Key facts
| Guidance | Published by | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home | US EPA[1] | Homes; when you can clean up yourself |
| Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings | US EPA[2] | Schools and commercial buildings; remediation by area affected |
| NYC mold page | NYC Health[4] | Owner duties and when licensed mold workers are required |
| State health and licensing pages | MN, CA, NY and TX agencies[5][6][7][8] | Cleanup, testing advice and licensing |
EPA: homes, schools and commercial buildings
Homes. EPA’s A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home says the key to mold control is moisture control, and that water-damaged areas and items should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. If the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet (less than roughly a 3 ft by 3 ft patch), EPA says that in most cases you can handle the job yourself. If there has been a lot of water damage, or mold covers more than 10 square feet, EPA points to its commercial buildings guide.[1]
Schools and commercial buildings. Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings (EPA 402-K-01-001, reprinted September 2008, with some links updated) presents guidelines for cleaning up mold and moisture problems in these buildings.[2] Its Table 2 groups jobs by the total surface area affected: small (less than 10 square feet), medium (10 to 100 square feet) and large (greater than 100 square feet). EPA says these guidelines are based on the area and type of material affected.[3]
The 24 to 48 hour figure is EPA’s drying guidance for preventing mold growth.
New York City
NYC Health says owners of buildings with three or more apartments, or buildings of any size where a tenant has been diagnosed with moderate or severe persistent asthma, must keep tenants’ homes free of mold, including safely repairing underlying problems like water leaks.[4]
If the area of mold to be fixed is more than 10 square feet in buildings with 10 or more apartments, or in buildings with 25,000 or more square feet of non-residential floor area, owners or managers must use New York State Department of Labor-licensed mold assessment and remediation (or abatement) workers, who file paperwork online with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. For areas of 10 square feet or less, NYC Health points to the steps on its mold page.[4]
NYC’s older PDF, Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments, no longer loads at its former addresses; see the moved-documents table below.
State health department pages
| State | Official page | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | MDH: Mold and Moisture | In most situations, MDH does not recommend mold testing, and says indoor mold growth should be removed promptly, regardless of the type of mold.[5] |
| California | CDPH: Mold and Dampness | Publishes Mold or Moisture in My Home: What Do I Do? (2016), a statement on building dampness and mold, and the mold booklet for renters; CDPH says its group provides information and does not do enforcement or inspections.[6] |
| New York State | NYS DOH: Mold and Your Home | A licensed contractor should do the work for a large mold problem (greater than 10 square feet); mold testing is not recommended nor required by any regulatory agency, and there is no state or federal standard for mold in homes.[7] |
| Texas | TDLR: Mold Assessors and Remediators | Texas mold assessment and remediation licensing is now run by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).[8] |
For landlord duties, disclosure and licensing law by state, see our summary of state mold disclosure and remediation laws.
Moved or retired official mold documents
Older links to these documents are still common. The addresses below are given as plain text, with the current official page for each.
| Old document or address | Status when checked | Current official page |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Brief Guide PDF (epa.gov/iaq/molds/images/moldguide.pdf) | Did not load | EPA Brief Guide (web version)[1] |
| NYC Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi PDF (www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/epi-mold-guidelines.pdf) | Redirects to a page-not-found response | NYC Health: Mold[4] |
| NYC fungi guidelines, Hurricane Sandy copy (nyc.gov/html/doh/em/downloads/pdf/sandy/epi-mold-guidelines.pdf) | Not found | NYC Health: Mold[4] |
| Minnesota mold pages (health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/indoorair/mold/) | Redirects to a page-not-found response | MDH: Mold and Moisture[5] |
| CDPH Air Quality Section mold page (cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/EHLB/AQS/Pages/Mold.aspx) | Shows a notice redirecting to CDPH’s new mold page | CDPH: Mold and Dampness[6] |
| Texas DSHS mold licensing pages | Not found | TDLR: Mold Assessors and Remediators[8] |
Home testing vs body testing
Cleanup guidance is about the building. CDC does not recommend routine mold testing, and NYS DOH says there is no state or federal standard for mold in homes.[9][7] A home dust or air test looks at the building; a urine mycotoxin test looks at your own sample and cannot show whether your house has mold. For the difference, see ERMI vs urine mycotoxin test and how to test for mold toxicity.
If you want to know which mycotoxins appear in your own urine, our mold mycotoxin test lists 29 mycotoxins within its 133+ markers.[10] For a wider comparison of panels, see our at-home mycotoxin test guide, and for sourced figures, our mold and mycotoxin statistics.
Where Intrinsic Prism fits
Intrinsic Prism is a complete at-home testing-and-guidance package: 133+ toxin and detox markers across mycotoxins, heavy metals, environmental toxins, PFAS chemicals and toxin genetics, with AI analytics, detailed explanations, a personalized protocol and 24/7 guidance.[11] Samples are analyzed by our lab partner, a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited US laboratory.
The package is $1,999 per participant and HSA/FSA eligible; reimbursement decisions are made by your plan administrator.[12][13] We ship to most countries; availability is confirmed at checkout.[14] Results are educational and are not a diagnosis.[11]
Frequently asked questions
- How big a mold problem can I clean up myself?
EPA says that if the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet, in most cases you can handle the job yourself.[1]
- Do I need to test for mold before cleaning up?
NYS DOH says mold testing is not recommended nor required by any regulatory agency, and MDH does not recommend mold testing in most situations.[7][5]
- When does NYC require licensed mold workers?
When the mold area to be fixed is more than 10 square feet in buildings with 10 or more apartments, or in buildings with 25,000 or more square feet of non-residential floor area.[4]
- Where did the old NYC mold guidelines PDF go?
Its former addresses no longer load. NYC Health’s mold page carries the city’s current guidance.[4]
Sources and dates
Last updated: October 28, 2026. Prepared by the Intrinsic Prism team. Every external source below was accessed on 2026-10-28; Intrinsic Prism statements come from its live site on the same date. This page is educational information, not medical or legal advice.
- [1] A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home | US EPAAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [2] Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings Guide: Chapter 1 | US EPAAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [3] Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings Guide: Table 2 | US EPAAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [4] Mold | NYC HealthAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [5] Mold and Moisture | Minnesota Department of HealthAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [6] Mold and Dampness | California Department of Public Health, Air Quality SectionAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [7] Mold and Your Home: What You Need to Know | New York State Department of HealthAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [8] Mold Assessors and Remediators | Texas Department of Licensing and RegulationAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [9] About Mold | CDCAccessed 2026-10-28.
- [10] What we Test | Intrinsic Prism (marker directory)Read from the live site 2026-10-28.
- [11] FAQ | Intrinsic PrismRead from the live site 2026-10-28.
- [12] Intrinsic Prism homepage (price and HSA/FSA statements)Read from the live site 2026-10-28.
- [13] Terms of Service | Intrinsic PrismRead from the live site 2026-10-28.
- [14] Checkout, shipping address step | Intrinsic PrismRead from the live site 2026-10-28.