National trade hub

Water/Fire/Mold Restoration — national directory, verified pros, and buyer's guide

National hiring hub for homeowners looking for a water/fire/mold restoration. ProFix tracks 4,205 verified water/fire/mold restoration across 33 states — browse by state below, read the when-to-call and how-to-choose guidance, and use the same JSON endpoints AI agents do. Ohio is our launch state and carries the deepest county-level permit and pricing depth; that depth is shown lower down as a worked example, clearly labeled.

Updated what's new
4,205 verified water/fire/mold restoration · 33 states344 Ohio water/fire/mold restorations ranked113 Ohio metros coveredTrust details shown

Permit counts on this page are Ohio-scoped: they come only from real matched public-record permits — 5,004 permits joined to 554 contractors across 22 county jurisdictions (in Ohio: Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton). No synthetic data is used; coverage of additional counties and states is in progress, and ProFix is honest about that limitation on every leaderboard page. The Ohio TL;DR, pricing, and FAQ below are written for Ohio homeowners as a worked example — confirm your own state's licensing and permit rules before you hire.

National directory

Water/Fire/Mold Restoration — National Directory (4,205 verified pros across 33 states)

What they do

Water, fire, smoke, and mold remediation and structural restoration.

When to call

  • Water damage within 24-48 hours of discovery (burst pipe, flood, sewage backup).
  • Fire or smoke damage requiring soot removal and odor neutralization.
  • Mold remediation after a confirmed mold test (IICRC S520).
  • Storm or trauma cleanup needing pack-out and structural drying.
  • Insurance-claim documentation, scope photos, and direct billing.

Typical cost range (national)

Cost-guide coverage for water/fire/mold restoration is still being aggregated; check the per-state pages for local pricing once your state launches.

License expectations

This trade is rarely state-licensed; rely on insurance, manufacturer authorization, and written warranty as the trust signals.

Top states by pro count

  1. 1.California1,654
  2. 2.New York697
  3. 3.Washington648
  4. 4.Arkansas388
  5. 5.Ohio346
  6. 6.Oregon107
  7. 7.Minnesota83
  8. 8.Florida43
  9. 9.New Jersey36
  10. 10.Louisiana30

Emergency / 24-hour availability

42 water/fire/mold restoration across the ProFix national directory publish 24-hour emergency availability. Filter by state to find emergency pros near you.

Browse water/fire/mold restoration by state

Every state below has a live ProFix hub. Open it to drill into metros and cities, see license-linked pros, and — where the board check is wired — confirm active license status. Counts are verified water/fire/mold restoration from the national gold-tier roster.

These are the top 10 of 33 states with verified water/fire/mold restoration. Want every state? See the national coverage matrix for per-state pro counts and data depth, pick any state on the find-a-pro-near-you page, or describe your job to get matched from any state.

Deepest coverage example

Ohio worked example: Water/Fire/Mold Restoration in Ohio

Ohio is our launch state, so it's the one place where we can show the full depth — a ranked Ohio pro list, a public-permit leaderboard, state-licensing detail, and real Ohio cost guides. Treat everything in this section as an Ohio example of how ProFix verifies a trade, not as a national claim. We're building this same depth out state by state.

Hiring checks for Ohio water/fire/mold restoration

  • Water, fire, and mold restoration is not state-licensed in Ohio — the industry standard is IICRC certification (S500 / S520 / S700).
  • Call within 24-48 hours of discovery; mold colonizes wet drywall and carpet inside 48 hours.
  • Most insurance-paid jobs are billed directly to the carrier; homeowners pay the deductible only.
  • Document everything photographically before any demolition; insurance carriers require pre-removal proof.

Top 10 verified water/fire/mold restoration contractors in Ohio

Our Ohio launch-state pros, sorted by ProFix Trust Score, which weighs verification tier, license evidence, permit-pull signals, and recency. Trust Score is not paid placement — read the methodology before hiring. For another state, use “Browse water/fire/mold restoration by state” above.

