Marion County mold inspections
Mold testing in Indianapolis for older homes and rentals
Air, dust and moisture testing for century-old doubles, post-war ranches and rental units across Marion County.
What does mold testing in Indianapolis involve?
Mold testing in Indianapolis means inspecting the house for moisture first, then sampling the air indoors and outside, settled dust and any visible growth, and sending everything to a lab. The lab reports back in 24 to 48 hours. In a city where one block can hold a 1910 double and a 1990s infill house, how the home was built decides where we sample.
Why a quick test misses mold in older Indianapolis homes
A stone foundation, a crawlspace under a back addition and plaster walls patched with drywall decades later all hide moisture in different ways. One air sample in the front room can't tell you which of those is the problem. Air also moves oddly in older houses, through open wall cavities, old chimney chases and gaps around floor registers, so a sample from the wrong room can read clean while the source sits one floor below.
Sound familiar?
- Your rental smells musty, and your landlord wants proof before calling anyone.
- The basement in your older home has always been damp, and you can't tell whether that means mold.
- You own a double or a small rental and need documentation after a tenant complaint.
- A home inspector flagged staining under a bathroom, and you have a few days to decide.
We do it differently.
| A single-sample mold test | An AME Indianapolis inspection | |
|---|---|---|
| Old foundations | Not looked at | Stone, brick and block walls checked with a moisture meter |
| Crawlspaces and additions | Skipped | Inspected and sampled as separate areas |
| Rental units | One unit, one number | Each unit and shared space sampled on its own |
| Air comparison | Sometimes none | An outdoor sample taken the same day |
| Report | A lab printout | Findings a tenant, landlord or buyer can follow |
Why families trust us with their homes
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Family-owned since 2008
A multigenerational family business. Not a franchise, not a private-equity rollup.
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Credentialed where it isn't required
Indiana doesn't license mold remediators. We hold IICRC, CMR, CRMI and CCMI credentials anyway.
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Called on as experts
Attorneys bring us into legal cases involving mold and mycotoxins.
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Lab results in 24 to 48 hours
Every inspection comes with a written report, color photos and lab results.
- IICRC Certified Firm
- CMR
- CRMI
- CCMI
- BBB A+ Accredited
- NAMRI
- IAQA
- NORMI
- AMMA
- PMII
The AME Clearance Method
Our Indianapolis testing visit, step by step
The visit runs in the same order whether the house went up in 1905 or 1995.
Talk to a specialist-
Learn the building's past
How old the house is, what's been renovated, where water has come in and whether anyone rents part of it. Older homes usually have a few chapters of repairs worth hearing about.
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Measure moisture behind finishes
A moisture meter and thermal camera check plaster, drywall, subfloors and the base of foundation walls, so sampling targets damp areas instead of guesses.
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Collect samples
Indoor air paired with an outdoor sample, settled dust for ERMI or HERTSMI-2 when the history calls for it, and tape or swab samples from visible growth.
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Send to the lab
Samples are shipped for analysis, and results are typically back in 24 to 48 hours.
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Explain the findings
We go over each result with you and put recommendations in writing, including when the right move is a gutter repair rather than remediation.
What an Indianapolis mold test includes
- A history of leaks, repairs and renovations
- Visual inspection of attic, living areas, basement and crawlspace
- Moisture readings on masonry, plaster and drywall
- Thermal imaging of suspect walls and ceilings
- Indoor air samples with a same-day outdoor comparison
- ERMI or HERTSMI-2 dust sampling when warranted
- Tape or swab samples of visible growth
- A written report a landlord, tenant or buyer can read
Proof you can hold in your hands
When we finish, you don't get a handshake and a promise. You get the paperwork your family, your doctor, your insurer or your buyer can rely on.
Inspection report
What we found, where it is coming from, with color photos.
Written remediation plan
Scope, timeline and what will and won't be removed, before work starts.
Clearance lab report
Air, surface and mycotoxin results after the work is done.
A report for your doctor
With your permission, we share results directly with your care team.
Mold testing in Indianapolis, explained
Three housing eras, three testing plans
Indianapolis doesn’t have one typical house, so we don’t bring one typical test.
- Before about 1940. Irvington, Fountain Square, the Old Northside and Butler-Tarkington have many homes with masonry basements and plaster walls. We focus on basement air, how it reaches the first floor through old registers and chases, and the dust in the rooms above.
- 1945 through the 1970s. Ranches and split-levels in the outer townships often sit over crawlspaces with ducts underneath. The crawlspace is inspected and, when it can be reached, sampled on its own, and we check whether return ducts are drawing air from it.
- 1980s and later. Newer homes and infill houses usually point us to a specific event, like a sump that quit, a supply line that dripped or a bath fan venting into the attic. Moisture mapping tends to find it fast, and sampling shows how far it spread.
Testing for renters and landlords
A large share of Indianapolis households rent, and mold questions in a rental come with extra pressure. Tenants want to know whether the unit is safe to stay in. Owners want to know what they’re responsible for, and whether the cause is a building defect or something like a blocked bath fan. A test from someone who isn’t on either side of the lease answers both.
Our reports stick to what we measured and where we measured it. For the legal side, see whether Indianapolis apartments have to fix mold and who pays for remediation in an Indiana rental.
Reading your results
An air report lists spore types and counts for each room beside the outdoor sample. The comparison is what counts. Indoor counts well above outdoor, or indoor types that barely appear outside, such as Stachybotrys or Chaetomium, point to a source inside the house. Our guide to what mold spore counts mean walks through a sample report line by line.
We test homes and rental buildings for mold. We don’t diagnose or treat health conditions. If someone in the home has symptoms, a doctor is the right person to guide that side, and we can share results with them if you ask.
Common questions
Have a question that isn't here? Call a specialist
What do Indianapolis mold inspections usually cost?
Angi's cost data for the Indianapolis area puts a typical mold inspection at about $240 to $400. The total moves with the number of samples, and dust DNA testing or a mycotoxin panel adds to it. We quote your sampling plan before the visit.
Can a tenant order mold testing without the landlord?
Yes, a tenant can hire us to test the unit they rent. Independent results give both sides the same facts to work from. It goes more smoothly when the landlord knows about the visit, especially if we need a shared basement, crawlspace or furnace room.
Do you test doubles and small multi-unit buildings?
Yes. In a double or a small apartment building we sample each unit separately and look at shared spaces like basements and utility rooms, because moisture in one part of the building often shows up next door.
My older home's basement has always smelled a little damp. Should I test?
A damp smell in an old stone or brick basement is common, and it doesn't always mean active growth. Testing tells you whether mold is actually building up and whether it's reaching the living floors, which is the question that matters.
Which parts of Indianapolis do you cover?
All of Marion County, from Broad Ripple and Meridian-Kessler to Irvington, Fountain Square and the townships out to the county line. Visits are scheduled from our Avon office, just west of the city.
We're done when the lab says so.
Every remediation ends with clearance testing, and our work is backed by a complete-removal guarantee. We don't close a job on a failed result.
Talk to a specialistSchedule mold testing in Indianapolis
Tell us the age of the home, whether it's owned or rented and what you've noticed. A specialist will call you back to plan the visit.
- (833) 772-6653
- info@americanmoldexperts.com
- Open 7 days, 8am to 8pm