Mold After a Slab Leak, Burst Pipe or Water Damage in Plano, TX
Water under the floor, inside a wall or from a failed appliance is the most common way Plano homes get mold. Independent, TDLR-licensed companies reply with free quotes for assessment, removal and drying.
Get a Free Quote Call (972) 472-8749
Why Plano gets slab leaks instead of wet basements
About 98 percent of new single-family homes in this part of the country are built on a slab, and Collin County sits almost entirely on Blackland Prairie clay that shrinks hard in a dry August and swells after the May and October rains. That movement works on copper supply lines and, in 1970s and 1980s homes, the cast-iron drains under the slab.
When one fails, nothing drips. Water wicks up into the bottom plate and the back of the drywall for weeks. The first signs are a warm spot on the floor, a water bill that jumped, cupped wood flooring, a baseboard that feels soft, or a musty smell with no visible leak.
Burst pipes and appliance failures are the sudden version: a washing machine hose, a garage water heater, a refrigerator line, or an attic line that froze.
Need a roof leak looked at instead? See attic and roof leak mold.
What happens on a water-damage mold job
Stop the water and call the right trade
Shut the main. Leak detection, slab repair, re-piping and foundation work are plumbing and foundation trades, with a Plano permit pulled by a registered contractor. Mold companies do not do that part.
Emergency drying
If the water is fresh, a water-damage company pulls wet carpet pad, sets air movers and dehumidifiers and meters the materials daily. Get it moving inside the EPA's 24 to 48 hour window and much of the mold job may never be needed.
Licensed assessment and moisture mapping
When materials have been wet longer, or growth is visible, a TDLR-licensed assessment consultant maps the wet area, finds the extent and writes a protocol if it reaches 25 contiguous square feet.
Emergency notification
Normally the remediation company notifies TDLR five days before starting. When a delay after a water-damage event would increase contamination, the rules allow an emergency notification by the next business day, so work can begin fast.
Containment, removal and cleaning
Baseboards, the lower two feet of drywall, wet insulation and unsalvageable flooring come out inside containment with a HEPA scrubber running. Category 3 water, meaning sewage or floodwater, means more removal and heavier cleaning.
Drying to target, then clearance
Framing and slab are dried to the protocol's moisture target, the assessor clears the work, and the Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation follows within 10 days.
Rebuild
Drywall, trim, paint and floors go back in, usually by a separate contractor. In a pre-1978 home ask about lead-safe practices and asbestos sampling first.
Winter Storm Uri and the burst-pipe problem
In February 2021 DFW hit minus 2 degrees on February 16 and spent 139 consecutive hours at or below freezing. Around 50,000 Plano homes lost power. Water demand doubled as pipes burst across the city, the utility handled more than 300 emergency shutoff calls in three days, and the council waived residential plumbing permit fees. FEMA declaration DR-4586 covers Collin County.
Most of those homes were patched and dried in a hurry, and water that ran down inside an exterior wall was not always found. A common scenario the companies now see is a home with no current leak, a faint smell and dark staining behind a baseboard. Moisture mapping is the way to look without opening everything.
Flood is different. Creek flooding is excluded from standard Texas homeowners policies; flood insurance is a separate NFIP policy, and sewer backup usually needs its own endorsement.
What water-damage mold work costs
Water jobs are priced by how far the water traveled and how much comes out, plus separate plumbing, foundation and rebuild bills.
| Item | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mold remediation, per sq ft | $10–$25 (avg ≈ $18) | This Old House 2026; Fixr 2025 ($10–$30) |
| Small area ≈ 50 / 100 / 200 / 500 sq ft | $500–$1,250 / $1,000–$2,500 / $2,000–$5,000 / $5,000–$12,500 | This Old House 2026 |
| Typical whole job | $1,500–$9,000 (national avg ≈ $3,500) | Fixr 2025 |
| Crawl space (pier-and-beam homes) | $500–$2,000 | Fixr 2025 |
| Mold inspection / testing (licensed assessor, separate company) | $303–$1,044 (avg ≈ $670); air-sample lab fees $250–$350 | HomeAdvisor 2025 |
| TDLR notification fee (25+ sq ft jobs) | $25 | TDLR |
Typical published ranges, not quotes (Fixr Aug 2025, This Old House Mar 2026, HomeAdvisor 2025). Plano quotes come from the companies, not from this site.
