Mold inspector certification

IAC2 and ACAC certifications

IAC2 names InterNACHI’s free, online How to Perform Mold Inspections Course as the course to become IAC2 Mold Certified. The certification lasts only while you keep continuous membership in IAC2, and it expires when membership is canceled. IAC2 is a private trade group, not a government agency, and its designations do not ensure that you comply with the government rules and licensing requirements where you do business.

ACAC says a CRMI performs mold inspection, mold testing and bioaerosol sampling. It says a CMI or CMC can perform the same three tasks, and that the CMI and CMC certifications are accredited by the Council for Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB).

Texas: a license for sampling

If you are a real estate inspector in Texas, you do not need a mold license to visually observe and note the presence of mold. To collect air or visible spore samples to determine the presence of mold, you must be licensed as a mold assessment technician or consultant. You may not conduct both mold assessment and mold remediation activities on the same project.

Florida: a license for assessment

Florida defines mold assessment as a process a mold assessor performs. It includes physical sampling and a detailed evaluation of building history and inspection data, to form an initial hypothesis about the origin, identity, location and extent of mold growth greater than 10 square feet.

Section 468.841 exempts persons or business organizations acting within the scope of the respective licenses required under part XV of chapter 468 (Home inspectors), except when any such persons or business organizations hold themselves out for hire to the public as a “certified mold assessor,” “registered mold assessor,” “licensed mold assessor,” “mold assessor,” “professional mold assessor,” or any combination thereof.

A mold assessor may not perform or offer to perform mold remediation on a structure where the mold assessor, or its company, provided a mold assessment within the last 12 months.

New York: a license for home inspectors who assess mold

In New York, a person who conducts home inspections as part of a potential real estate transaction must also be licensed as a “Mold Assessor” if the inspections or reports include an assessment of mold conditions in the home or property in question. The Department of Labor’s page directs you to attend a DOL-approved Mold Assessor course. New York prohibits the same individual from performing both the assessment and the remediation on the same property.

Other states

This page covers Texas, Florida and New York only. Check your own state’s rules before you sample for mold or remediate it.