York Springs is a small borough on PA Route 94 just off U.S. Route 15 in northern Adams County. It has the oldest housing in the county: more than half its homes were built before 1940. North on U.S. Route 15, then a short way on PA Route 94 into the borough, about 25 minutes from our office.
About 54% of homes in York Springs were built before 1940, the highest share of any municipality in Adams County and three times the county figure of 17.5%. The median home dates from 1938. These are old brick, frame, and stone houses with cellars, plaster walls, and attics that were never designed for modern insulation.
Nearly 1 in 5 homes is attached, and only about 56% are owner-occupied, so many buildings are twins or rentals. In an attached house, the cellar and sometimes the attic connect to the neighbor, and in a rental, moisture can build for months before anyone with the power to fix it hears about it.
Quick answer
York Springs Borough has about 247 homes, and 79.8% were built before 1980 (49.5% across Adams County). FEMA records 7 flood insurance claims in ZIP 17372. Published national benchmarks put a typical mold remediation project at $1,223-$3,757 (Angi) to $1,500-$6,000 (HomeGuide); a written quote after inspection sets the real price, and the first step is always finding the water.How costs break down.
How old the homes are, how many share walls, and how often water has come in, compared with Adams County and Pennsylvania.
| Measure | York Springs Borough | Adams County | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 865 | 106,115 | 13,018,639 |
| Housing units | 247 | 43,672 | 5,806,452 |
| Median year built | 1938 | 1980 | 1965 |
| Built before 1940 | 54.3% | 17.5% | 25.0% |
| Built before 1960 | 64.0% | 29.4% | 44.9% |
| Built before 1980 | 79.8% | 49.5% | 67.2% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9.3% | 22.3% | 14.3% |
| Single-family detached | 41.7% | 74.7% | 56.6% |
| Attached homes (rowhouse, twin, townhouse) | 19.4% | 9.3% | 18.8% |
| Mobile homes | 8.9% | 5.5% | 3.5% |
| Owner-occupied | 55.7% | 78.9% | 69.3% |
| Median home value | $183,500 | $268,500 | $254,500 |
Named events with claims in York Springs Borough: Tropical Storm Bill 2015 (1).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035 and B25077 (profile); FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP redacted claims, data as of 2026-09-08. Municipal claims use FEMA's NFIP community; ZIP claims use the reported ZIP code, which can cross municipal lines. ACS figures are survey estimates with margins of error, and small places have wider margins. Paid amounts are not adjusted for inflation.
Sandy, soft mortar between cellar stones or bricks means water has been moving through that wall for years. The wood resting on it is usually damp too.
Old floors have gaps, and pipes run through holes in the subfloor. A musty smell on the first floor, especially near stairs or radiators, is cellar air rising.
A bathroom fitted into an old house without a good exhaust fan leaves plaster ceilings wet after every shower. Spots and peeling paint follow.
In a twin or attached house, damp stone or staining on the shared cellar wall can mean the moisture source is on the neighbor side.
An unused room or upstairs space in an old house that smells damp when opened has had humidity build with no air movement.
More than half the homes in York Springs were built before 1940, the highest share in Adams County, and the median home dates from 1938. Their cellars were built with stone or brick and lime mortar and no waterproofing. Ground moisture passes through the walls, and wood sills and joists rest right on the masonry and pick it up.
Old houses were built drafty and heated with fires or coal. Modern heating, insulation, storm windows, and added bathrooms made them warmer and tighter, but rarely added ventilation. Moisture from showers and cooking now stays in, landing on cold plaster walls and window frames.
Nearly 1 in 5 homes is attached, and only about 56% are owner-occupied. Shared cellars and walls let moisture move between houses, and in rentals, problems can sit for a long time before an owner sees them. Flooding is a minor factor here, with 2 flood insurance claims on record.
York Springs has the oldest housing in Adams County, with many twins and rentals. Most work happens in old cellars and in bathrooms fitted into old houses.
Old stone and brick cellars under borough houses.
Old stone and brick cellars pass ground moisture through the walls and keep sill plates and joists damp. We clean the masonry and framing, remove moldy storage, and set a dehumidifier to hold the cellar below 60%.
Containment and removal where growth has spread in an older, closed-up house.
In an older house that has been closed up or neglected, growth can spread across walls, floors, and contents. We set up containment with negative air pressure and HEPA filtration, remove what cannot be cleaned, and clean the rest.
Bathrooms retrofitted into old houses without good ventilation.
Bathrooms added to old houses often lack a fan ducted outside, so plaster ceilings and window frames stay wet. We remove the growth and damaged material and show you where ventilation is needed.
Every service we offer is available in York Springs.
We check the cellar walls, sill plate, and joists with a moisture meter, look at how bathrooms are vented, and note what we see at any shared wall.
Containment is set up to protect plaster, woodwork, and floors, with negative air pressure and HEPA filtration to keep spores out of the living space.
Sound framing is HEPA vacuumed and cleaned rather than replaced, moldy storage is removed, and stone or brick is cleaned so it can dry.
A draining dehumidifier keeps the cellar below 60%, and we note where bathrooms need a fan ducted to the outside.
Houses in the borough sit close together, so we plan parking and keep equipment and debris handling tidy and contained.
In twins and attached homes, we note what we see at the shared wall and cellar in writing, so owners on both sides can see where the moisture is coming from.
Yes, but it helps to know where the moisture comes from first. If the source is a shared wall, a gutter, or the neighbor side of the cellar, mold can come back on your side after it is cleaned. We measure on your side, point out what we see at the shared wall, and put it in writing so you can talk with your neighbor.
Yes. York Springs is north on U.S. Route 15 and is part of our service area.
Usually not as a first step. A coating on the inside of an old stone or brick wall can trap moisture in the mortar and peel off. Handling water outside and humidity inside works better, and mold on the wood still needs to be cleaned either way.
Tell your landlord in writing with photos and dates. Running the fan if there is one, or cracking a window during and after showers, helps in the meantime. Repeat growth usually means the bathroom needs better ventilation, which is a repair for the owner.
Not necessarily. Some dampness in a stone cellar is normal. What matters is whether moisture has already caused growth or rot in the sill plate and joists. An inspection before closing tells you which, so you can plan for it.
More answers on our mold FAQ page.
Tell us whether the house is attached and whether you own or rent it, and where you see the mold. That shapes the visit.
