# Water categories 1, 2 and 3

The category describes what is in the water rather than how much, and decides what gets dried and what gets removed. It degrades with time, which explains

> Source: https://servpronorhfremont.com/water/categories/
> Last reviewed: 2026-08-22

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- Water categories
 
 

# Water categories

 - Water
- Mold
- Biohazard
 
 
 
Professional required This page explains the work. It does not tell you how to do it, because doing it without training and equipment is unsafe. Water is graded Category 1 clean, Category 2 significantly contaminated, and Category 3 grossly contaminated. The category describes what is in the water rather than how much there is, and it decides whether porous material is dried in place or removed and discarded.
 
 
- Category 1 — Clean water — Most materials can be dried in place if drying starts quickly and is documented to a moisture goal.

- Category 2 — Significantly contaminated water — Porous materials frequently come out rather than being dried in place. This is where scope, and cost, diverge sharply from a Category 1 loss.

- Category 3 — Grossly contaminated water — Porous materials that contacted Category 3 water are generally removed and discarded. Drying is not a substitute for removal, and this is the single most expensive determination in a water loss.

 

 

## Why this needs a professional

Determining the category is not visual and is not a homeowner call. Category 2 and 3 water require containment, protective equipment and frequently removal rather than drying.

 
 

## Related questions

 - The first hour after any loss
- Water categories and what must be removed
- Mold and the drying window
- What your policy covers
- Biohazard: regulated work
 
 
 

## Sources

Every source cited on this page

 - T2 ANSI/IICRC S500 — IICRC (accessed 2026-08-22)

- T1 A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home — US EPA (accessed 2026-08-22)

- T1 About Mold and Health — CDC (accessed 2026-08-22)
 
 
 Written by: PLACEHOLDER — Restoration Reviewer Reviewed by: PLACEHOLDER — Claims Reviewer Safety reviewed by: PLACEHOLDER — Restoration Reviewer Last reviewed: 2026-08-22 
 
Guidance that does not name a water category, a smoke type, or the peril and whether the water was internal or external is not specific enough to act on. This page names them.