Costs
Termite inspection cost 2026
A written termite or wood-destroying insect report typically costs $75–$300 in the US. A free “inspection” is often a sales walk that ends in a treatment quote.
The report is a dated look at accessible wood. It is not a guarantee, not a structural survey, and not treatment. Typical US ranges, not a bid.
Key takeaways
- Ask which form they will sign. NPMA-33, or your state's WDO form, is a document. A flyer is not.
- The HUD NPMA-33 is a visual check of readily accessible areas. Insulation, siding, and clutter are often off the map.
- It is not a structural-damage report. Live insects or damage still need a carpenter if the wood is hurt.
- The form is invalid for a mortgage after 90 days. That clock is not a warranty.
- Treatment is a second paper: liquid, bait, or a tent. Size that on the treatment guide.
The estimator on this page is a treatment band. The inspection itself is the cheaper line in the table below.
Kentucky: a termite inspection or infestation report is often a condition of sale. That is why this query spikes when someone is closing, not when they spotted a wing on the sill. Confirm the insect first on signs of termites.
The flashlight vs the form
| What they hand you | Typical US range | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Free walk-through | $0 | A look, then a treatment pitch. No lender form |
| NPMA-33 / WDI / “termite letter” | $75–$300 | A dated report of visible, accessible wood-destroying insects |
| State WDO form (name varies) | often the same band | Some lenders want this instead of, or besides, NPMA-33 |
| Treatment proposal | $1,200–$8,000 by method | Product in the soil, bait, or a tent. Different page |
Ask the lender which form they filed. NPMA: for many existing-home HUD files, that form is NPMA-33. New-construction soil treatment uses NPMA-99A and 99B, which are builder papers, not this inspection.
Who pays the $75–$300 varies by contract and loan type. Do not assume the buyer or the seller. Ask the closing agent.
What they did not open
The HUD NPMA-33 is a visual inspection of readily accessible areas. The inspector sounds and probes wood they can reach. They do not pull siding, lift flooring, empty cabinets, or crawl a space with less than 24 inches under the joists.
Section IV is the list of what they skipped: attic, crawl, insulation, clutter, a locked shed. If that box is full, the report did not “clear the house.” It cleared the parts they could stand in on that date.
The form also says:
- It is not a guarantee or warranty against hidden or future infestation.
- It is not a structural-damage report. Damage still needs a qualified building person.
- Wood-destroying insects here means termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and reinfesting wood-boring beetles. Not mold. Not fungi. Some state WDO forms add decay. Read the heading.
- For a mortgage, the report is stale after 90 days. That is a filing clock, not coverage.
If live termites show, the form’s own guidance is that treatment should be recommended. That recommendation is not the treatment. Price methods on termite treatment cost.
After the report
Log tubes, wings, and the rooms they named in the sighting log so a second bid matches the first paper. Indoor wings in spring: when do termites swarm. Two local companies should still walk the same inaccessible list. A same-day special that must be signed before you read Section IV is a reason to wait. Kentucky: termites eat slowly enough that you can get another look.
Put a treatment bid through the quote checker. Contact if you want a local operator. A buyer Googling “pest inspection” may need this wood form, a general walk, or a bed bug hunt: pest inspection cost.