What to Do During a Baltimore Water Damage Emergency

Last updated: May 22, 2026

By the Water Damage Pricing Team

Emergency water damage restoration in Baltimore typically costs $1,900 to $12,000 for residential mitigation in 2026, with Category 3 sewage events and major flood scenarios reaching $20,000 to $60,000 once rebuild is added. Baltimore's dense brick rowhouse stock, century-old combined sewer system, and exposure to nor'easters and tropical remnants create a higher per-event severity than the national median, especially in basement-prone neighborhoods south and east of downtown. The first 60 minutes of your response shapes both the final dollar cost and the mold timeline of the entire claim.

What to do in the first 60 minutes of a Baltimore water emergency

The first hour shapes both the cost and the mold timeline of the entire event. Baltimore's humid summers, uninsulated rowhouse party walls, and high water tables in neighborhoods near the Patapsco amplify how quickly Category 1 clean water degrades into Category 2 and Category 3 contamination. The sequence below limits spread, protects occupants, and preserves the documentation your insurance adjuster will require.

1. Shut off the main water valve

Locate your main shutoff. In most Baltimore rowhouses built before 1940, the main valve sits in the basement within four feet of the front foundation wall, near where the city service line enters the building. In postwar detached homes in Roland Park, Mount Washington, or Catonsville, the valve is typically in a utility closet near the water heater. Turn the handle clockwise until it stops. Every minute the supply continues adds roughly 5 to 10 gallons to the affected area at standard residential pressure of 50 to 70 psi.

If you cannot find the interior valve, the curb stop at the property line works as a backup. Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) operators can dispatch a crew to shut off the curb stop by calling 311; expect a 30 to 90 minute response window during business hours and longer overnight.

2. Cut electrical power to wet areas

If water has reached outlets, the floor near your panel, or any appliance, switch off the relevant breakers at the main panel. Do not step through standing water to reach the panel. Baltimore's older homes frequently have panels in basements that flood first; if water has reached your panel, call Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) at 1-800-685-0123 from outside the home and stay clear until BGE confirms it is safe to re-enter. BGE treats water-on-panel calls as priority emergencies, with same-hour response in most of Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

3. If sewage is involved, evacuate the affected level

If the source is a sewer backup, a toilet overflow that exceeded the bowl, or floodwater from a stream or storm drain, treat the water as Category 3 black water under the IICRC S500 standard. This carries pathogens (E. coli, Norovirus, Hepatitis A) and requires N95 or better PPE, waterproof boots, and gloves for any contact. Do not attempt DIY cleanup of Category 3 events; the porous materials will need to be removed and the structure professionally sanitized. Close interior doors to contain the area, ventilate to outdoors if weather allows, and call a restoration firm with IICRC AMRT (Applied Microbial Remediation Technician) and WRT (Water Restoration Technician) certifications.

Baltimore's combined sewer overflow zones, common in the older sewer subdistricts under the Headworks Project consent decree, push sewage into basements during heavy rain. The sewage backup cleanup cost page details what to expect on these claims, and sewage cleanup services what to do covers the immediate response protocol.

4. Document everything before mitigation begins

Photograph and video every affected room from multiple angles before any cleanup begins. Capture the source (burst pipe, overflowing fixture, ceiling drip), the standing water height against a known reference such as a baseboard or outlet, the contents in place, and any visible damage to plaster, wood trim, or flooring. Save invoices and receipts for high-value items. Baltimore adjusters working on older row homes routinely depreciate plaster, lath, and original wood trim more aggressively than equivalent drywall and engineered materials; pre-mitigation photos protect against under-payment disputes later.

Adjusters writing on Xactimate or Symbility estimating software will price each affected line item against ZIP-code-specific labor rates. Photos that establish original condition support arguments for like-kind replacement of historic millwork, picture-rail molding, and original heart-pine flooring common in Federal Hill, Fells Point, and Bolton Hill homes.

5. Call a restoration firm and your insurance carrier

Call the restoration firm first. Most established Baltimore mitigation companies dispatch trucks from yards in Hampden, Halethorpe, Essex, Rosedale, or Glen Burnie and can be onsite in 60 to 120 minutes for non-storm events. Then call your insurance carrier to open a claim. Maryland is a one-year notice state for most personal-property policies under the Insurance Article of the Maryland Code, but practical claim quality drops sharply if notice is delayed past 72 hours. The water damage insurance claim guide walks through what to say and what to avoid on the first claim call.

