisture source has been stopped. The assessor can give an estimate after the walk-through, and the contractor sets out the timing in its written scope. This site does not promise a date.
The water damage crew stops the work where mold is found and does not carry out the mold assessment or the removal. Under the Texas rules, those are done by separate licensed parties on the same project, except for a school district project.
Keep any records of the work and the names of the people who did it, then ask a licensed Mold Assessment Consultant to look at the area. The assessor can say whether the area needs further work, and you can check the license of anyone you hire for the next step.