How do I read a California termite inspection report?

What the report is, and who writes it

In California, termite inspections are done by companies licensed through the Structural Pest Control Board, and the report follows a state form. The full name is a Wood Destroying Pests and Organisms Inspection Report, which is why you will hear it called a WDO report. It covers more than termites: fungus damage, which is what most people call dry rot, wood-boring beetles, and the conditions that invite all of them.

The key thing to understand is that the report describes what was visible and accessible on the day of the inspection. Inspectors do not open walls, pull up decking or move heavy storage. Anything behind a finished surface is outside the report unless there is evidence showing through.

Start with the diagram

Every report includes a simple line drawing of the structure with numbered or lettered callouts. Each callout matches a finding in the written list. Before you read a word of the text, look at where the marks cluster. A row of findings along one wall or under one balcony tells you where water has been getting in. Marks scattered around the perimeter of a slab house usually point to subterranean termite activity or to trim rot at grade.

The drawing also shows which areas the inspector could not enter. Look for notes like 'inaccessible' or 'no access' on the attic, the crawlspace, or an area under a deck. Those are gaps in the report, not a clean bill of health.

The three labels every finding carries

Each finding is tagged with one of three labels. Section 1 means there is active infestation or infection, or damage that has already happened. Section 2 means a condition that is likely to lead to infestation or infection but has not yet caused damage, such as earth touching wood, a leaking shower pan, or missing paint on exposed trim. Further Inspection flags an area the inspector could not see well enough to judge and recommends opening it up.

Lenders and buyers tend to focus on Section 1 items. For a homeowner who plans to stay, Section 2 is often the more useful list, because it names the conditions that will create the next round of Section 1 damage if nothing changes.

• Section 1: active termites or fungus, or existing damage
• Section 2: conditions likely to cause damage
• Further Inspection: areas that need to be opened to know

Findings, recommendations and the bid are different things

Each finding is paired with a recommendation: fumigate, locally treat, remove and replace a member, or correct a condition. The recommendation is the inspector's opinion of the fix. Read it, but know that for wood repairs there is usually more than one sound way to do the work, and the method the pest company lists is not the only one that clears the item.

The price to do each item comes on a separate bid, often with the report but not part of it. You can hire the pest company for the treatment and a craftsman for the carpentry, which is the arrangement we see most often. The pest company handles anything involving insects and pesticides. Levi handles the wood.

What the report cannot tell you

A WDO report tells you that a joist end shows fungus damage. It does not tell you how far back the damage runs, whether the ledger behind it is sound, or what the flashing looks like. That only comes from opening the area, which is why a wood repair scope often grows once the first board comes off. A good carpenter will probe and photograph before quoting, so you are not surprised twice.

One more useful fact: the Board keeps copies of reports filed on a property. If you are buying a home, you can request its inspection history, which shows whether the same items have been reported before and never fixed.

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Sources and further reading