Do You Need Certification To Remove Mold?

You do not need certification to remove mold in the majority of states.

However, lenders and insurance adjusters will be more willing to cover the mold removal if they know that there is a professional carrying out the work. 

Many lenders will want assurance that the person removing the mold has sufficient training, and is certified.

You might have to follow the national standards of practice to ensure that they are happy with you carrying out the work. 

Do you need certification to remove mold

Unfortunately, we have no idea when a new law could be passed that changes these rules completely.

For this reason, it’s either best to get rid of your mold as soon as possible, or get certified so that you don’t have to hire a professional in the future. 

There are only five states that you currently need a mold license to remove mold in, which we will look at later. 

A mold certificate is not difficult to obtain, but it could take up quite a bit of time to get right.

You need to study sufficiently so that you retain all of the important information.

However, once you become certified you can remove mold from your own home, friends and family, and even earn money from professionally removing mold from other people’s houses. 

What is a mold certificate?

A mold certification is a qualification that certifies you as a successful professional in the mold remediation industry, showing clients that you have met all of the state requirements. 

Your certificate will show potential clients and lenders that you have enough training on mold removal to follow the correct procedures and practices that they will be happy with. With this training you will be able to: 

  • Remove mold in various structures
  • Design and maintain containment options
  • Control the pressure differentials
  • Work in a mold contaminated environment safely
  • Understand and use common procedures
  • Review protocols
  • Understand and implement legal requirements and industry standards
  • Recognize different types of mold growth and deal with them individually
  • Prevent regrowth

People with mold certification can follow the correct protocols and remove mold without being supervised or told what to do. 

There are many different organizations that allow you to take the certification exam, each of which will train you and require you to know different practices of the industry.

It is incredibly important to shop around beforehand so that you know you’re getting certified by the best. 

How do you get certified for mold remediation?

Mold certification requires you to take classes or independently learn about mold remediation and everything you need to know about the industry.

There are many different courses out there, from simple beginner classes to professional mold remediation classes. 

There will be courses depending on what you want to go into. A shorter course will suffice for housing officials, building managers, maintenance workers or supervisors, and safety professionals. These will commonly last less than five hours. 

Do you need certification to remove mold

Longer courses will last closer to 16 - 20 hours and will be best suited to project managers, property owners, and supervisors. However, it’s up to you which certification you get and which course you want to use. 

There are also smaller courses to teach you more about different aspects of mold growth and remediation. 

Once you have learned the correct syllabus and feel confident in your knowledge, you can take a certification exam. If you pass you will get your certification and begin putting your studying to the test. 

However, if you fail you will need to retake the course and the exam once you know where you went wrong.

These courses and exams are paid for and therefore multiple failed exams could end up costing you more than it would have been to hire a professional, so get your pen and paper and get to studying!

What states require a mold license?

There are only five states that currently require a mold license to remove mold growth, which are as follows: 

  • New York
  • Florida
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Louisiana 

These courses are of varied lengths and might have different requirements and information depending on the area.

You can often study at your own pace using online platforms with reading, video training, and quizzes to help you retain the information. 

You will need to pay for the course, exam fees, and licensing fees to successfully complete your training and get your certification. 

Every other state does not require a mold license by law, so you can remove your mold however you see fit.

However, you should be aware that this could be dangerous without the correct tools and protective gear. 

Your insurance company might also not allow you to remove mold without proper licensing no matter where you are in the USA.

Failure to comply with your terms and conditions could result in fines or cancellation of the policy which will cost you more to sort out in the long run.