Mold Clearance Testing in Texas: Who, How, What It Costs

Post remediation verification is an inspection, often with sampling, done after mold removal and before containment comes down. In Texas, TDLR describes it as an inspection to ensure that the work area is free from all visible mold and wood rot, that the project followed the remediation protocol and work plan, and that it meets all clearance criteria specified in the protocol.

The EPA also recognizes this use of testing. Although the EPA says sampling is usually unnecessary when mold is visible, it notes that surface sampling may be useful to determine if an area has been adequately cleaned or remediated.

A licensed mold assessment consultant, from a different company than the remediator.

• Texas rules say a licensed mold assessment consultant conducts the post-remediation assessment using visual, procedural, and analytical methods.
• Texas law says a license holder may not perform both mold assessment and mold remediation on the same project, and no one may own an interest in both firms on the same job.
• On the certificate, the consultant's statement must come from someone who must not be the licensed remediator.

Usually the same consultant who wrote your protocol does the clearance. That isn't mandatory: TDLR says a consultant who had no role in the protocol may still do a post-remediation inspection and sign a CMDR.

So when a removal company offers to "test it afterward for free," the answer on a licensed Texas job is no. Hire clearance from a mold testing company, the same way you would hire the initial assessment. Our guide on why testing and removal are different companies explains the rule.

Under 16 TAC § 78.140, the consultant checks each remediated area three ways:

The three parts of a Texas post-remediation assessment

A few details matter:

Containment stays up. If walk-in containment was used, the assessment occurs while it is in place, and the contractor can't take it down until it gets written notice that the project has achieved clearance. If the contractor tears down plastic before the clearance visit, ask why.

The criteria were set at the start. The protocol must spell out at least one nationally recognized analytical method for each remediated area and the criteria for passing. The consultant uses only those methods and criteria, unless circumstances force a change, and any deviation needs written documentation to the client and the client's approval.

Visual failure ends it early. If the visual inspection shows enough problems to fail, analytical methods need not be used. There's no point sampling an area with visible mold still on the studs.

The cause gets checked too. To the extent feasible, the consultant must determine whether the underlying cause has been remediated so the mold is reasonably certain not to return.

Passing means the area met the clearance criteria you and the consultant agreed to. It doesn't mean the room has zero mold spores, because no room does. TDLR says there are no national or state standards for a "safe" level of mold, and that spores are always present at some level in the air and on surfaces. The EPA likewise says there are no EPA regulations or standards for airborne mold contaminants.

That's why TDLR advises agreeing with the consultant, before the project starts, on what will be acceptable results for any air sampling or surface sampling. Ask your assessor to explain the criteria in plain words when you get the protocol.

The EPA's own completion test is practical: visible mold, mold-damaged materials and moldy odors should not be present, the moisture problem should be fixed, and people should be able to occupy the space without health complaints.

What happens if the clearance test fails?

If the project fails, further remediation as prescribed by a consultant will be necessary. The contractor goes back in, then the consultant re-checks. If the consultant stops working on the project before it passes, they must issue a written final status report to you and the remediation company with their findings and conclusions.

Before you sign a removal contract, ask who pays for re-cleaning and the second clearance visit if the first one fails.

If the job passes, the consultant must give you a written report at the conclusion of each mold remediation project. Under the rule, it includes:

• Observations at the worksite
• The type and location of measurements and samples
• All worksite data, including temperature, humidity and material moisture readings
• Analytical (lab) results
• Copies of all photographs
• A clear statement that the project passed clearance

Keep it with your home records.

Clearance leads to the certificate. Within ten calendar days after the project stop date, the remediation contractor must give you before-and-after photographs and the Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation. The form comes from the Texas Department of Insurance; TDLR notes the CMDR is available from TDI.

What's on it:

• The remediator's signature, and the consultant's statement that, based on visual, procedural and analytical evaluation, the mold was remediated according to the mold remediation protocol.
• If the consultant finds the underlying cause was fixed, a statement that the mold is reasonably unlikely to return from that cause.

Why it matters:

• Insurance. With a certificate establishing the cause was remediated, an insurer may not make an underwriting decision based on previous mold damage or a mold damage claim.
• Selling your home. You must give a buyer a copy of each certificate issued in the five years before the sale.
• DIY jobs. Only a licensed remediator is authorized to give a CMDR. If you cleaned up yourself, a licensed consultant can still inspect and complete the certification section of the CMDR, which certifies no evidence of mold damage.

TDLR treats these papers seriously. Its penalty schedule lists a remediator's failure to issue the certificate to the property owner, and a consultant's failure to issue a passed clearance report, as violations carrying $2,000 to $5,000 plus a one-year probated suspension, up to revocation. You can file a complaint with TDLR at 1-800-803-9202.

We couldn't find a published standalone price for post-remediation clearance from any of the cost guides we were able to access, so we won't invent one. What we can tell you is what the pieces of a clearance visit cost when sold as regular mold testing:

Post remediation mold testing: comparable prices

Fixr notes that re-testing is usually recommended after removal, and Bob Vila suggests asking whether the pro will retest after remediation. In Texas, that question goes to your assessor, not your remover. Ask for the clearance price, and the re-test price if it fails, in the same quote as your protocol. For the full picture, see mold testing cost and mold remediation cost.

Insurance usually won't cover it: the Texas Department of Insurance says most home policies don't include mold cleanup and testing after a damaged item is removed.

1. Hire a licensed testing company for the protocol, and confirm in writing that it will also do clearance.
2. Read the clearance criteria in the protocol before work starts.
3. Hire a separate licensed removal company. Check both licenses with our license check tool.
4. Schedule clearance before containment comes down.
5. Collect the passed clearance report, photos and certificate within ten days of the stop date.

Find licensed testing companies in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, El Paso, Corpus Christi and Lubbock, or browse our Texas page. Read how we verify every license daily, and see the mold remediation process for the steps before clearance.