Committee approves bill to expand mold awareness, tenant and buyer disclosures; registry removed from amended bill

House Bill 12 02 would expand public information on mold and indoor dampness, require standard disclosure language for sellers and landlords, and require landlords to provide tenants with a written warning statement and known assessments or remediation summaries. Sponsors said the bill aims to raise awareness about a common indoor pollutant and to give renters and homebuyers information that can matter for health, particularly for people with asthma or immune sensitivity.

Sponsor Representative Pascoe said mold “is a critical indoor air pollutant” and described health impacts ranging from allergic symptoms to more severe outcomes in susceptible people. Representative Mabry, a co-sponsor, emphasized the bill’s focus on awareness and consumer information rather than creating a new permitting system.

Multiple tenant, public-health and medical witnesses described personal and clinical experiences linking concealed mold and water damage to debilitating illness. Jessica McQuade, who described herself as a toxic-mold survivor and now a practitioner, testified that hidden mold in a crawl space and inside walls left her “completely debilitated” before remediation. Other witnesses offered similar firsthand accounts of medical, financial and housing stress tied to mold exposure.

Industry and housing groups worked with sponsors on amendments. The Colorado Apartment Association moved from opposition to neutral after an amendment allowed a summary of mold reports (rather than entire voluminous reports) and clarified that once properties have been fully remediated they would not be indefinitely stigmatized. The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment testified in an amend position, saying it lacks funded capacity for a provider registry and warned that a department-run registry could appear to endorse private firms. The department said it currently handles several mold inquiries a month but has no funded mold program.

Amendments and committee action: The committee adopted three sponsor amendments that removed a proposed CDPHE registry of assessors/remediators, narrowed the outreach to website-based guidance and sample disclosure language, and added a requirement that property sellers and landlords provide a summary of any existing mold assessments and remediation rather than full reports. The amendments also moved the disclosure from the sales contract to the standard seller property-disclosure packet and added definitions for “mold remediation” to limit overbroad disclosures. After debate the committee voted 8–4 to send the bill, as amended, to the Appropriations Committee with a favorable recommendation.

What the bill does not do: As amended the bill does not create a credentialing or permit system, does not require CDPHE to run a registry or to conduct mold testing, and does not mandate state funds for remediation. Instead it requires public guidance and standardized disclosures and directs CDPHE to post resources and links to other agencies and organizations.

Next steps: The bill will go to the Appropriations Committee; sponsors indicated they intend to return with additional policy options if funding becomes available and stakeholders continue to negotiate disclosure timeframes and other details.