Water damage in Dallas: an independent guide to costs, risks and hiring

No public agency publishes Dallas-only restoration prices, so the table below uses national ranges from established cost guides. Use it to judge whether a written quote is in a normal range, not as a price anyone has promised you. The category of water, how long materials stayed wet and how much has to be removed and rebuilt move a real quote up or down.

For a longer breakdown, see our Dallas restoration cost guide.

• Water spreading from a pipe, water heater or appliance. Close the shutoff first. Dallas Water Utilities says a private cut-off valve should turn off water to the house and advises finding it before an emergency.
• Wet materials that are not drying. The EPA says mold usually will not grow on materials dried within 24 to 48 hours. After that, risk rises.
• Water from a drain, toilet or outdoor flooding. The industry's ANSI/IICRC S500 standard treats sewage and wasteline backflows from beyond a trap as grossly contaminated water. See sewage cleanup.
• A musty smell, stains or soft drywall, which often signal a hidden leak.
• Indoor humidity that stays high. EPA recommends below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50 percent.
• A gas smell after flooding. Leave the building and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.

If something is happening right now, our emergency checklist lists the official Dallas numbers and first steps.

Texas does not license water damage restoration as a trade, but the work around it is licensed:

1. Mold. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses mold assessors and remediators under Occupations Code Chapter 1958 and 16 TAC Chapter 78. Search any company or individual in the TDLR license search. TDLR's rules prohibit one licensee from doing both the assessment and the remediation on the same project.
2. Plumbing. Pipe and fixture repairs need a plumber licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners; use the plumbing license search.
3. Restoration companies. With no state license to check, ask how the company classifies water under the S500, what it will remove and how it documents drying. Get the scope in writing.
4. Contract and payment. The Texas Department of Insurance recommends at least three bids, warns against contracts with blank spaces, and says it is against the law for a contractor to offer to waive your deductible.

The services overview covers restoration, water extraction, sewage cleanup, storm and flood damage and mold remediation. The location pages cover Carrollton, Frisco, Garland, Irving, McKinney, Mesquite, Plano and Richardson. The homeowner guides go deeper on first steps, water categories, mold timing, insurance claims and costs.

One Dallas-specific point worth knowing: the City of Dallas floodplain page says homeowners policies do not cover damage from floods and that flood insurance has a 30-day waiting period, so it has to be bought before a storm, not after.

Water Damage Dallas Pros is an independent homeowner information website. It is not a licensed contractor and not a restoration company. We hold no license or certification, we do not perform any work, and we have no phone line and no field staff.

What we do: research and explain costs, warning signs, standards and licensing, with links to the official or published source for every figure. To reach a restoration company, call one of the companies listed on this page or see all listed companies. Questions about this guide or a correction: email hello@waterdamagedallaspros.com. We do not take service requests and do not pass messages on to contractors. A reply usually points you to the license lookups and questions on this site. More detail is on our about page and contact page.