Your closing attorney asks for the termite letter, the pest control company emails a one page form, and somewhere on it is a checked box you were not expecting. That single page is doing less than most people assume and more than most people read. Before you treat it as a repair demand or wave it off as a formality, it helps to know exactly what the document is required to report, what it is allowed to leave out, and how long its protection lasts.
The Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report, commonly called a termite letter, is the written instrument for reporting evidence of wood destroying organisms and conditions conducive to their infestation. It covers five organisms and only readily accessible areas, and it is expressly not a structural report. It carries a 90 day guarantee: if an infestation is found within 90 days of issuance in a structure certified as apparently free of it, the licensee treats that structure free of charge.
What is a Georgia termite letter, exactly?
It is a standardized state form, not a private inspection product a company designs on its own. The Georgia Department of Agriculture, through the Structural Pest Control Commission, defines the form, who may sign it, what it must disclose, and the guarantee attached to it. Buyer, seller, lender, and closing attorney all read the same fields on the same page. It also means the form will not stretch to answer questions it was never built to answer.
The five organisms it reports
The report addresses five categories of wood destroying organisms: subterranean termites, powder post beetles, wood boring beetles, drywood termites, and wood decaying fungi, excluding molds and mildews. Anything outside that list is outside the form. The Georgia Department of Agriculture fact sheet on the report states the scope plainly, and it is worth reading the two pages yourself before you argue about a finding.
The form also reports conditions conducive to infestation, and that phrase is narrower than it sounds. It is limited to three things: cellulosic materials, untreated wood to soil contact, and inadequate crawl space ventilation. A damp basement corner or a gutter dumping against a foundation may matter to you as an owner, but if it does not fall into one of those three categories, the inspector is not reporting it under that heading.
Who is allowed to issue one
Only a pest control company licensed in the category of wood destroying organisms may issue the report. A technician who is certified or registered in that same category can perform the inspection, and the state rules specify the report is issued only by a pest control operator certified in Wood Destroying Organisms. A general handyman opinion, a home inspector note about mud tubes, or a contractor's letter is not a substitute. If a lender or attorney file needs the termite letter, it needs that form from that licensee.
This matters when a seller wants to move quickly. The company that already services the property can usually act faster and can speak to prior treatment. Cost is rarely the constraint. Calendar position is.
What the report does not do
Most disputes over a termite letter come from expecting it to certify things it never claimed to cover. Two limits do nearly all the work here.
Readily accessible areas only
The inspection covers only those areas which were readily accessible. The Georgia rules give examples of what is not inspected: areas obstructed by floor coverings, wall coverings, siding, fixed ceilings, insulation, furniture, appliances, or other personal items. In a furnished, occupied Atlanta home, that exclusion covers a great deal of square footage. A finished basement with drywall over the sill plate, a crawl space blocked by stored boxes, or a bedroom wall behind a headboard is not being cleared by that form.
You can improve what the inspector sees. Clearing crawl space access, moving stored items off perimeter walls, and pulling boxes away from a garage sill expands the readily accessible area at no cost. Do it the week before the inspection, not the morning of.
Not a structural report, and not a mold inspection
The fact sheet is direct on both points. The report is explicitly not a structural report. If a joist is soft, the form may note evidence of wood decaying fungi, but it is not telling you what the framing can carry or what repair is required. That question goes to a licensed contractor or a structural engineer, and any repair scope belongs in writing from that professional, not inferred from a checked box.
The report also does not cover the reporting of molds and mildews, and structural pest control companies are not responsible for inspecting for molds. Buyers frequently assume a clean termite letter means a clean crawl space. It does not. If moisture is the concern, that is a separate inspection with a separate scope, and the due diligence period is where it gets ordered.
The 90 day guarantee, and why timing matters
The report is issued without warranty or guarantee except as provided in the state rule, and that rule is where the 90 day protection lives. Understanding what the rule actually promises keeps expectations proportionate.
What the licensee owes you inside the window
Under Rule 620-6-.03 of the Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission, if an infestation of wood destroying organisms from which apparent freedom is certified is found within ninety days from date of issuance, the infested structure shall be treated by the licensee, free of charge. The obligation is treatment, not repair, and not damage reimbursement.
The treatment owed varies by organism. Subterranean termites call for full minimum adequate treatment, or partial treatment where prior treatment occurred within one year. Powder post and wood boring beetles, wood decaying fungi, and drywood termites each call for minimum adequate treatment. If damage repair or a longer term bond is what you want, that is a separate contract with the company, negotiated on its own terms.
Sequencing the inspection against a fall closing calendar
The 90 days runs from date of issuance, not from closing. That is arithmetic worth doing before anyone orders the report. Per the Atlanta REALTORS Market Brief for July 2026, homes across the 11 county reporting area averaged 24 days on market with 30 cumulative days on market. Add a normal due diligence period and a financing contingency on top of that, and a report pulled at listing can be well into its window by the time keys change hands.
