Florida mold remediation license rules

What the law says

Florida licenses mold assessor and mold remediator under Florida Statutes, chapter 468, part XVI (ss. 468.84–468.8424). The trigger is more than 10 square feet. The text (s. 468.8411(3) and (5), F.S.): “of mold or mold-contaminated matter of greater than 10 square feet that was not purposely grown at that location”.

Measured against federal guidance, that is the same 10 square feet that EPA uses as its homeowner line, so in Florida the point where EPA stops calling a job a homeowner job is also the point where a hired company needs a license. EPA's remediation guide moves from limited containment to full containment above 100 square feet; Florida law does not change the license requirement at that size.

Worked check: 10 sq ft is below the line (EPA medium category), 11 sq ft is licensed work (EPA medium category) and 100 sq ft is licensed work (EPA medium category). Arithmetic on Angi's published $10–$25 per-square-foot mold rate puts the first licensed size at about $110–$275.

Assessor and remediator are kept apart: A remediator may not work on a structure where the same mold assessor or the assessor's company provided a mold assessment within the last 12 months (a certified Division I contractor is exempted) (s. 468.8419(1)(d), F.S.). The 12-month window is the longest separation rule among the jurisdictions on this site.

Insurance: Mold remediators must carry general liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000; mold assessors must carry general liability and errors and omissions coverage of at least $1 million (s. 468.8421, F.S.). Against Angi's $2,369 average mold job, that $1,000,000 minimum is 422 times the size of a typical contract.

Penalties: A first violation is a misdemeanor of the second degree, a second violation a misdemeanor of the first degree, and a third or later violation a felony of the third degree (s. 468.8419(3), F.S.).

Who does not need a license

• A property owner assessing or remediating his or her own residential property (s. 468.841).
• Employees working on property their employer owns, leases or operates, unless the services are offered to the public.
• An employee directly supervised by a licensed mold assessor or remediator.
• Other licensed professionals acting within their licensed scope, unless they hold themselves out as mold assessors or remediators.

Compared with the other jurisdictions on this site: Texas draws the line at 25 contiguous square feet or more, New York draws the line at more than 10 square feet, Louisiana draws the line at jobs valued over $7,500 and the District of Columbia draws the line at a contamination level set by regulation.

Sources: Florida Statutes s. 468.8411 (Definitions), Online Sunshine / Florida Senate; Florida Statutes s. 468.841 (Exemptions); Florida Statutes s. 468.8419 (Prohibitions; penalties); Florida Statutes s. 468.8421 (Insurance) · last checked October 20, 2026.

Before hiring

The free check is the state licensing board's public license lookup: confirm the company holds the license the statute names before work starts. EPA's homeowner guidance also suggests checking references and asking the contractor to follow EPA's remediation guide or the guidelines of professional bodies such as ACGIH or IICRC. Cost ranges for the work itself are on the mold removal cost pages.