How quickly can restoration companies respond in Baltimore?

Outside active storm events, same-day or next-day response is typical for Baltimore restoration calls. Most established firms run multiple emergency-response trucks distributed across Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, with crews that can reach Federal Hill, Canton, Hampden, and downtown within 60 to 90 minutes once dispatched. Outer-county addresses in Carroll, Harford, or southern Anne Arundel may add 30 to 60 minutes.

During active storm events such as a nor'easter, the remnants of a tropical system tracking up the Chesapeake, or an Ellicott City flash-flood-style cloudburst, response windows expand significantly. The historic Hurricane Isabel event in September 2003 generated more than 18,000 water damage claims across the Baltimore metro within 96 hours and pushed average mitigation response to 5 to 9 days for non-priority calls. Triage hierarchy in those windows: occupied homes with active leaks first, then occupied homes with contained damage, then unoccupied or commercial properties. If your event coincides with a regional disaster, expect to wait and use the time to document.

What causes most Baltimore water damage emergencies?

Baltimore's water damage profile combines four loss patterns that are over-represented compared to the national average. Knowing which pattern fits your event tells you which trades you will need to call, what your insurance carrier will likely cover, and what the realistic timeline looks like.

Aging supply lines in pre-1940 rowhouses

Roughly 35 percent of Baltimore City's housing stock predates 1940. Galvanized steel supply lines from that era are now well past their 50-year design life; corroded sections fail at threaded joints under the floor, behind plaster walls, or inside the boxed pipe chases common in Federal Hill and Fells Point houses. A single galvanized failure in an upstairs bathroom can produce 200 to 600 gallons of water before discovery, especially during weekday hours when occupants are at work. Replacement to PEX or Type L copper costs $4,500 to $12,000 for a full repipe in a typical three-story rowhouse, and is often the recommended permanent fix after a second supply failure. See burst pipe water damage cost for the cost mechanics.

Winter freeze events in uninsulated party walls

Baltimore averages 8 to 14 nights per winter below 20°F, with periodic Arctic outbreaks dropping temperatures into the single digits. Rowhouse party walls separating one home from the neighbor are typically uninsulated brick, and supply lines run inside exterior-facing kitchen walls in many houses. When the home next door is vacant or the neighbor turns the thermostat down during a January cold spell, your shared wall loses heat and pipes inside it freeze. The January 2014 polar vortex generated more than 4,200 reported burst-pipe claims across the Baltimore region in a 10-day window. The what to do after a burst pipe guide covers the response protocol step by step, and the emergency water damage in Boston page documents a comparable Northeast freeze-burst pattern in older masonry housing stock.

Basement flooding from combined sewer overflow

Older sections of Baltimore City operate on a combined sewer system that mixes sanitary and stormwater flow in a single pipe. During heavy rain events of more than 1.5 inches per hour, the combined system surcharges and backflow can push raw sewage into basement floor drains and basement bathroom fixtures. The 2017 federal consent decree (the Headworks Project) requires DPW to reduce these overflows, but the work runs through 2030 and basement events continue. Affected basements require Category 3 protocol regardless of how clean the water looks; the basement flooding cost page covers the full scope and the what to do basement flooded guide covers the action steps.

Storm surge along the Patapsco and Inner Harbor

Tropical storm remnants tracking up the Chesapeake produce surge tides along the Patapsco River, the Inner Harbor, and the Middle Branch. The 2003 Hurricane Isabel event pushed harbor levels more than 7 feet above normal and flooded ground floors in Fells Point, Canton, Locust Point, and Riverside. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 added another reference event. Properties below the 10-foot elevation contour along the harbor face elevated National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premiums and elevated event frequency. The flood cleanup cost guide covers surge-driven restoration mechanics.

What does emergency water damage cost in Baltimore?

Baltimore pricing reflects a Mid-Atlantic regional multiplier of roughly 1.05x to 1.10x national averages, with selective elevations on demolition labor (because plaster and wood lath in pre-1940 homes take longer to remove than postwar drywall) and on contents pack-out (because narrow rowhouse stairwells slow contents moves). The largest cost driver is not the per-hour labor rate; it is the affected square footage and the porous-material count. See our cost data methodology for how the multipliers above are derived.

