Price Ranges From Two National Guides
Price ranges from two national guides give a starting point before anyone sees the property. Neither one is a Fort Worth quote.
| Job | Fixr (updated January 31, 2025) | HomeGuide (May 3, 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Biohazard cleanup overall | $4,000 average; most $3,000 to $5,000; full range $1,500 to $25,000 | $1,500 to $5,000 average |
| Crime scene work | $400 to $600 an hour | Not priced on its own |
| Unattended death | $200 to $300 an hour | Up to $10,000, citing Servpro |
| Homicide or suicide, largest jobs | Up to $25,000 | Not priced on its own |
| Servpro biohazard average | Not listed | $1,000 to $7,000, citing Servpro |
Two jobs under the same label can sit at opposite ends of these ranges. A blood spill on a tile kitchen floor and a bedroom where a death went unfound for two weeks are both "biohazard cleanup," and the second takes many times the hours.
What Pushes the Price Up or Down
What pushes the price up or down is how far the contamination traveled, not what caused it.
- Area. A single room costs less than fluid that reached a hall, a closet, or the floor below.
- Materials. Sealed tile and concrete clean in place; carpet, pad, subfloor, and drywall come out.
- Days before discovery. Every extra day in a shut house means deeper fluid, more flies, and stronger smell.
- Weight of waste. Mattresses, furniture, and carpet add to the medical waste hauled away.
- Odor reach. A house where odor got into the ductwork needs more treatment.
- Access. Upstairs apartments, crawlspaces, and vehicles take more labor.
Work is performed by independent professionals.
Fort Worth Conditions That Add Work
Fort Worth conditions add work in two ways. NOAA's Meacham Field station records 24 days a year at 100°F or hotter in its 1991 through 2020 normals, and a closed house in that heat lets fluid and odor spread faster each day. Census figures also show 70,633 Fort Worth homes built before 1960, where layered flooring has to come up one layer at a time.
We price both on the scope. Each layer we expect to lift is listed, and the room gets sealed on the first visit so the heat doesn't add rooms to the job while the price is approved.
Costs That Aren't on Our Invoice
Costs that aren't on our invoice come from other parties. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner charges the family nothing for the exam, but the funeral home the family chooses may bill for transporting the decedent, and report copies carry their own fees. Rebuild work, such as new flooring, drywall, and paint, is priced by those trades after we finish.
Fort Worth residents with a city solid waste account can take small home repair and remodel waste to the city's drop-off stations, up to 5 cubic yards once a month. That applies to clean rebuild debris only. Anything contaminated goes out with us as medical waste.
Who Pays: Insurance, Then the State
Who pays follows a fixed order in Texas. The homeowners or renters policy comes first, because the Attorney General's Crime Victims' Compensation Program pays only as a last resort. For eligible victims of crimes after July 14, 2016, the program covers up to $2,250 in cleanup costs, and a family that cleans the scene itself gets reimbursed for supplies only.
The program can pay the cleanup company directly when the paperwork is complete and the victim hasn't paid. We provide the itemized invoice and our tax ID. Our post on a Texas CVC cleanup claim lists the rest.
What Your Written Price Covers
The written price spells out each part of the job up front, so there are no surprise add-ons midway.
- Labor. Crew size and expected days on site.
- Removal. Carpet, pad, plank, subfloor, and drywall, listed room by room.
- Medical waste. Boxing, hauling, and disposing of the contaminated material.
- Disinfection. Every surface that stays in place.
- Odor work. Treatment and the follow-up check.
- Exclusions. Rebuild trades priced separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the walkthrough cost anything?
No, the walkthrough and the written price are free. Our crew lead inspects the scene, writes down each item the contamination touched, and sends back a scope and a fixed price. When nobody can enter yet, pictures from the property's owner or manager let us draft the scope, and we confirm it in person after release.
Why do two cleanup quotes differ so much?
Two quotes differ when they cover different scopes. One may include subfloor removal and odor treatment while the other stops at the carpet, and the cheaper one leaves the source of the smell in the house. Compare the removal lists, the waste handling, the odor work, and the exclusions line by line before choosing.
Can the bill go straight to the insurance company?
Direct billing to the insurer works when the policy covers cleanup and the adjuster agrees to pay us. Pass along the claim number and adjuster's details, and the adjuster gets our photos and scope ahead of time, so the approved list and the final bill line up. The deductible stays with the policyholder.
Will the price change once work begins?
Once you sign, the price stays fixed for that scope. Should the crew uncover something hidden at the walkthrough, like fluid beneath an older floor layer, work pauses until you've seen photos and approved the addition in writing. Nothing goes on the invoice without that sign-off.
What if the cleanup costs more than the $2,250 CVC limit?
The Texas program stops at $2,250 for cleanup, so anything above that comes from insurance or the family. Give the insurer the same itemized invoice the program receives, so each payer sees which lines it's covering and nothing gets paid twice. A victim advocate at the Fort Worth Police Department can help sort out what the program covers.