The practical move is to place the inspection after the binding agreement date rather than at listing, unless the goal is a pre listing look that will be refreshed later. Sellers who want the information early can do both: an early inspection to find problems while there is time to address them, then a current report issued near closing so the buyer takes possession with most of the 90 days still ahead. The July brief also showed 4,824 closed sales against 20,863 active listings and a 4.7 month supply, so in most price bands there is room to sequence deliberately instead of scrambling.
Reading a report that comes back with a finding
A checked box is information, not a verdict. What the box means depends on which box it is.
Evidence of prior treatment versus active infestation
Evidence of previous treatment tells you the structure has been treated before. On homes of a certain age in metro Atlanta, that is common and often reassuring, since it means someone addressed the issue. Evidence of prior infestation without active organisms points to damage that may or may not have been repaired. Active infestation is the finding that triggers treatment obligations. Ask the licensee, in writing, which of these the report reflects and what service records exist for the property.
Prior treatment inside the last year also changes the treatment standard for subterranean termites, where partial treatment may apply instead of full minimum adequate treatment. That detail is worth confirming rather than assuming.
Conditions conducive, and what they signal
Cellulosic materials, untreated wood to soil contact, and inadequate crawl space ventilation are the three reportable conducive conditions. None of them means there are termites now. All three describe circumstances that make an infestation more likely later, which is why they show up on the form at all. Most are correctable with straightforward work: removing scrap wood and cellulose debris from a crawl space, separating siding or trim from grade, adding or clearing foundation vents.
Sellers who see these on an early report generally do better handling them before the listing goes live. A conducive condition addressed in advance is a line item in a pre listing plan. The same condition surfacing at day 20 of a contract is a price conversation.
What to ask for, and how to verify the company
Verification is quick and worth doing. The Georgia Department of Agriculture publishes a list of pest control companies, certified operators, and applicators, and you can confirm credentials through the structural pest consumer information page or by calling 404-656-3641. Pest control businesses must display their state license on request and provide a copy to the customer.
At service time, the company must give you documentation containing the company name and phone number, date of application, name, EPA registration number, amount, and concentration of the pesticide used, target pest, specific areas treated, application method, technician name, and any post application information. Contracts are required for all structural pest control services, including termite treatments and general pest control. Keep every one of these documents in the closing file.
- If you find an incomplete or inaccurate report when purchasing a home, you may request an inspection from the state's Structural Pest Division.
- Complaints and inspection requests go through the division's webform or the same 404-656-3641 number.
- Ask for the issuance date in writing, since the 90 days runs from it.
FAQ
Who pays for the termite letter in Georgia? Payment is a contract term, not a state requirement. It is negotiated between buyer and seller in the purchase and sale agreement, and local custom varies across metro Atlanta. Your agent and your closing attorney can confirm what the executed contract actually says on that point.
Does a clean termite letter mean the house has no termite damage? No. The report certifies apparent freedom from infestation in readily accessible areas as of the inspection date. Areas obstructed by floor coverings, wall coverings, siding, fixed ceilings, insulation, furniture, or appliances are not inspected, and the report is expressly not a structural report.
What does the 90 day guarantee actually cover? If an infestation of wood destroying organisms from which apparent freedom is certified is found within ninety days from date of issuance, the licensee treats the infested structure free of charge. The obligation is treatment at the standard the rule sets for that organism. Damage repair and long term protection are separate agreements with the company.
Does the report include mold? No. The report does not cover the reporting of molds and mildews, and structural pest control companies are not responsible for inspecting for molds. Wood decaying fungi are reportable, but that is a distinct category from mold and mildew. A moisture or mold concern needs its own inspection.
Can a home inspector issue the termite letter? Only a pest control company licensed in the category of wood destroying organisms may issue it, and the inspection is performed by a technician certified or registered in that category. A home inspector may note visible evidence, but that note is not the state form your lender and closing attorney need.
Get the report on the right date
Most termite letter problems are calendar problems. The report is short, the rules are published, and the obligations are defined. What goes wrong is a report issued too early, a crawl space no one cleared before the inspector arrived, or a conducive condition discovered at day 20 instead of day zero.
If you are preparing to sell, we can build a pre listing plan that sequences the wood infestation inspection and any conducive conditions work before the property reaches the open market, with full MLS exposure once it is ready. If you are buying, we can lay out the due diligence calendar so the report lands inside a window with useful time left in it, and produce a net sheet or market analysis alongside it. We coordinate with licensed pest control operators and your closing attorney rather than standing in for them. Reach out to The Agency Atlanta and bring the dates you are working with.