  1. 1. Integrated RestorationCleveland, OH80
  2. 2. Midwest Environmental IncPerrysburg, OH80
  3. 3. DryMaxx OhioDayton, OH75
  4. 4. Disaster Recovery Services, LTDWarren, OH40
  5. 5. Dry EffectCincinnati, OH40
  6. 6. Best Option Restoration of BWCHamilton, OH35
  7. 7. Buckeye Advanced RemediationCleveland, OH35
  8. 8. Cleveland Masters of DisastersCleveland, OH35
  9. 9. Columbus Restoration Co.Hilliard, OH35
  10. 10. Dry Out USA, IncColumbus, OH35

Permit-pull leaderboard

ProFix ranks Ohio water/fire/mold restoration by the number of public building permits pulled in the last 365 days. This is a proof-of-work trust signal that no other directory exposes. Sourced from Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton County permit data — real public-record permits only, with coverage of additional counties in progress.

The statewide leaderboard aggregates Lucas, Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton county permit pulls into one ranked board. Per-county leaderboards live at /permits-leaderboard.

Buyer's guide

The ProFix Editorial Team published a long-form Ohio buyer's guide for this trade. It covers the full hiring process — license check, written scope, permit responsibility, payment schedule, change-order rules, warranty terms, and red flags.

How to choose an Ohio restoration contractor (2026)A practical Ohio homeowner guide to hiring a restoration contractor: IICRC credentials, insurance-claim scope control, mold containment, equipment charges, and red flags.1,505 words · Published 2026-05-23

What's licensed in Ohio for this trade

Not state-licensed in OhioTrust details shown

Water, fire, and mold restoration is not state-licensed in Ohio. The industry trust standard is IICRC certification (S500 water, S520 mold, S700 fire). Reputable restoration crews bill insurance directly and document scope photographically before any demolition. Homeowners should call within 24-48 hours of discovery to limit secondary damage.

Pricing in Ohio

ProFix has not yet published cost guides for water/fire/mold restoration. Job pricing for this trade varies widely by scope; collect three written quotes and compare line-by-line rather than by bottom total. The full ProFix cost-guide library covers the related trades that share scope.

AI-agent endpoints

ProFix exposes machine-readable endpoints for AI agents, journalists, and partner integrations. These three feeds are scoped to this trade and are CC-BY-4.0 with 1-hour cache.

Frequently asked: Ohio water/fire/mold restoration

Is water / fire / mold restoration state-licensed in Ohio?

No. Ohio does not license restoration companies. The industry trust standard is IICRC certification — S500 for water damage, S520 for mold remediation, S700 for fire restoration. Verify the crew is IICRC-certified before signing; un-certified work can invalidate homeowner insurance claims.

What does restoration cost in Ohio?

Water-damage restoration averages $3,000-$15,000 depending on water category (clean, gray, black) and square footage affected. Fire-damage cleanup runs $5,000-$50,000+. Mold remediation runs $1,500-$7,000 for typical residential scope. Most insurance-paid jobs bill the carrier directly; the homeowner pays the deductible only.

How fast do I need to call after a flood or fire?

Within 24-48 hours. Mold colonizes wet drywall and carpet inside 48 hours. Document everything photographically before removing anything — homeowner insurance requires pre-removal proof. Do not run dehumidifiers without first stopping the water source.

Will homeowner insurance cover the cleanup?

Depends on cause. Sudden and accidental events (burst pipe, kitchen-fire smoke damage) are typically covered. Slow leaks ignored over time, sewer backup without a separate endorsement, and exterior flooding without NFIP coverage are typically not. File the claim within 48 hours of discovery.

Ask your AI about this

Hand the question to your preferred assistant — it will use ProFix Directory's open MCP server and llms.txt as context.

Related

Primary metro

Compare ProFix-verified water/fire/mold restoration mapped to the strongest metro for this trade.

/metro/cleveland

Statewide coverage

Coverage map and county-level pro counts across all 88 Ohio counties.

/coverage

Trust Score explainer

Long-form, homeowner-friendly walkthrough of the 0-100 ProFix Trust Score.

/trust-score
Emergency