(a) General provision. A mold remediation contractor or company shall notify the department or the department's representative or designee of a mold remediation, as defined in §78.10(29), when mold contamination affects a total surface area of 25 contiguous square feet or more. The notification shall be:      
        (1) submitted to the department or its representative or designee no less than five calendar days before the anticipated start date of the mold remediation. The mold remediation contractor or company shall retain a confirmation that the department received the notification;       
        (2) submitted on a department-approved form in a manner specified by the department. The form must be filled out completely and properly. Blanks that do not apply shall be marked "N/A." The "N/A" designation will not be accepted for identification of the work site, building description, building owner, individuals required to be identified on the notification form, start- and stop-dates, or scheduled hours of mold remediation;       
        (3) completed to identify the responsible person; and       
        (4) accompanied by the fee required under §78.80.       
      (b) Start-date change to later date. When mold remediation activity is rescheduled to start later than the date or hours contained in the most recent notice, the mold remediation contractor or company shall submit a notification to the department in the manner specified by the department as soon as possible but before the start-date on the most recent notice. A written amended notification is required and shall be submitted in the manner specified by the department.     
      (c) Start-date change to earlier date. When mold remediation activities begin on a date earlier than the date contained in the notice, the mold remediation contractor or company shall submit a notification to the department of the new start-date in the manner specified by the department at least five calendar days before the start-date unless the provisions of subsection (e) apply.     
      (d) Start-date/stop-date requirement.      
        (1) In no event shall mold remediation begin or be completed on a date other than the date contained in the written notice except for operations covered under subsection (e).       
        (2) Amendments to start-dates must be submitted as required in subsections (b) and (c). The cancellation of a mold remediation project shall follow the requirements applicable to a start-date change to a later date.       
        (3) The mold remediation contractor or company shall submit a notification with schedule changes including work-hour changes to the department no less than one calendar day before the most recent stop-date or the new stop-date, whichever comes first.       
        (4) An amendment is required for any stop-dates that change by more than one workday.       
      (e) Provision for emergency. An emergency exists if a delay in mold remediation services in response to a water damage occurrence would increase mold contamination.      
        (1) In an emergency, the mold remediation contractor or company shall submit a notification to the department as soon as practicable but not later than the following working day after the licensee identifies the emergency.       
        (2) The requirements of this section are applicable to an emergency with the exception of paragraph (a)(1). The contractor or company shall retain a confirmation that the notification was received by the department.       
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §78.110 adopted to be effective November 1, 2017, 42 TexReg 4619