Mold Testing in Tomball, TX

Tomball's water picture

Tomball is a small city in northwest Harris County, about 24 miles from Houston, that grew around the railroad that arrived in 1906. It sits in the Spring Creek and Willow Creek watersheds. The Harris County Flood Control District listed Tomball among communities affected by the 2016 Tax Day flood, and during Harvey, while the city saw relatively little damage compared with Houston, water rose into homes near Spring, Willow, Mill and Walnut creeks and first responders made about 15 water rescues. The city's floodplain administrator stresses that FEMA maps are estimates and that homes outside the mapped 100-year floodplain can still flood, often from local stormwater ponding.

What to do now

1. Stop the water source and let the area dry.
2. Look up the property on the city's floodplain maps, and consider whether ponding has ever reached the slab.
3. Write down what you've noticed: odor, stains, timing after rain.
4. Hire an assessor who holds a TDLR mold assessment license and ask for an outdoor control sample.
5. Apply for any rebuild permits through the City of Tomball Building Division's online SmartGov portal before work starts.

Signs and likely causes

Tomball has adopted the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, and Code Compliance Officers within the Building Division handle property maintenance concerns, which renters can use for leaks a landlord hasn't repaired.

Cost factors

Angi's Houston cost data reports inspection and testing averaging $453, with most jobs from $355 to $563. More samples, bigger homes, wall-cavity sampling and rush lab work raise the price. Angi's national figures put an HVAC sample at about $50 to $75 on top of an air test. If removal follows, a second company does the work, since Texas law separates assessment and remediation on the same project, and the original assessor comes back afterward to confirm clearance.