Mold Inspection & Remediation in Tennessee

No stand-alone mold license, but a mold specialty. Tennessee does not have a separate mold license. Its Board for Licensing Contractors does have a Specialty/Environmental classification with a Mold Remediation sub-classification (S-F), which requires proof of completed training under the board's rules. It applies to jobs large enough to need a state contractor license.

When a license is needed. Jobs of $25,000 or more need a state contractor license. In nine counties, residential jobs from $3,000 up to $25,000 need a Home Improvement license instead: Davidson (Nashville), Shelby (Memphis), Knox (Knoxville), Hamilton (Chattanooga), Rutherford, Robertson, Bradley, Marion, and Haywood. Many mold jobs in those counties fall in that range, so ask which license the company holds and verify it with the Department of Commerce and Insurance.

Paperwork worth getting. Because the state license only kicks in at certain dollar amounts, ask every Tennessee company, licensed or not, for proof of liability coverage, the names of any mold certifications its technicians hold, and an estimate that breaks the job down room by room with a clear finish line, such as moisture readings or a clearance test. Tennessee lets the same company test and remove mold, so hiring a separate inspector at the start and the end is a reasonable safeguard on bigger jobs.

Tennessee has a humid subtropical climate with rain spread through the year. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals put Nashville at about 50 inches of precipitation a year, Knoxville at about 52, and Memphis at about 55, with heavy spring storms and humid summers. In May 2010, the National Weather Service recorded 13.57 inches over two days at Nashville International Airport, more than double the previous two-day record.

Humid summers are what keep a wet house wet. Air in vented crawl spaces condenses on cool ducts and joists, hillside basements in East Tennessee take water through foundation walls, and air conditioners run for months. The EPA recommends drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours and keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30% to 50%.

Tennessee homeowners policies generally separate sudden water from gradual damage. A burst pipe, a failed water heater, or a roof opened by wind is the case a homeowners policy is most likely to cover, often with a separate limit on mold. Mold from a humid crawl space, seepage through a basement wall, or a slow leak is commonly treated as maintenance and excluded.

Water that rises from rivers and creeks is flood water and needs a flood policy. Nashville's 2010 flood reached many homes outside mapped flood zones, which is why flood insurance is worth pricing even if a lender does not require it. Photograph damage before cleanup and report promptly. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance takes consumer complaints. See does insurance cover mold.

Our phone line is for homeowners. Tenants in Davidson, Shelby, Knox, and Tennessee's other counties with more than 75,000 residents are covered by the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which puts the duty to make repairs and keep a rental fit to live in on the landlord. Mold is not named in the Act, so tenants usually frame the complaint around the roof, plumbing, or ventilation problem that is feeding it.

Send the landlord a dated written notice and hold on to a copy and photos. The Act's remedies depend on following its notice steps and deadlines, so check with a legal aid office or your city or county codes department before you hold back rent or pay for repairs yourself. Codes inspectors can visit and issue repair orders. Renters insurance and your belongings are covered in renters insurance and mold.