Note: surge-event totals are mitigation only. Rebuild adds another $45 to $110 per affected square foot in Baltimore depending on finishes (drywall and standard trim at the low end; restored historic millwork at the high end). See the national water damage restoration cost guide for the underlying methodology, and the water damage category calculator if you need help determining which IICRC category fits your event.

The Baltimore cleanup process day by day

Professional restoration follows IICRC S500 standards for water damage and IICRC S520 for any mold remediation required after the initial mitigation. The work proceeds in phases with typical Baltimore timing windows. Knowing the sequence helps you plan occupancy, anticipate the contractor's questions, and pace your insurance check requests.

Day 0 (hours 0 to 6): Assessment and water extraction

The crew arrives, performs a moisture mapping survey using infrared cameras and pinless moisture meters, documents the affected materials, and begins water extraction with truck-mounted or portable extractors. Standing water is removed first, followed by extraction from carpet and pad. The technician identifies the IICRC category and class (Class 1 through 4 based on evaporation load), which drives equipment placement decisions.

Day 1 (hours 6 to 30): Demo and dry-out setup

Unsalvageable porous materials are removed: wet carpet pad, swollen MDF baseboards, sodden drywall up to the documented wet line plus 12 inches, saturated insulation, and wet-by-capillary plaster sections. Air movers (typically Phoenix or Dri-Eaz axial fans) and refrigerant or LGR dehumidifiers (B-Air, AlorAir, or BlueGrass units rated for Class 2 and Class 3 drying) are placed per the S500 calculation. Containment plastic walls go up if the affected area is isolated from the rest of the home.

Days 2 to 4: Active drying and daily monitoring

The crew returns daily to record moisture readings on logged materials and adjust equipment placement as readings drop. Baltimore's summer humidity slows the drying curve compared to a Phoenix or Denver job; refrigerant dehumidifiers struggle above 90°F dew point, and LGR (low grain refrigerant) units are often required for Class 3 events. Expect 3 to 5 days of active drying for most Class 2 residential events.

Days 5 to 7: Verification and equipment removal

Moisture readings on all logged materials should fall within 2 to 4 percentage points of unaffected reference readings before equipment is pulled. Hardwood floors in Baltimore homes often hold moisture longer than drywall because of plank thickness and the slow vapor diffusion through finish; expect occasional retention readings that require an extra 24 to 48 hours of drying.

Days 7 to 14: Mold inspection and remediation if required

If pre-existing moisture, slow source discovery, or warm-weather event timing pushed any material past the 48-hour wet window, a mold assessment is appropriate. IICRC S520 protocol for remediation includes HEPA-filtered containment, AMRT-certified labor, and post-remediation verification (PRV) testing by an independent industrial hygienist. The mold remediation cost guide covers what to expect, and the water damage mold timeline calculator helps estimate whether your event crossed the 24-to-72 hour growth threshold.

Weeks 2 to 6: Reconstruction and finish work

Once the mitigation invoice is finalized and the insurance adjuster has reviewed the scope, rebuild begins. Drywall, paint, trim, flooring, and any cabinetry replacement happens in this phase. Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) registration is required for any contractor performing more than $500 of work; verify the MHIC license number before signing.

Does insurance cover emergency water damage in Baltimore?

Maryland homeowners insurance treatment of water damage hinges on the source. The standard ISO HO-3 form covers sudden and accidental discharge from plumbing, HVAC, and appliance failures. It excludes flood (defined as surface water reaching the property from outside) and excludes long-term seepage or gradual leaks that should have been discovered through reasonable maintenance.

What this means in practice for Baltimore homeowners:

• Burst pipe in a wall: Covered. The mitigation invoice, the rebuild, and (under most policies) ALE (Additional Living Expenses) if the home is uninhabitable.
• Slow leak under a sink discovered after months: Often denied as gradual damage. The repair of the pipe itself is excluded; the resulting damage may also be denied depending on documented discovery timing.
• Sewer backup: NOT covered under the base HO-3. Requires a separate sewer and water backup endorsement, typically $40 to $120 per year for $5,000 to $25,000 of coverage. Many Baltimore homeowners in older neighborhoods carry this endorsement explicitly because of combined sewer risk.
• Flood from the Patapsco, Inner Harbor, Jones Falls, or street stormwater: NOT covered by homeowners. Requires a separate NFIP policy or private flood policy. Homes in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) with federally-backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
• Sump pump failure: NOT covered under the base HO-3. Requires a sump pump endorsement, often bundled with the sewer backup endorsement.

