IICRC S520 Standards

The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (“IICRC”) developed the IICRC S520 Standard in response to public and private organizations heightened awareness to mold concerns. The IICRC S520 Mold Remediation Consensus Body Standard Committee has reviewed and considered those existing documents; e.g., New York City Department of Health (NYCDOH) guidelines, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines, and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in the development of this revised IICRC S520 Standard.

The IICRC standardized the conditions levels for mold as follows:

1. Condition 1 (normal fungal ecology): an indoor environment that may have settled spores, fungal fragments or traces of actual growth whose identity, location and quantity are reflective of a normal fungal ecology for a similar indoor environment.
2. Condition 2 (settled spores): an indoor environment which is primarily contaminated with settled spores that were dispersed directly or indirectly from a Condition 3 area, and which may have traces of actual growth.
3. Condition 3 (actual growth): an indoor environment contaminated with the presence of actual mold growth and associated spores. Actual growth includes growth that is active or dormant, visible or hidden.