Mold Remediation in College Park, GA

An old town on the airport's doorstep

College Park sits right against Atlanta's southern boundary, about 10 miles from downtown, on the line between Fulton and Clayton counties. It was founded as Atlantic City before being renamed College Park, and the College Park Historic District covers 606 acres. Rugby Avenue, Main Street and the streets around Woodward Academy hold many of the older homes, while the area by Hartsfield-Jackson, the Georgia International Convention Center and Gateway Center Arena is mostly commercial. About 13,900 people lived in the city at the 2020 Census.

Older houses across metro Atlanta often sit over vented crawl spaces. In summer, warm, wet air drifts under the floor and condenses on cool ductwork and joists. Add a plumbing leak that drips for months or a gutter that dumps water at the foundation, and the subfloor can grow mold long before anyone upstairs notices a smell.

What to do first

1. Find and stop the water. A roofer, plumber or HVAC technician may be the first call, not a mold company.
2. Measure the patch. EPA says areas under about 10 square feet can usually be handled by a homeowner; larger ones call for a professional.
3. Throw out porous items that stayed wet, such as carpet, ceiling tiles and insulation. Never paint over mold.
4. If the ducts smell musty, don't run the HVAC until it has been checked, since EPA warns it can spread spores.

Permits and code enforcement in one office

The City of College Park Department of Building and Inspections at 3667 Main Street issues building, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and roofing permits, so rebuilding walls or replacing ductwork after a mold job may go through that office. The same department handles code enforcement, which is the place to ask about an unrepaired leak in a rental.

Georgia law requires landlords to keep rental premises in repair (O.C.G.A. 44-7-13). Georgia Legal Aid advises tenants to send repair requests in writing and keep copies. Georgia does not allow tenants to withhold rent. Repair-and-deduct carries real risks, so Legal Aid suggests getting the landlord's written agreement first and talking with a lawyer. This is general information, not legal advice. The Fulton County Board of Health says its environmental health complaint office does not respond to mold complaints.

Hiring a company

No Georgia license exists for mold work itself. When the job includes rebuilding, ask whether the company holds a Georgia residential or general contractor license and check it on GOALS Verify Now. Many owners also pay for an independent inspection before and after the work so the scope isn't written by the company doing the cleanup.