Dark mold creeping up the corner of a bedroom wall beside a wooden dresser

Mold Removal in Dallas When Black Mold Shows Up After a Leak

Dark spots spreading up a wall or around a vent usually mean water has been sitting somewhere for a while. Before anything else, leave it alone, find the water and measure how big it is.

Call (469) 649-7066 What not to do first

Black mold after a leak is a water problem first

Most calls about mold removal in Dallas start the same way: a stain that kept growing, a musty closet, or dark spots that appeared weeks after a pipe or AC drain leaked and was "dried out" with a towel and a box fan.

Mold needs moisture. According to the EPA, getting soaked materials dry inside 24 to 48 hours means that, most of the time, mold never starts. Growth you can see is a sign that water stayed longer than that, often inside a wall, under flooring or above a ceiling. Removing the mold without finding that water is wasted money, because it grows back.

Water Damage Pro Dallas does not remove mold. It is a free line: call (469) 649-7066, tell the assistant you need mold removal and where you are, and your call goes to an independent mold remediation company in the DFW area. That company looks at it, explains the scope and prices the job.

Clothes closet with dark mold spots spreading across the wall behind hanging clothes

What not to do when you find it

The most helpful thing a homeowner can do on day one is avoid making it spread.

Do not scrape, sand or tear into it. Disturbing mold releases spores and dust into the room and the rest of the house.
Do not point fans at it. Air blowing across moldy material carries spores to clean rooms. Drying is a job for after the mold is contained.
Do not run the heating and air if you think it is in the system. The EPA warns that a contaminated system can spread mold through the building.
Do not paint or caulk over it. Covering growth hides it from the person who has to measure it, and it keeps growing underneath.
Do not throw out evidence. Photograph the mold, the stain around it and anything damaged, with a tape measure or a common object in the frame for scale.
Keep sensitive people out. Close the door to the room and keep children, older relatives and anyone with asthma or a weak immune system away.

Why the color tells you so little

"Black mold" usually refers to Stachybotrys chartarum, a greenish black mold that grows on wet materials high in cellulose, such as fiberboard, drywall and paper. But plenty of common molds are black or dark green, and a lab, not your eyes, is the only way to name a species.

The CDC's position is that you do not need to know the type. Its guidance says all molds should be treated the same with respect to health risks and removal, and it notes that no test proves Stachybotrys causes particular symptoms. In practice that means the questions that matter are how big the area is, what it is growing on, and where the water came from, not what color it is.

The same reasoning is why a test is often unnecessary when the mold is in plain sight. When growth is already visible, the EPA's view is that sampling is usually not needed. Testing has a place, such as hidden mold or checking a finished job, and the mold testing page explains who does it in Texas.

Black mold spreading across a bathroom ceiling around the exhaust fan cover

Measure it: the 25 square foot line

Texas draws its main line at 25 contiguous square feet, meaning one connected patch, not several small spots added up. A 5 foot by 5 foot area of a wall is 25 square feet. Growth hidden in the wall cavity behind the visible spot can make the real area larger than what you see from the room.

What you are dealing with	What Texas rules generally say
Less than 25 contiguous square feet of visible mold	In most cases, people who are not licensed may clean or remove it
25 contiguous square feet or more, hired out	A licensed assessment consultant writes a protocol, a licensed remediation contractor does the work, and they must be different license holders
25 contiguous square feet or more, remediation proceeding	The contractor notifies TDLR, at least five calendar days before starting in most cases
Your own home (under 10 dwelling units)	The owner does not need a license to sample or clean mold on that property
Any size, hired out	Ask the company for its TDLR license number and check it yourself

Being allowed to do something is not the same as it being wise. This site does not give do-it-yourself mold removal steps. If the patch is large, inside walls or ductwork, came from sewage or floodwater, or someone at home has health concerns, call a licensed mold remediation company.

Texas mold rules in short. Mold work in Texas is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). A small patch, under 25 contiguous square feet, usually falls outside the licensing rules. Bigger jobs generally bring in two separate license holders: a mold assessment consultant who writes the cleanup plan, called a protocol, and a mold remediation contractor who carries it out. Texas does not allow one license holder to play both roles on a single project. People who own a home or other residential property with fewer than 10 units are exempt when working on their own property. You can check any name on the TDLR license search; the Texas mold rules guide explains more.

Where mold removal jobs start in DFW homes

A few spots come up again and again in North Texas houses, and each one points to a different water source that has to be fixed first.

Behind the washer and water heater

A weeping hose connection or a tank that drips slowly feeds mold along the baseboard and up the wall where nobody looks.

Bathroom ceilings

Steam with no working exhaust, or an attic duct that drips condensation, leaves growth spreading out from the fan cover.

Closets and bedroom corners

An AC drain line that clogs in the summer, or a supply line in a shared wall, can soak a closet before the stain shows.

Under sinks and cabinets

Slow drain leaks soak the cabinet floor and the drywall behind it. The mold is often discovered when a cabinet is pulled.

After a burst pipe

Dallas Water Utilities had answered more than 1,000 burst pipe calls by February 17, 2021, during that month's freeze. Insulation and drywall that got wet and were never opened up can grow mold later.

Under windows

Failed seals and flashing let rain into the wall below the sill, staining the paint and the floor before mold appears.

