Mold Inspection in Des Moines, WA

Des Moines at a glance

Des Moines faces Puget Sound about 16 miles south of Seattle, with the city marina, Saltwater State Park and a broad slope cut by the ravines of Des Moines Creek and Massey Creek. The median home was built around 1974, and about 60.6 percent of housing units are owner-occupied, so there is a large share of rentals as well. Hillside lots like the ones in Redondo, Woodmont and Zenith often mean daylight basements with one wall dug into wet soil, a common Puget Sound setup.

What to do now

1. Stop new water first: shut off a leaking supply line, clear a blocked gutter or tarp a roof leak if it's safe.
2. Don't scrub, bleach or paint over the growth. EPA says not to paint or caulk over mold, and leaving it lets the inspector see the pattern.
3. Run heat and bath fans, and keep the room's door closed, to start drying without blowing spores around.
4. Note when the problem started, and photograph stains with a date.
5. Renters: send the landlord written notice of the leak or moisture problem before anything else.

What you see and what it usually means

What moves the cost

Nationally, Angi's 2026 data puts a mold inspection at $303 to $1,044, and HomeGuide's 2026 range is $300 to $650. A multi-level hillside home, hard-to-reach crawl space or several sampled rooms will cost more than a single-floor rambler. Ask whether samples are planned and why; EPA says that when mold is visible, sampling is usually unnecessary. If repairs follow, the City of Des Moines Building Division issues building permits and inspects the work. Renters whose landlord doesn't fix the water problem can file a complaint with Des Moines Code Compliance through the city's online form.