Termite Warranty and Protection Plans

Termite warranty and protection plans are formal contractual agreements between a pest control company and a property owner that define the scope, duration, and remedial obligations following termite treatment. These instruments vary significantly in structure — from simple re-treatment guarantees to comprehensive repair bonds — and selecting the wrong type can leave a property owner with significant uninsured repair costs. Understanding the classification of each plan type, the regulatory environment governing them, and the conditions under which coverage is triggered or voided is essential for anyone managing termite risk in the United States.

Definition and scope

A termite warranty is a written commitment by a licensed pest control operator (PCO) to perform defined services if termites are found within a specified coverage period after initial treatment. These warranties are distinct from general service contracts, homeowners insurance, and structural warranties issued by builders.

The scope of termite warranties falls along two primary axes:

Re-treatment only — The PCO agrees to re-treat the structure at no additional charge if termites return. No structural repair costs are covered.
Re-treatment and repair (termite bond) — The PCO agrees to both re-treat and pay for structural repair costs resulting from termite damage discovered during the warranty period.

A full discussion of the repair-inclusive variant is covered in detail on the Termite Bond Explained page.

State pesticide applicator licensing laws — administered through state departments of agriculture and governed at the federal level by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA, 7 U.S.C. §136 et seq.) — regulate which operators may issue warranties and mandate minimum treatment standards. Warranties issued without a valid state pesticide applicator license are unenforceable in most jurisdictions. The termite control state regulations overview page covers jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction licensing frameworks.

How it works

A standard termite protection plan operates through a defined lifecycle:

Initial inspection — A licensed inspector assesses the property for existing infestation, conducive conditions, and previous damage. Findings are documented in a pre-treatment report. Properties with active infestations are typically treated before warranty issuance.
Treatment — The PCO applies an approved treatment method. Common methods include liquid termiticide soil barriers, bait station systems, or fumigation. The chosen method affects which warranty type is appropriate; see the termite treatment methods comparison page for method-level detail.
Warranty issuance — Following treatment, the PCO issues a written warranty document specifying coverage type, term length, covered species, exclusions, annual renewal fees, and the operator's re-treatment or repair obligations.
Annual inspection requirement — Most plans require annual inspections by the PCO, at a fee ranging from $150 to $350 per visit (fee structures vary by operator and region), to maintain active warranty status. Missing a scheduled inspection typically voids coverage.
Claim trigger — If live termites or new damage attributable to termites is discovered during an inspection or between inspection cycles, the property owner files a claim with the PCO. The warranty document defines the evidentiary standard for claim acceptance.
Remediation — The PCO performs re-treatment and, if the plan includes repair coverage, coordinates or funds structural repair up to the stated policy cap.

Warranty terms commonly run 1 year renewable, with some operators offering multi-year plans up to 5 years. Repair-inclusive bonds frequently carry a per-incident cap — often $1 million or a stated dollar amount per contract — which the operator must disclose in writing under most state consumer protection regulations.

Common scenarios

Scenario 1: Post-treatment recurrence under a re-treatment-only plan
A homeowner has subterranean termites treated with a liquid termiticide barrier. Eighteen months later, a different colony breaches the barrier at a point where soil was disturbed by landscaping work. Under a re-treatment-only warranty, the PCO re-treats the affected zone at no charge. Structural damage found during that visit — damaged joists, for example — is the homeowner's financial responsibility. The limitations of liquid termiticide treatments and their warranty implications are relevant here.

Scenario 2: Drywood termite fumigation with repair bond
A property owner in California elects whole-structure fumigation for drywood termites and purchases a repair-inclusive bond. A follow-up inspection 14 months later finds drywood activity in a previously treated zone. The PCO re-fumigates and covers confirmed new damage up to the bond cap. Prior damage documented in the pre-treatment inspection report is explicitly excluded.

Scenario 3: Warranty transfer during a real estate transaction
Most warranty instruments include a transferability provision allowing a buyer to assume the existing plan upon sale, subject to a transfer fee (commonly $100–$300) and a new inspection. Real estate transactions in states such as Florida, Georgia, and Hawaii — high-risk subterranean and Formosan termite zones — routinely require evidence of an active warranty as part of disclosure requirements. See real estate termite inspection requirements for state-level specifics.

Scenario 4: Warranty voided by excluded conducive conditions
A plan specifically excludes damage in areas where wood-to-soil contact exists, moisture intrusion is unresolved, or ventilation is inadequate. If an inspector finds new activity in an area that was flagged as a conducive condition in the original inspection report and the homeowner failed to remediate it, the claim may be denied in full.

Decision boundaries

Choosing between warranty types requires evaluating several distinct factors:

Re-treatment only vs. repair-inclusive:
Re-treatment-only plans cost less annually but transfer structural repair risk entirely to the property owner. Repair-inclusive bonds carry higher annual renewal fees and may include repair caps that do not cover full reconstruction costs. Properties with high structural value, older framing, or location in high-risk termite regions typically justify the premium for repair coverage.

Covered species scope:
Warranties are species-specific in many contracts. A plan written for subterranean termites (subterranean termite control services) does not automatically cover drywood or Formosan species (Formosan termite control services). Properties in multi-species pressure zones require explicit cross-species coverage language.

Treatment method alignment:
Termite bait station systems operate through ongoing monitoring and colony elimination over time, which means warranties tied to bait programs are structured around continuous service, not a single treatment event. Fumigation-based warranties, by contrast, cover a defined post-treatment window. Mismatches between the treatment method and the warranty structure are a common source of coverage disputes.

Regulatory enforceability checklist:
Before signing a termite warranty or protection plan, confirm the following structural elements are present in the written contract (per standard consumer protection guidance from the Federal Trade Commission):

Full name and license number of the issuing PCO
Coverage start and expiration dates
Specific termite species covered
Geographic coverage boundaries (structures, zones)
Annual inspection requirements and consequences of non-compliance
Exclusions list (prior damage, excluded conducive conditions, structural modifications)
Repair cap amount, if applicable
Transfer conditions and associated fees
Cancellation terms for both parties
Dispute resolution mechanism

For properties where a warranty has already been issued and questions arise about re-treatment obligations, the re-treatment policies termite control page provides framework detail on how operators structure those obligations contractually.

References

📜 4 regulatory citations referenced · 🔍 Monitored by ANA Regulatory Watch · View update log