Frequently Asked Questions

The source can be the roof, plumbing above the ceiling, an HVAC condensate line, or a bathroom or laundry area upstairs. Whoever inspects the space above the ceiling needs to trace the specific cause before a repair can be planned.

Round Rock requires a permit for construction, installation, alteration, repair, movement, demolition or replacement of electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. Call Building Inspection at 512-218-5550 to confirm whether your specific repair needs one.

Yes. A sagging or bulging section of ceiling can be holding standing water and may collapse. Stay out from under it, keep people and pets clear, and treat any nearby light fixture or outlet as a hazard until it has been checked.

Often, if the cause was sudden and accidental, such as a burst line above the ceiling. A slow roof leak or long-term seepage is usually treated as excluded under most standard policies. Your specific policy wording controls.

Texas' Residential Construction Liability Act requires written notice to the contractor by certified mail, return receipt requested, at least 60 days before filing suit. During the 35-day period after the contractor receives that notice, the contractor may inspect the property, up to three times.

A public adjuster's commission is capped at 10 percent of the settlement under Insurance Code §4102.104(a). The public adjuster may not charge that percentage fee if the insurer either pays or commits in writing to pay the policy limit within 72 hours after the loss is reported to the insurer.

Yes. Texas Insurance Code Chapter 4102 requires a public adjuster to hold a license issued by the Texas Department of Insurance. Ask to see the license before signing an agreement, and remember that the adjuster's commission is capped at 10 percent of the settlement under §4102.104(a).

Not always. Part of the area is served by Fern Bluff Municipal Utility District or Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District rather than the city itself. Your water bill will show the actual provider and the number to call for that provider's emergencies.

Sudden and accidental water discharge, such as a burst pipe, is usually covered under most standard homeowners policies. Continuous leakage, flooding and most mold cleanup are usually excluded. Your specific policy wording controls, and this is general information, not insurance advice.

Under Texas Insurance Code §542.056(a), an insurer must notify you in writing whether your claim is accepted or rejected not later than the 15th business day after it receives all the items, statements and forms it required. A weather catastrophe as defined by the commissioner can add 15 days under §542.059(b).

Under §542.058(a), if an insurer takes more than 60 days to pay a claim after receiving all the items it reasonably requested, Texas law adds interest and other costs to the amount owed under §542.060. This is general information, not legal advice.

Call the Texas Department of Insurance's consumer help line at 800-252-3439, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday. This is a separate route from disputing a claim directly with your insurer, and it does not replace the insurer's own claim-handling deadlines.

Flood damage is usually excluded from a standard homeowners policy, and a separate flood policy is typically needed. The National Flood Insurance Program covers up to $250,000 for the structure and up to $100,000 for contents, after a typical 30-day waiting period on a new policy.

FEMA guidance describes materials that hold moisture as items that can develop mold within 24 to 48 hours. That is a reason to dry affected areas quickly, but it is not a fixed countdown that applies the same way in every case.

Not always. In Texas, hiring a company for mold remediation requires a TDLR license once the job's mold reaches 25 contiguous square feet or more. If you own the home and it has fewer than 10 dwelling units, you can assess or remediate the mold yourself without a license, regardless of area.

No. Texas law says a license holder may not perform both mold assessment and mold remediation on the same project. One company or individual identifies the problem; a separate one can be hired to fix it.

It is the document Texas law requires after licensed mold remediation work. The property owner must receive it not later than the 10th day after the remediation is completed.

Sometimes, if the mold is tied to a sudden, covered event such as a burst pipe. Mold connected to a long-term leak or flood is usually excluded. Some policies add mold coverage through an endorsement with its own limit; check your specific policy.

Texas law requires the owner to give the buyer copies of any certificates of mold remediation issued for the property during the preceding five years. Keep those certificates on file so they are ready when the house sells.

Contact Round Rock's Floodplain Administrator at 512-218-7041 or floodplain@roundrocktexas.gov with your address. Inside city limits, the city — not Williamson County — has floodplain jurisdiction, so start with the city even if you have seen county floodplain information online.

Catalina Arboleda Gonzalez, P.E., CFM, is Round Rock's Floodplain Administrator. She can be reached at floodplain@roundrocktexas.gov or 512-218-7041 for questions about whether a specific address sits in a mapped floodplain.

The single number, 512-218-5555, covers water emergencies, wastewater emergencies and stormwater emergencies for city-served addresses. You do not need to identify which of the three applies before calling — the city routes it from there.

Check your water bill for the district's name and current emergency number. Fern Bluff MUD and Brushy Creek MUD serve parts of the area; the community-center number sometimes found online for Fern Bluff MUD is not an emergency contact.

Use the main shut-off valve if you can reach it safely and it turns without force. If it is stuck or you cannot find it, stop and call Round Rock Utilities at 512-218-5555, or your MUD's emergency number, instead of forcing anything.

Not for an address inside Round Rock's city limits — the city holds floodplain jurisdiction there. Williamson County's floodplain office at 512-943-3330 is for addresses in the unincorporated parts of the county, outside any city's limits.

512-218-5460 is Round Rock's utility billing line, for account and payment questions. 512-218-5555 is the maintenance and repair line for an active water, wastewater or stormwater emergency.