Mold Inspection & Remediation in Maryland

Maryland has no mold license. The General Assembly passed the Maryland Mold Remediation Services Act in 2008 to license companies that remediate mold in homes, but the program was never put into operation and that part of the law ended on July 1, 2019. Today the state does not license mold inspectors, assessors, or remediators, so the checking falls to you.

Home improvement license. Home improvement work on houses and apartment buildings with three or fewer units requires a license from the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), part of the Maryland Department of Labor. A mold job that includes rebuilding, such as new drywall, flooring, or framing, is home improvement work. Check the license number with the Department of Labor's online search before you sign. When a licensed contractor's work is unworkmanlike, inadequate, or incomplete, the MHIC Guaranty Fund can compensate a homeowner up to $20,000, one more reason to hire a licensed company.

Statewide standards are on the way. The Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act (Chapter 539 of 2025) directs the Maryland Department of the Environment to adopt uniform standards for mold assessment and remediation by June 1, 2027, covering visible inspections, air and surface sampling, and remediation that follows EPA guidelines. Until those standards are in place, there is no state benchmark for a finished job. Many companies follow the ANSI/IICRC S520 standard; ask for a written scope of work and a description of how the result will be checked, ideally by someone other than the crew that did the removal.

Selling a home. Under § 10-702 of the Real Property Article, the seller of a home with up to four units gives the buyer either a disclosure statement listing defects the seller actually knows about or a disclaimer statement selling the property as is. Even with the disclaimer, the seller must disclose latent defects they actually know about: defects a buyer would not find by a careful visual inspection and that pose a direct threat to health or safety. A buyer who did not receive the form before signing may rescind the contract before receiving it or within 5 days after. Hidden mold behind finished basement walls after a known leak is the kind of issue to ask the seller about in writing.

Maryland has a humid climate with rain in every season. Under NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals, Baltimore/Washington International Airport averages about 45 inches of precipitation a year, with July and September the wettest months, and Reagan National Airport, Washington's official station, about 42 inches. In 2018, Baltimore recorded 71.82 inches, its wettest year on record.

Flash floods hit the Washington suburbs as hard as the Baltimore area. On July 8, 2019, storms dropped about 6.3 inches of rain near Frederick in two hours, and Montgomery County firefighters used boats for dozens of water rescues. Basements, crawl spaces, and finished lower levels take on water after storms like these, and humid summer air keeps them from drying. The EPA recommends drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours and keeping indoor relative humidity below 60%, ideally between 30% and 50%.

Maryland claims usually hinge on three different kinds of water. Water from a sudden event inside the house, such as a burst pipe or a failed water heater, is the case a homeowners policy is most likely to cover, and the mold that follows may be paid up to a separate mold limit. Water that backs up through a floor drain or toilet during heavy rain is a sewer backup, which most policies cover only with a backup endorsement. Water that rises from outside, whether a flash flood in Montgomery County or a tidal surge on the Chesapeake, is flood water and needs a flood policy.

Mold from slow leaks, long-term humidity, or seepage through a basement wall is commonly excluded. Read the mold or fungi section and the endorsements on your declarations page, photograph damage before cleanup, and report it promptly. Baltimore City residents have an extra option after wet-weather sewer backups; see the Baltimore page. The Maryland Insurance Administration takes consumer complaints. See does insurance cover mold.

Our phone line is for homeowners. If you rent in Maryland, state law now sets deadlines for how a landlord handles mold.

Under the Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act, in effect since July 1, 2025, a landlord must give each tenant a state informational pamphlet on mold when the lease is signed and on request. After written notice about mold from a tenant or building occupant, or from the local agency that enforces housing codes, the landlord must perform a mold assessment within 15 days. If the assessment finds mold, the landlord must remediate within 45 days after the assessment, or within a reasonable time if 45 days is not feasible, follow industry guidelines and state and local rules, keep occupants informed during the work, and maintain proper ventilation and low indoor humidity.

Every rental home in Maryland is also covered by a warranty of habitability. Under the Tenant Safety Act of 2024, a landlord is deemed to warrant that the unit is fit for human habitation, meaning free of serious defects that threaten the life, health, or safety of occupants. For serious and dangerous defects, the rent escrow law (§ 8-211 of the Real Property Article) lets a tenant who has given proper notice ask the District Court to have rent paid into escrow until repairs are made. Notice has to be given in a way the law accepts, such as a written list of defects sent by certified mail or a violation notice from a state or local agency, and the landlord gets a reasonable time to make repairs.

Keep copies of every notice and dated photos of the water damage and the growth. Your county or city housing code office and legal aid organizations can help. For your own belongings, see our guide to renters insurance and mold.