Wall opened behind a removed cabinet showing dark mold on the drywall edges and the studs

Fix the leak, then remove the mold

The order matters. A plumber repairs a supply line, drain or water heater; a roof or window repair stops rain; an HVAC technician clears a drain line. Then a mold remediation company removes the damaged material and the area is dried. If mold removal comes first and the leak continues, the new drywall grows mold too.

When the water is fresh and no mold is visible yet, you may need a water damage company more than a mold company. Say so when you call, and the assistant routes the call to a water damage restoration company instead.

Questions for any mold removal company in Dallas

What is your TDLR license number? Enter that number in TDLR's online search before signing.
How big is the affected area, and how did you measure it? The answer decides whether a separate licensed assessor is needed.
Where is the water coming from, and who will fix it? A company that cannot answer this is guessing.
What will be removed, and what will be cleaned? Get it in a written estimate.
How will the rest of the house be protected? Ask about containment and covering the floors and vents.

Ask your insurer, not the contractor. Guidance from the Texas Department of Insurance separates water that shows up suddenly and by accident, like a split pipe, an overflowing toilet or a failed washer hose, which most home and renter policies include, from slow leaks and seepage, which they usually leave out. Flooding is excluded from home policies altogether and needs a separate flood policy. Insurers can also refuse a claim when the owner did not take reasonable steps to limit further damage. Before you sign for any work, pull out your policy and call the insurer about what it includes. More on water damage and insurance.

Related services

Burst Pipe Water Damage

Frozen and failed pipes in attics, outside walls and garages. Shut the water off, call a plumber for the pipe and a restoration company for the drying.

Mold Remediation

How a licensed Texas mold remediation runs from the assessor's protocol to clearance and the certificate, and how to judge a Dallas mold remediation company before you sign.

Mold Testing

Mold testing in Texas is the job of a licensed mold assessment consultant, kept separate from the remover. When sampling helps, what clearance means, and how the line handles testing calls.

What happens when you call

Call the numberAn automated assistant answers (469) 649-7066 at any hour and asks what you need help with. The same number answers other home service calls too, so start with "water damage" or "mold".
Describe what happenedA burst pipe, standing water, a wet ceiling, a slab leak, a sewage backup or mold, plus your town and whether water is still coming in.
Get transferredWater damage calls go to an independent, locally owned DFW restoration company; mold removal calls go to an independent mold remediation company. Each hears a short summary before it picks up. Mold testing calls are taken as a message for now.
Deal with that company directlyIt inspects, quotes and does the work, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it cannot answer, it gets your name, number, city and problem so it can call you back.

Tell the assistant "mold removal", your town and roughly how big the area is. Your call is transferred to an independent DFW mold remediation company, which inspects and quotes the job itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

About this line: Water Damage Pro Dallas is a free phone line, not a restoration or mold company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.

More pages that may help

DFW towns the line covers

Black mold and mold removal questions from Dallas callers

Is black mold more dangerous than other mold?

You cannot tell from the color. Many molds look black, and the CDC says it is not necessary to find out which type you have, because all molds should be treated the same way when it comes to health risk and removal. The CDC also notes there is no test that proves a link between Stachybotrys, the mold often called black mold, and particular symptoms. If someone in the house has symptoms, talk to a doctor.

How long does black mold removal take?

It depends on how much is there, what it is growing on and whether the wall or ceiling has to come out. A Texas job of 25 contiguous square feet or more takes longer, because it needs a written protocol before work, a notice to TDLR at least five calendar days ahead in most cases, the removal and drying, and a clearance check afterward. Ask for a written schedule.

Can I remove mold myself in Texas?

Texas law does not require a homeowner to hold a license to deal with mold in their own home, unless the property has 10 or more dwelling units. That does not make every job a good one to take on. This site does not give mold removal instructions. For a large area, mold inside walls or the air system, or anyone in the house with health concerns, a licensed remediation company is the safer call. See the Texas mold rules.

What does mold treatment in Dallas involve?

Good mold treatment is mostly removal, not a coating sprayed on top. A remediation company fixes or confirms the moisture source is fixed, contains the area, takes out porous materials such as drywall and carpet pad that grew mold, cleans hard surfaces, dries everything and has the result checked. Ask any company that offers only a spray what happens to the mold under it. The mold remediation page lays out each step.

Does homeowners insurance pay for mold removal after a leak?

Sometimes. The Texas Department of Insurance says mold on an item damaged by a covered water loss, such as a burst pipe, may be covered, while mold from a gradual leak or seepage usually is not. Call your insurer, ask what your policy says about mold and whether it has a mold limit, and photograph everything first. Read more in our insurance guide.

Seeing black mold? Call and reach a mold remediation company

Say what happened and which town you are in. The automated assistant passes a water damage call to an independent, locally owned DFW restoration company, and a mold removal call to an independent mold remediation company. That company comes out, sees the damage and prices the work itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

Answers day or nightPipes burst at 3 a.m. and storms roll in after dark. The assistant picks up at any hour, every day of the year.
Free to callThe line never bills you. Any price comes from the company you are connected with, and you can ask for it in writing.
Mold testing is separateTexas keeps the mold assessor and the remediator on one job apart, so testing calls are taken as a message.
You decideHear what the company found, read its estimate, ask your insurer your questions, and say yes only when it makes sense.