About Memphis Water Damage & Mold Guide

Memphis Water Damage & Mold Guide is an independent local guide that helps homeowners in Memphis, Tennessee and the surrounding metro connect with licensed water damage restoration and mold remediation contractors. We are not a restoration or remediation company ourselves, and we don't send technicians to your home. We're a referral service that connects you to independent, locally operating contractors.

Contractor licensing: Tennessee side of the metro

Tennessee requires a state contractor license from the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors for any prime contract of $25,000 or more; contractors doing smaller home-improvement jobs of $3,000 or more must instead register with the Tennessee Home Improvement License Board. Tennessee has no separate mold-specific license. Mold remediation is covered by either the Home Improvement license (jobs of $25,000 or less) or a General Contractor license carrying the "S-Mold" specialty designation (jobs over $25,000), both administered by the same Board for Licensing Contractors. In the Memphis metro, every state-licensed contractor must also register that license locally with the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement before a permit will be issued.

Source: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors), 2026; rocketcert.com, "Tennessee Mold Remediation Contractor License," 2026; Shelby County, TN, Contractor Registration, 2026

Contractor licensing: Mississippi side of the metro

Memphis's metro area crosses into DeSoto County, Mississippi (Southaven, Olive Branch, and surrounding communities), where a different state's licensing rules apply:

Mississippi requires a Certificate of Responsibility from the Mississippi State Board of Contractors for commercial projects over $50,000. Unlike Tennessee, Mississippi has no state-level mold assessor or remediator license, so vetting a contractor here relies on general contractor licensing and insurance rather than a mold-specific credential. Olive Branch runs its own city building-permit process, separate from DeSoto County's permitting for unincorporated areas.

Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors (contractorsboard.org), 2026; City of Olive Branch, MS, Building Permit Forms (obms.us), 2025

How we're different from a restoration company

We don't perform restoration or remediation work, employ technicians, or guarantee any contractor's workmanship. Full details are in the disclaimer at the bottom of every page on this site.