Maryland is a comparative-negligence state, which affects how adjusters treat homeowner actions before and during the event. Failure to maintain a sump pump, ignoring a known slow leak, or shutting off the heat in a vacant home during a freeze warning can all reduce or void a claim. Document maintenance: keep receipts for sump pump replacements, plumbing service calls, and HVAC servicing. The water damage insurance claim guide covers the documentation strategy in detail.

Baltimore neighborhood water damage patterns

Water damage risk varies significantly across the Baltimore metro. Knowing where your home sits sets the prevention budget that makes sense and informs the insurance limits to carry.

Inner Harbor edge and Locust Point

Properties below the 10-foot NAVD88 elevation along the harbor face elevated NFIP premiums and elevated event frequency. The Tide Point and Locust Point Industrial Area sit on filled land; soil moisture and shallow groundwater interact with basement walls year-round. Sump pump systems and exterior waterproofing are effectively required for ground-floor or below-grade space.

Federal Hill, Fells Point, and Canton

The waterfront rowhouse stretch combines pre-1900 construction with proximity to harbor surge. Basement events from both combined sewer overflow and from harbor-driven groundwater rise are common. Many Federal Hill basements have been finished as living space; one event can produce $25,000+ in losses to finished basements with engineered flooring and built-in cabinetry.

Hampden, Remington, and Charles Village

Higher-elevation rowhouse neighborhoods less exposed to flood risk but with the same aging supply-line and combined-sewer risks as the harbor neighborhoods. Most events here are interior plumbing failures rather than surface water.

Roland Park, Mount Washington, and Guilford

Postwar and prewar detached homes on larger lots. Risk profile shifts toward HVAC condensate overflow, washing machine supply hose failures, and ice-dam-driven roof leaks during prolonged snow events. Basement events here often trace to French-drain or window-well failures during heavy rain.

Catonsville, Towson, Pikesville, and outer-county

Mostly postwar suburban housing with composition wood-frame construction, drywall interiors, and HVAC systems that age into condensate problems. Sump pump failures during summer thunderstorms are a common event. Properties along Jones Falls, Gwynns Falls, and the Patapsco face localized flash-flood exposure.

Brooklyn, Curtis Bay, and Cherry Hill

Older rowhouses and bungalows on low-elevation terrain near the southern harbor. Combined sewer risk and proximity to industrial drainage corridors raise the Category 3 frequency. Sewer backup endorsements are essentially mandatory for finished basements.

How to find a reliable Baltimore water damage restoration contractor

The Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), part of the Department of Labor's Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, registers home improvement contractors performing work over $500. Restoration firms that perform structural repairs after mitigation are required to hold an MHIC license. Verify the number at the MHIC license search before signing a contract. Pure mitigation work (extraction, drying, demolition without rebuild) does not always require MHIC, but reputable Baltimore firms hold the license anyway because most events flow into reconstruction.

What to verify before authorizing work:

• MHIC license number, verified through the Maryland DLLR online search
• IICRC certifications for the technicians on site: WRT (Water Restoration Technician) at minimum, AMRT (Applied Microbial Remediation Technician) if mold is in scope, ASD (Applied Structural Drying) for complex Class 3 and Class 4 jobs
• Active general liability insurance at $1 million per occurrence minimum, with a certificate naming you as additional insured for the project
• Workers compensation coverage for all workers on your property; uncovered injuries on your property can become your liability
• Xactimate or Symbility estimating capability, because most insurers require estimates in one of these formats and an unfamiliar contractor produces friction during claim processing
• A written scope of work before any demolition begins, with itemized line items rather than a single lump-sum number
• Daily moisture logs shared with you during the drying phase

Red flags specific to emergency situations: door-to-door solicitation after a storm event, contractors who arrive uninvited and offer to "save your deductible," demands for cash payment, refusal to provide an MHIC number, and pressure to sign an assignment of benefits (AOB) form on the first visit. Maryland AOB law allows assignment, but signing one without understanding the rights you are transferring can complicate the claim.