These exclude leak detection, slab repair, re-piping, foundation work, contents and rebuild. The cost guide has a calculator and the four-part Texas structure.
Insurance: sudden and accidental versus continuous
Texas homeowners policies generally cover a sudden and accidental release of water, such as a pipe that burst on February 16, 2021, and generally do not cover a continuous leak that ran for months. Most policies pay to remove mold only as part of repairing damage from a covered event, and the 2002-era endorsements many Texas policies carry exclude remediation and testing unless you bought mold coverage back. Hidden losses need to be reported within 30 days of when you detected or should have detected them.
Photograph everything before removal, keep the plumber's leak report and the protocol, and keep the Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation, since Insurance Code 544.303 bars insurers from using remediated damage shown on it against your home. None of this assures a payout.
When it is urgent
- You cannot find the shutoff or the water will not stop. Call a plumber now and the mold quotes after.
- The water came from a drain, toilet or outside. Keep kids and pets off wet floors.
- Floors have been wet more than two days, or the smell is strong.
- Anyone in the house has breathing symptoms. See a doctor.
Questions to ask the companies
- Is the water clean, gray or Category 3, and how does that change the scope?
- Will you file an emergency TDLR notification so work can start by the next business day?
- What moisture target will you dry to, and will readings be in the clearance report?
- Who handles the plumbing and foundation, and are they city-registered for the permit?
- Can you send the Consumer Mold Information Sheet, license number and proof of $1 million liability insurance?
Get water-damage mold quotes in Plano
Tell us what leaked, when, how far it spread and whether the water was clean or from a drain. We pass it to independent, TDLR-licensed companies, and they reply with quotes.
Independent, TDLR-licensed Texas companies reply to you directly. No obligation, and you choose who to hire. Prefer to talk? Call (972) 472-8749
Slab leak and water damage mold questions
How fast does mold grow after a slab leak or burst pipe?
The EPA says wet materials should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. A burst pipe caught the same day is usually a drying job. A slab leak that ran for weeks has passed that window, which is why baseboards and lower drywall often come out. The clock starts when the material got wet, not when you noticed.
Does homeowners insurance cover mold from a slab leak in Texas?
Sometimes, and the wording decides it. Texas policies generally cover sudden and accidental discharge of water and not continuous leakage. Most pay to remove mold only as part of repairing covered damage, and many cap or exclude remediation unless endorsed. Photograph before cleanup, report hidden losses within 30 days of discovery, and read your declarations page. Not a coverage promise.
Who finds and fixes the slab leak?
A licensed plumber. Leak detection, under-slab repair, re-routing lines through the attic and any foundation work are plumbing and foundation trades, and in Plano they need a city permit pulled by a registered contractor. The mold assessment and remediation companies handle the moisture mapping, removal, drying and clearance. Expect at least two or three trades on a slab-leak job.
Is water from a sewer line under the slab treated differently?
Yes. Sewage and floodwater are Category 3, or grossly contaminated, water. Porous materials it touched, such as carpet, pad, drywall and insulation, are generally removed rather than dried, and the cleaning steps are more extensive. Tell the companies up front if the leak was a drain line, because the protocol and the quote will be different from a clean-water supply leak.
Could pipes that burst in February 2021 still be causing mold?
It is a common scenario the assessment companies look for. During Winter Storm Uri, Plano saw more than 300 emergency water shutoff calls in three days as pipes burst in attics and exterior walls. Many homes were dried quickly and never opened up. A musty smell, soft baseboards or staining on the lower wall years later is a reason to get moisture mapping, even with no active leak.
Seeing or smelling mold? Get a clear plan.
Free, no-pressure quotes from independent Texas-licensed companies across Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen and Collin County.