Post-Remediation Clearance Testing in Friendswood, TX

We rebuilt after Harvey. Should clearance look at more than the new mold?

Tell the consultant about the flood before the protocol is written. Harvey's rains caused 500-year flood events along Clear Creek all through Friendswood, with an estimated 3,000 homes inundated, and the city issued 1,787 permits for Harvey repairs in 2017. If mold has appeared in a rebuilt wall or floor, the consultant may want the protocol to include nearby cavities and moisture readings at the bottom plate. The post-remediation assessment then checks those areas for visible mold and wood rot, confirms the contractor followed the plan, and compares results with the clearance criteria.

The remediation company offered to do the final test. Is that allowed?

No. Texas law bars the same company from doing both the assessment and the remediation on a project, and TDLR rules say a consultant who did not prepare the protocol before remediation cannot declare clearance. So the sign-off has to come from the consultant who wrote your protocol. Before hiring anyone, check both companies on TDLR's license search; mold license holders must also give you TDLR's Consumer Mold Information Sheet before work begins.

What do I need from the city when it's time to rebuild?

Friendswood's Community Development department handles building permits and inspections, and it issued repair permits after Harvey. Ask what your repair needs once you have a passed clearance report, and don't let a drywall crew start before then, even if the remediation crew is finished. Friendswood sits in northwestern Galveston County with part of the city in Harris County, about 24 miles from Houston, so confirm which county applies to your address for other services. Renters with an unrepaired leak can use the city Code Enforcement's Submit a Concern form; that office investigates substandard and dangerous buildings.

A Friendswood note

Founded as a Quaker colony in 1895, Friendswood has older homes near its center alongside newer subdivisions such as Polly Ranch. Keep your clearance report, the before-and-after photos and the CMDR together. If you sell, Texas rules require you to give the buyer each CMDR from the previous five years.