The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland tracks complaint history on local firms. The Maryland Insurance Administration handles complaints about adjuster behavior or carrier conduct on a covered claim. Our about page documents the editorial independence model that informs the vendor-vetting criteria above.

How to prevent another water damage event in Baltimore

Prevention investments pay back fastest in Baltimore because event frequency is meaningful and the per-event cost is elevated. The list below is roughly ordered by return on investment.

• Whole-home automatic shutoff valve ($600 to $1,800 installed). Devices from Flo by Moen, Phyn Plus, and Streamlabs detect anomalous flow and shut the supply automatically. Several Maryland insurers now offer 5 to 10 percent premium discounts for documented installation.
• Sump pump with battery backup ($800 to $1,800 installed). A primary pump plus a battery-backed secondary handles power outages during the storm events that often cause the flooding in the first place. Annual testing in March before storm season is essential.
• Burst-pipe alarm sensors in vulnerable areas ($30 to $80 per sensor). Place under sinks, behind washing machines, near water heaters, and in basement utility areas. Wi-Fi enabled versions alert your phone within seconds.
• Sewer backup valve (backwater valve) installation ($1,500 to $3,500). Especially relevant in older Baltimore neighborhoods on combined sewer service. A check valve prevents backflow during heavy rain events.
• Pipe insulation on exposed supply lines ($200 to $600 DIY). Standard foam sleeves on basement supply lines and on lines running through unconditioned crawl spaces reduce freeze risk meaningfully.
• Replace galvanized supply lines proactively ($4,500 to $12,000). A repipe is rarely cost-effective preventively but becomes obvious after a second supply failure or visible corrosion at exposed sections.
• Annual HVAC condensate line servicing ($90 to $180). Blocked condensate drains are a common Category 1 source on second-floor air handlers. Maintenance is a fraction of one event cost.
• Roof, gutter, and downspout inspection annually. Ice damming during nor'easter snowfall and inadequate downspout extension are routine Baltimore failure modes.
• Add a sewer and water backup endorsement if your homeowners policy does not already include one. The $40 to $120 annual cost covers events the base policy excludes.

What you should NOT do while waiting for help

Several common reactions make the situation worse or undermine your insurance claim.

• Do not enter standing water if electrical hazards exist. Wait for BGE to clear the panel.
• Do not run a wet/dry vacuum on Category 3 sewage water. The vacuum becomes contaminated equipment and the aerosolization spreads pathogens.
• Do not pull up wet carpet without first photographing every angle. Adjusters routinely contest carpet age and original quality.
• Do not run the HVAC system through contaminated air. Mold spores and sewage aerosols circulate through ductwork; turn off the system and address ducts during remediation.
• Do not throw away damaged contents before the adjuster documents them. Set aside in a dry corner or photograph thoroughly before disposal.
• Do not sign any AOB, lien waiver, or scope-of-work document on the first visit without reading carefully and verifying MHIC registration.
• Do not assume your homeowners policy covers flood or sewer backup. Check the declarations page before authorizing work that may be uncovered.

How Baltimore compares to other water damage markets

Baltimore sits in the middle of the Mid-Atlantic price band. Costs are typically 8 to 15 percent above the national median because of demolition labor on older housing stock, but well below the Northeast peak markets of New York and Boston. For comparison: emergency water damage in Philadelphia tracks closely to Baltimore on most line items; Virginia Beach runs slightly lower on labor but higher on hurricane-frequency surge events; Charleston tracks higher because of coastal labor scarcity; Jacksonville and Orlando run lower on labor but face hurricane-driven volatility; New Orleans sits higher because of mold-frequency cost loading.

Within the metro, sewer backup events in Baltimore look most like comparable events in Cleveland (older combined sewer system, similar housing age). Basement flooding patterns resemble Detroit in housing-age profile but with stronger storm surge exposure. Burst-pipe events trace winter patterns similar to Salt Lake City on freeze severity, though Baltimore freezes are shorter and rowhouse exposure dominates Salt Lake's detached-home pattern. Houston's pattern, covered on the burst pipe emergency Houston page, runs almost the opposite seasonality from Baltimore.

