Mold Inspection & Remediation in Colorado

Colorado has no state license for mold inspectors or mold remediation companies, and no state agency sets a required cleanup method for mold in private homes. That puts more of the vetting on you. Many established companies follow the IICRC S520 standard for professional mold remediation, and firms that hold IICRC certification can be looked up by name.

Before you hire, ask for proof of general liability insurance, the training or certification of the crew, a written scope that lists the areas and materials to be removed, how the work area will be contained, and how the result will be checked. Some homeowners hire one company to inspect and a different one to remove the mold, so the inspector has no stake in how big the job gets. In Colorado that split is your choice, not a legal requirement.

Rentals are a different story. Since 2019, Colorado's warranty of habitability (C.R.S. 38-12-503 and 38-12-505) has listed mold associated with dampness as a condition that can make a home unfit to live in, and it sets firm deadlines for landlords. See the renters section below.

Under NOAA's 1991–2020 normals, Denver International Airport averages about 14.5 inches of precipitation a year, and Colorado Springs and Fort Collins about 16. That is a third or less of what Miami or Houston gets, and the dry air helps: wet materials dry faster here than on the coasts.

So in Colorado, mold usually means a specific source of water rather than humid air. The usual suspects are roofs and skylights damaged by hail, pipes and sprinkler lines that freeze and split in a cold snap, snowmelt and ice dams that push water under shingles, basements that take on groundwater, and evaporative (swamp) coolers, which cool a house by adding moisture to the air. Most of the year's rain falls from spring through summer, often in short, heavy thunderstorms.

Big events leave a long tail of hidden damage. The hailstorm of May 8, 2017 is the costliest insured catastrophe in Colorado history, at about $2.3 billion according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. In September 2013, Boulder recorded 9.08 inches of rain in a single day during the Front Range floods, nearly twice its previous wettest day.

A standard homeowners policy treats mold as part of the water damage that caused it. Mold that follows a sudden, accidental event, like a burst pipe or a roof opened up by hail, is more likely to be covered. Mold from a slow leak, seepage, or long-term dampness usually is not, and many policies cap what they pay for mold. Read the mold or fungi section of your policy before you assume either way.

Flooding is separate. Water that comes in from outside at ground level, as it did in the 2013 Front Range floods, is a flood insurance question, and standard homeowners policies exclude it. If you find water damage, stop the source, photograph everything, and report it to your insurer quickly, since a delay can become a reason to deny the mold part of a claim. Our guide on insurance and mold covers the details.

Our phone line is for homeowners. If you rent in Colorado, state law gives you specific protections against mold.

Under Colorado's warranty of habitability, a home can be unfit to live in when it has "mold that is associated with dampness" that, if not fixed, would materially interfere with your health or safety. Minor mold on surfaces that get wet in normal use, such as a shower, is excluded (C.R.S. 38-12-505).

Give your landlord written or electronic notice and keep a copy. After reasonably complete notice of mold associated with dampness, the landlord has 96 hours to reduce the immediate risk by setting up containment, stopping active sources of water, and running a HEPA air filtration device, and must then finish the remediation within a reasonable time. For conditions that threaten your life, health, or safety, remedial work must begin within 24 hours (C.R.S. 38-12-503).

Take dated photos, keep every message, and do not withhold rent on your own without legal advice. Colorado Legal Services and local tenant organizations can explain your options if the landlord does not act. Our guide to renters insurance and mold covers your belongings.