Regulation & Standards

AB 1795, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson with Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, was introduced February 10, 2026, amended five times in the Assembly, passed it, and was amended in the Senate on July 2, 2026.

EPA fined Konover Residential Corp. $359,069 on August 11, 2026 over 11 apartment units at the Cargill Falls Mill property, 58 Pomfret Street, Putnam, Connecticut, where children were living.

Carlos Vargas Moreno collapsed from heat stroke on July 19, 2022 while pulling weeds with the heat index near 103 degrees.

IICRC and RIA are urging the industry to comment on the 2027 NAICS revision proposing code 624231, Emergency Restoration Services.

IICRC filed comments backing RIA's push for a dedicated federal industry code (NAICS 624231, Emergency Restoration Services) to separate rapid-response mitigation (water extraction, structural drying, fire/smoke, microbial, contents) from general construction.

A CDC study tracked 968 patients across four Atlanta hospitals (2020 to 2024) with positive mold cultures or Aspergillus tests.

RIA formally submitted a request to establish a new six-digit code (624231, Emergency Restoration Services) in the 2027 NAICS review, covering water extraction, structural drying, odor control, fire/smoke restoration, microbial and mold remediation, trauma/crime-scene cleanup, and contents.

IICRC announced its first-ever Legislative Fly-In (Sept 1 to 2, Washington DC) and is running a revision of the S700 fire/smoke standard, with S520 mold already cited in the 2026 NDAA for military housing.

The IICRC created and filled a Director of Government Relations & Advocacy role, the certifying body moving into the political arena.

NORMI published and trademarked its Medically-Sound Level 4 Protocol™, a branded mold-remediation protocol alongside the ANSI/IICRC S520 standard.

NIH awarded $3M to study a potential link between mold exposure and chronic fatigue syndrome; a Georgia senator publicized dangerous (mold-related) conditions in privatized military housing; and trade press pushed post-flood hidden-mold risk.

Trade press broke down OSHA's requirement that workers be trained before exposure, not after assignment, a compliance detail that trips restoration shops that staff up fast for CAT work.

Arizona's SB1206 (sent to the Governor June 10) would change how storm-damage claims and public adjusters operate; Maine enforces a 36-hour cooling-off window before a PA can sign a loss contract.

Florida signed a bill removing building-permit requirements for work valued at $7,500 or less.

Connecticut signed mold-remediation reform: effective Oct 1, contractors can't perform mold remediation unless certified by IICRC, NORMI, or an approved equivalent, and must follow the ANSI/IICRC S520 standard.

OSHA's Heat National Emphasis Program lapsed (early April) and was replaced by an updated enforcement directive (CPL 03-00-024); the proposed federal heat standard is still in rulemaking.

IICRC is revising S700 (fire and smoke) to fold in wildfire cleaning methods, with a member call that closed Jan 31; S520 (mold) and S700 drafts went through public comment that closed Feb 6.

OSHA extended its Heat National Emphasis Program for five more years (April 10, 2026) on top of a proposed federal heat standard requiring written plans and acclimatization.