Frequently asked questions about Baltimore emergency water damage

How much does emergency water damage restoration cost in Baltimore?

Most Baltimore residential mitigation events run $1,900 to $12,000, with a typical average around $4,800. Category 3 sewage events and whole-basement floods reach $14,000 to $32,000. Surge events from a nor'easter or tropical remnant can exceed $60,000 for mitigation alone before rebuild.

How fast can a water damage company respond in Baltimore?

Outside active storm events, 60 to 120 minutes is typical for Baltimore City and most of Baltimore County. Outer counties such as Carroll and Harford add 30 to 60 minutes. During declared storm events, response can stretch to 5 to 9 days for non-priority calls; occupied homes with active leaks get triaged first.

Does homeowners insurance cover water damage in Baltimore?

Sudden and accidental discharge from plumbing, HVAC, or appliances is covered under standard Maryland HO-3 policies. Flood (surface water from outside), sewer backup, and gradual leaks are excluded from the base policy and require separate endorsements or an NFIP flood policy. Check your declarations page before assuming coverage.

Why are sewer backups so common in older Baltimore neighborhoods?

Roughly a third of Baltimore City sits on a combined sewer system that mixes sanitary and storm flow. During heavy rain events above 1.5 inches per hour, the combined pipes surcharge and push raw sewage back into basement floor drains and fixtures. The Headworks Project consent decree is reducing overflows but the work runs through 2030.

What should I do during a Baltimore freeze warning to protect my pipes?

Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, let cold-water faucets drip overnight on coldest nights, keep the thermostat above 60 degrees even when away, disconnect outdoor hoses, and insulate any exposed supply lines in basements and crawl spaces. If you share a party wall with a vacant rowhouse, the risk is higher because the neighbor's wall is unheated.

Do I need a permit for emergency water damage work in Baltimore?

Pure mitigation (extraction, drying, demolition for moisture remediation) generally does not require a Baltimore City permit. Reconstruction work involving plumbing, electrical, or structural changes requires permits from Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development or the relevant county permits office. Your MHIC-licensed contractor will pull permits as part of the rebuild scope.

How do I find a Baltimore restoration contractor at 2 AM?

Most established firms maintain 24/7 dispatch lines with on-call crews. The number you call connects to a dispatcher who pages the nearest crew. Verify the MHIC license number and IICRC WRT certification before the truck rolls; reputable firms supply the numbers verbally on the first call.

What is the difference between Category 1, 2, and 3 water damage?

Category 1 is clean water from a sanitary source (supply line, ice maker line). Category 2 is gray water with some contamination (dishwasher, washing machine, shower drain). Category 3 is black water with pathogens (sewage backup, flood from outside, toilet overflow past the bowl). Category drives PPE requirements, demolition scope, and antimicrobial protocol under IICRC S500.

Will my Baltimore homeowners insurance rate go up after a water damage claim?

One claim within a five-year window typically produces a small rate adjustment of 5 to 15 percent at renewal. Two or more claims in five years can push the policy into the non-standard market with significantly higher premiums. Maryland carriers report water claims to CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange), which follows the property when you sell.

How long does drying take in a Baltimore home?

Class 2 events typically dry in 3 to 5 days. Class 3 events with saturated structural materials run 5 to 8 days. Summer humidity in Baltimore slows the drying curve and may require LGR (low grain refrigerant) dehumidifiers rather than standard refrigerant units. Daily moisture logs document the drying progression for your insurance file.

What is IICRC S500 and why does it matter for my Baltimore claim?

IICRC S500 is the industry standard for professional water damage restoration, published by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. Insurance adjusters in Maryland reference S500 to evaluate whether the mitigation scope and methodology were reasonable. A contractor without IICRC WRT certification produces friction during claim processing and may have line items denied.

Can I stay in my home during Baltimore water damage restoration?

For single-room Category 1 events with contained affected areas, yes, with containment plastic separating the work zone. For multi-room events, Category 2 or 3 events, or anything involving sewage or mold, the recommendation is ALE (Additional Living Expenses) reimbursement under your policy for temporary lodging. Most Maryland HO-3 policies cover ALE up to 20 percent of the dwelling limit.