Understand the IICRC water damage categories
Restoration professionals classify water damage by contamination level. Knowing which category applies helps you understand urgency, safety precautions, and what a provider will do.
Types of water damage
Restoration professionals classify water damage into standard categories — knowing which one you're dealing with helps you understand the urgency and the right precautions.
Clean Water Damage
Water from a clean source, like a supply line or overflowing sink — the least contaminated category, but still time-sensitive.
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Gray Water Damage
Water with some contamination — washing machine or dishwasher overflow, or water that's been sitting for a while.
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Black Water Damage
Grossly contaminated water — sewage backups or flood water from outside — that requires the most caution.
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Storm & Flood Water Damage
Large-scale, weather-driven flooding — often combining contamination risk with widespread, multi-home impact.
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