Florida Mold License Law: Assessors, Remediators, Rules

Florida's mold license law, plainly

Florida licenses mold work under Part XVI of Chapter 468 of the Florida Statutes, first passed in 2007 and run by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. There are two licenses, mold assessor and mold remediator, and the law keeps them apart.

Updated October 29, 2026 · Sources listed at the end

Florida Statutes, Chapter 468, Part XVI

Two licenses, kept apart

Assessment. A mold assessor inspects, samples and works out where the growth is, how far it goes and where the moisture comes from. Done for pay on growth over 10 square feet, it takes a state mold assessor license. (Sections 468.8411 and 468.8419.)
Remediation. A mold remediator removes, cleans or treats the growth. Over 10 square feet, for pay, that takes a state mold remediator license, plus a construction license for any work that needs one. (Section 468.8411.)
The 12-month rule. An assessor's company may not remediate a structure it assessed in the last 12 months, and a remediator's company may not assess a structure it remediated in the last 12 months. (Section 468.8419.)

Homeowners working on their own property are exempt (section 468.841). Assessors and remediators must carry at least $1 million in liability coverage (section 468.8421), and contracts must be in writing (section 468.8422). Not legal advice. The full rundown.

Who needs a license

The law turns on two definitions. A mold assessment is physical sampling and a detailed evaluation of the building's history and an inspection, to work out where mold growth larger than 10 square feet came from, what it is, where it is and how far it goes. Mold remediation is removing, cleaning, sanitizing, demolishing or otherwise treating mold or mold-contaminated material larger than 10 square feet. Doing either for the public, for pay, takes the matching license.

Who doesn't

A residential property owner working on their own property, for either assessment or remediation.
An employee working under the direct supervision of a licensed assessor or remediator.
Some other licensed professionals (contractors, engineers, architects, pest control, home inspectors and others named in the statute) acting within their own license, as long as they don't hold themselves out as a mold assessor or remediator.
People working for an insurer, and some government and school employees on their own buildings.

The 12-month rule

Section 468.8419 makes it a crime for a mold assessor, or the assessor's company, to remediate a structure it assessed in the last 12 months, and for a remediator, or its company, to assess a structure it remediated in the last 12 months. A first violation is a second-degree misdemeanor; a third is a felony. There's a narrow exception for certified Division I contractors.

What that means for you: if you hire an assessor, its report has no sales pitch built in. And if the company removing your mold offers to "certify" its own work afterward, that isn't the independent clearance check the law contemplates.

Insurance and contracts

Assessors must carry at least $1 million in general liability and errors and omissions coverage (section 468.8421).
Remediators must carry at least $1 million in general liability coverage.
Mold assessment and remediation contracts must be in a written or electronic document, signed by the parties (section 468.8422).

Remediators and construction work

A mold remediator license doesn't cover work that requires a construction license under Chapter 489. If the job involves roofing, plumbing, electrical or structural work, that part has to be done by someone licensed for it.

How to check a license

Go to the DBPR's Verify a License page at myfloridalicense.com.
Search by the person's or the company's name.
Check that it's a mold-related services license of the right kind (remediator for removal, assessor for an assessment) and that the status is current and active.
Ask for the certificate of insurance too.

A logo, a private certification or a "licensed and insured" line on a truck is not a license lookup. What a licensed assessor does.

General information about the statutes, not legal advice.

Questions Orlando homeowners ask

Does Florida require a license for mold removal?

Florida licenses mold work under Part XVI of Chapter 468 of the Florida Statutes, run by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Assessing or remediating mold growth larger than 10 square feet for pay takes a state license: mold assessor or mold remediator. An assessor may not remediate a structure it assessed in the last 12 months, and a remediator may not assess a structure it remediated in the last 12 months. Homeowners working on their own property are exempt.

Can a homeowner remove mold without a license in Florida?

Yes, on their own property. Section 468.841 exempts a residential property owner who performs mold assessment or remediation on his or her own property. A landlord hiring someone to do it for pay is a different matter.

Do I need a mold assessment before remediation in Florida?

The law doesn't require one. It requires that, if an assessor's company assessed the structure, it not do the remediation within 12 months. Many homeowners hire an assessor anyway on larger or unclear jobs.