Mold Removal in Burien, WA

Highline's waterfront city

Burien is a suburban city in the Highline area just south of Seattle, about 11 miles from downtown. Its western border is 5.5 miles of Puget Sound shoreline, including the Three Tree Point waterfront along Maplewild Avenue SW and SW 172nd Street. Olde Burien is the area around SW 152nd Street, west of Ambaum Boulevard, where City Hall sits.

Shoreline storms and everyday leaks

On December 18, 2024, a high tide of about 12.66 feet combined with strong winds to push waves over waterfront properties and roads at Three Tree Point. Water and debris covered SW 172nd Street, and some areas had localized flooding. Properties next to the Sound fall under FEMA coastal zones (Zone VE) and shallow flooding zones (Zone AO), and owners can look up their zone on King County's online flood map. Homeowners and renters policies don't cover flood damage.

Away from the water, Burien's mold problems look like the rest of the region: a roof that has been dripping into the attic for a season, bathroom walls that never quite dry, and crawl spaces that stay damp from fall to spring. After any water event, EPA says to dry wet materials within 24 to 48 hours or expect mold.

Renting in Burien

Burien runs a Rental Housing Inspection Program. Apartments, duplexes, triplexes and four-plexes get a health and safety inspection every three years. If you have a leak or moisture problem, give your landlord written notice first, as RCW 59.18.070 provides; if the landlord doesn't respond, you can contact City of Burien officials through the program at City Hall, 400 SW 152nd Street.

Public Health - Seattle & King County doesn't do mold assessments. Its advice for tenants is to notify the landlord in writing and report the unaddressed water or maintenance problem to local building or code enforcement, because those offices won't act on a mold complaint by itself. Washington landlords also have to give tenants Department of Health information about mold.

Permits and hiring

Mold removal itself isn't permitted work. Repairs to electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems may need a City of Burien permit, and rebuilding can too, so ask the city before you start. Burien also has a floodplain administrator for questions about Sound-front property.

Washington doesn't license or certify mold remediators. Anyone doing construction or repair work must be registered with L&I, and the Verify a Contractor tool shows the registration status. When you call, you'll be connected with an independent local company; describe where the water came from and how long things stayed wet.