Mold removal and inspection in Decatur and Hartselle

Decatur sits across the Tennessee River from Limestone County, on the Wheeler Lake shoreline, with Hartselle a few miles south down U.S. 31. The houses here are older than Huntsville's on average, and the water that reaches them comes as often from creeks backing up as from the river itself. We take mold calls from Decatur, Hartselle, Priceville, Somerville, Falkville, Trinity and the rest of Morgan County. This page is about what makes a Morgan County mold job different.

When the river backs up the creeks

The National Weather Service gauge for the Tennessee River at Decatur has a flood stage of just 9 feet, and its impact notes read like a map of where to worry. At 7 feet, backwater and nuisance flooding begin as the river backs up into its tributaries. At 9 feet, flooding begins to affect the Morgan County side of the river near Decatur. At 12 feet, the moderate stage, there is extensive backwater flooding on Flint Creek and Swan Creek, and the weather service warns floodwater may threaten homes (NWS gauge DECA1). The record is 14.8 feet from 1867; recent big crests were 10.29 feet in May 2003 and 10.11 feet in February 2019.

So in Decatur the risk is less a wall of river water than slow water rising in the low ground along Flint Creek and Swan Creek and staying there. Water that sits in a crawl space or against a slab for days soaks into sill plates, subfloor and the bottom of drywall. Creek water is contaminated water: Alabama Extension classes rising stream water as black water (Alabama Extension), so porous materials it reached usually come out rather than get dried. Our water damage and mold page covers the first two days.

The lake itself barely moves by comparison. TVA holds Wheeler between 555 and 556 feet in summer and no lower than 550.5 feet in winter, to keep the channel deep enough for barges (TVA). A lakeside house sits next to a full lake through the most humid months, which is worth knowing if the boat-house storage room or lower level smells.

Older houses than Huntsville

Census figures for 2020 to 2024 put Decatur's median home at 1977, with 55.5 percent of its 25,467 homes built before 1980. Hartselle's median is 1981. In Madison County the median home dates from 1992 and only 32.3 percent predate 1980 (Census ACS, via Census Reporter). Across all of Morgan County, 5,753 homes, 10.7 percent, are mobile or manufactured homes, about three times Madison County's share.

In practice that means more original crawl spaces with old vents and no ground cover, more cast-iron and galvanized lines that leak slowly under a floor, and more bathrooms with no fan or one that blows into the attic. It also means a question to ask before any wall or floor is opened in a pre-1980 house: whether old joint compound, flooring or duct wrap needs an asbestos check first. For a manufactured home, the work is usually under it: the belly sheet, wet insulation, and the ground under the skirting. Say which kind of house it is when you call.

Permits in Decatur and Hartselle

The City of Decatur's Building Department issues all construction permits in the city, and its own list includes repairs and remodeling of existing structures, along with HVAC and electrical work (City of Decatur). The rebuild after a mold job, new drywall, a new subfloor, a replaced air handler, falls into that list, so ask who will pull the permit. The office is at 402 Lee Street NE, (256) 341-4570. In Hartselle, the city's inspectors handle residential construction inspections, requested by phone at 256-773-2535 (City of Hartselle). Priceville, Trinity and the unincorporated county have their own arrangements.

Who checks the company

Alabama doesn't license mold remediation or mold testing companies. The Alabama Department of Public Health says there are no state laws on residential mold standards or testing and no state accreditation for contractors doing the work (ADPH). The license that can apply is for the rebuild: the Home Builders Licensure Board requires a state home builder license and a written contract for residential work over $10,000 (HBLB). A creek-water job that includes cleanup, new subfloor and drywall can pass that line quickly. Our Alabama hiring guide lists what to ask, and the cost guide shows national ranges to check a quote against.

Crawl spaces in Morgan County summers

Decatur shares North Alabama's summer air: in NOAA's hourly normals for Huntsville International Airport, the nearest long-record station, every hour of June, July and August has a dew point of 60°F or higher. Crawl space joists and ducts cooler than that collect water. If the smell is coming from under the floor, read crawl space mold first, and if sealing is on the table, crawl space encapsulation. The condensation calculator shows whether your joists are below the dew point.

When you call, say you're in Decatur, Hartselle or elsewhere in Morgan County, whether the house is near Flint Creek or Swan Creek, and whether the water came from outside or inside.