Write down what you're seeing
Note where it shows up, when it happens, how it tracks with weather, and whether it's gotten worse. A quick photo and rough measurement go a long way in that first call.
Read the local context
The build era tells you most of what you need before anyone quotes. The in-town and mill-village housing from the iron and steel years generally sits over a crawl space, frequently shallow and tight, with whatever ground cover has accumulated over the decades -- so get someone underneath and establish the depth, the access and the state of the ductwork first. Then look outside for where water reaches the perimeter, since on a sloping lot it arrives at one wall rather than evenly, and that has to be handled before any liner is worth installing.
Ask what will be hidden
A workable plan covers where water is entering, how the liner will be anchored against expansive red clay movement, whether termite inspectors can still reach the foundation wall, air sealing at the rim joist, equipment placement, and the condition of the framing underneath it all. Once the liner is down, most of the work is hidden, so the written scope needs to spell out exactly what was prepared and verified beforehand.
Line proposals up against each other
Check for protection, access, materials, permits, testing, cleanup, restoration, exclusions, warranties, and how change orders get handled.
What official local sources add
The permit question turns on how much of this work happens outside. Sealing a crawl space is interior work, but it rarely lasts unless exterior drainage is corrected first -- and regrading or trenching on a parcel inside a mapped flood hazard area is development needing the city's floodplain development permit. On the hilly terrain here, that exterior correction is usually about intercepting water arriving at the uphill wall, which is exactly the kind of change the stormwater division has an interest in. Confirm the parcel's status before the scope is fixed.
These sources were checked 2026-07-19 -- confirm your parcel's flood zone, historic status, permits, and current rules with the city before moving forward.