HPD mold violation closure — the Article 32 workflow.

HPD mold violation classes and deadlines.

HPD mold violations are issued under the Housing Maintenance Code and follow the same three-class structure as lead:

• Class A — Non-hazardous mold. 90-day correction window. Small surface mold, no occupant health complaint.
• Class B — Hazardous mold. 30-day correction window. Mold on greater than 10 square feet of surface, mold with persistent moisture source, or mold accompanied by tenant complaint.
• Class C — Immediately hazardous mold. 21-day correction window. Large-area mold with documented exposure to a vulnerable occupant (infant, immunocompromised, severe asthma).

All three classes require a remediation workflow that satisfies NYS Article 32 separation — the assessor scoping the work must be a different licensed party from the remediation contractor doing it, and post-remediation clearance must be performed by an independent assessor.

The Article 32 separation framework.

New York State Article 32 of the General Business Law governs mold assessment and remediation. Two licenses, four roles:

• Mold Assessor (MA). Licensed to inspect, sample and write a remediation work plan. Cannot also perform the remediation on the same project.
• Mold Assessment Contractor (MAC). The firm-level license carrying one or more MAs.
• Mold Remediator (MR). Licensed to perform mold remediation. Cannot also be the assessor on the same project.
• Mold Remediation Contractor (MRC). The firm-level license carrying one or more MRs.

HPD recognizes this framework. The certification of correction package must show separate assessor and remediator records for the same project, with the post-remediation clearance signed by the assessor (not the remediator).

What Envirex does on an HPD mold violation.

We operate as the assessor side — pre- and post-remediation — and coordinate the remediation contractor selection. Typical scope:

• Initial assessment. NYS-licensed mold assessor visits the unit, identifies the mold-affected materials, locates the moisture source, and writes a remediation work plan to Article 32 standard.
• Remediation contractor coordination. Envirex maintains relationships with licensed MRC firms. We can introduce qualified bidders or work with an owner's existing contractor.
• Moisture-source remediation oversight. Mold without moisture-source elimination recurs. The work plan calls out the moisture origin (envelope failure, plumbing leak, condensation, etc.) and requires the underlying cause to be addressed.
• Post-remediation clearance. Independent visual clearance, air sampling and/or surface sampling at the contractor's completion, against the cleanup criteria in the work plan. See Mold Remediation.
• Certification of correction filing. The certification package — work plan, contractor records, photographs, clearance results — filed with HPD on the owner's behalf.

Typical closure timeline.

• Day 1–3. Intake, site visit, mold work plan delivered.
• Day 4–7. Remediation contractor mobilization, containment.
• Day 8–14. Remediation execution including moisture-source elimination.
• Day 15–18. Post-remediation clearance sampling, lab turn for spore counts.
• Day 19–25. Certification of correction package filed.

Class B (30-day) violations comfortably fit this timeline. Class C (21-day) requires compressed scheduling — typically by working overlapping rather than sequential phases.

Common causes — water-intrusion patterns in NYC housing.

The bulk of HPD mold violations trace to four moisture sources:

• Plumbing leaks above. A risers leak in the unit above is the single most common cause, especially in pre-war buildings.
• Envelope failures. Roof, parapet or façade leaks driving moisture into top-floor or perimeter units.
• HVAC condensation. Through-wall AC sleeves, fan-coil drainage, and uninsulated cold-water lines.
• Tenant-side moisture. Bath ventilation failures, dryer venting into the apartment, persistent over-humidification.

The mold-only remediation is the surface fix. Closing the violation reliably requires the underlying moisture source to be eliminated. The assessor's work plan calls it out and the certification of correction filing should reference it.