The Texas Comptroller business record
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts' Franchise Tax Account Status search lets you search by entity name, 11-digit Comptroller taxpayer number, 9-digit federal EIN, or Texas Secretary of State file number. A record shows the entity's right to transact business in Texas, state of formation, Secretary of State registration status, effective SOS registration date, Texas SOS file number, registered agent, and registered office address.
The Comptroller says account status was once called "Good Standing" and is the status of an entity's right to transact business in Texas. The Comptroller forfeits that right when an entity hasn't met its franchise tax filing requirements. The effective SOS registration date marks when the entity registered with the Texas Secretary of State, so it shows how long the company has been registered in Texas. Compare the legal name on your estimate or contract with the name on the record.
The Comptroller record lists no licenses, certifications, insurance, or past jobs. The Comptroller's franchise tax FAQ says a single-member LLC is a taxable entity and a sole proprietorship not organized in a way that limits its liability isn't a taxable entity, so a one-person business may have no record. We check every company we rank against the Comptroller's open data, as described in our methodology. Licenses and certifications aren't in our score yet, so look those up yourself on state and industry sites.
Mold licenses on TDLR's license search
Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1958 requires a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for mold assessment and mold remediation, with some exemptions. Our guide to Texas mold rules covers the exemptions. The TDLR license search shows active licenses only and lets you search by license type, license number, name or business name, city, county, or ZIP code. For a company that removes mold, check for Mold Remediation Company or Mold Remediation Contractor. For a company that inspects and tests for mold, check for Mold Assessment Company, Mold Assessment Consultant, or Mold Assessment Technician.
TDLR's rules in 16 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 78 say licensed and registered people must have their TDLR identification card with them at the worksite. TDLR's rules also say the remediation company must keep a list at the job site of the names and license or registration numbers of everyone working on the project. TDLR's rules require bids, estimates, contracts, work plans, and bills from a license holder to show TDLR's name, web address, mailing address, and phone number for complaints. Under TDLR's rules, license holders must have commercial general liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence unless TDLR approves them as self-insured. TDLR's Consumer Mold Information Sheet says to ask for proof of that insurance before you hire anyone.
A license that has lapsed won't show up there. TDLR posts disciplinary actions in its Administrative Orders search for three years after the order is signed.
IICRC Certified Firm status
The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is a non-profit for the inspection, cleaning, and restoration industries. IICRC writes the S500 water damage, S520 mold, and S700 fire and smoke standards, which our guide to IICRC standards explains. IICRC says a Certified Firm is a business that employs one or more IICRC Certified Technicians. You can confirm a firm's status through the IICRC Global Locator or by calling IICRC at 844-464-4272.
IICRC keeps a list of invalid firms that promote Certified Firm status. Ask whether a certified technician will work on your job, since Certified Firm status is based on the firm's staff. IICRC certification comes from IICRC, a private non-profit. A Texas mold license comes from TDLR, so check the TDLR license for a mold job too.
EPA lead-safe certification for pre-1978 homes
Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, child care facilities, and preschools built before 1978 must be certified, and their employees must be trained in lead-safe work practices. EPA says this includes all firms, even sole proprietorships. TDLR says EPA enforces the RRP rule in Texas and issues Renovation Firm certification here.
To check a firm, use EPA's Lead-based Paint Professional Locator. Choose renovation, repair and painting as the type of work, then enter where the work is.
Under EPA's emergency provision, work that has to happen right away after a sudden event to protect property or public health is exempt from the training, certification, warning sign, containment, and waste handling requirements only as far as the emergency requires. Under the same provision, cleaning, cleaning verification, and recordkeeping requirements still apply during emergency work. EPA says the full rule applies to the rest of the job once the part dealing with the emergency is done. EPA's post-disaster guidance gives two examples of work the rule covers: patching a hole in a wall after a broken water pipe is fixed, and repainting water-stained walls or ceilings.
Paperwork to ask for
Under Section 1958.155 of Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1958, a license holder can't do both mold assessment and mold remediation on the same project. That section also says a person can't own an interest in both the assessing company and the remediating company on the same project. Section 1958.155 makes an exception for a license holder employed by a school district working on a project for that district. For your mold job, the company that tests and writes the plan and the company that removes the mold are separate companies. TDLR's rules say the assessment consultant gives you a written mold remediation protocol at least one calendar day before remediation begins. Under Texas Occupations Code Section 1958.152, the remediator gives you its work plan before remediation begins.
IICRC's S500 water damage standard (S500 position statement) says that on the first visit, the restorer verifies the source of the water, finds how far the water spread, makes a preliminary determination of the water's category (how contaminated it is), notes damage that was there before, and sets dry standards and drying goals. For a water job, ask for the written scope of work, the drying goal, and the moisture readings that show the goal was reached.
Contract terms Texas law sets
Under Texas Business and Commerce Code Section 27.02, a contract of $1,000 or more for work reasonably expected to be paid wholly or partly from a property insurance claim must contain a notice in at least 12-point bold type stating that Texas law requires the insured person to pay the deductible. Section 27.02 also says the seller can't waive, absorb, rebate, or credit your deductible without the insurer's consent. If you're dealing with water damage insurance claims, check the contract for that notice.
Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 58 covers disaster remediation contractors that haven't had a physical business address in your county or an adjacent county for at least one year before the contract. It applies after a natural disaster that brings a disaster declaration by the governor or a county judge. Chapter 58 requires the contract to be in writing and to carry a bold notice saying it's subject to Chapter 58. It also says the contractor can't require full or partial payment before work begins, and partial payments can't exceed an amount reasonably proportionate to the work done, including materials delivered. Chapter 58 also says a contract can't waive it.