A Georgia termite warranty is a written contract, not a verbal promise. It starts with an initial inspection and a diagram, includes an annual inspection, and carries a conspicuous statement of what future treatment and repairs are limited to. Georgia also requires complete retreatment after three or more separate areas of active subterranean infestation within five years.
Key takeaways
- Each termite job in Georgia needs a written contract, and a warranty-only contract has its own required parts.
- A warranty-only contract requires an initial inspection with a diagram, followed by an annual inspection.
- The contract must carry a conspicuous statement about inspection, future treatment and repair limits, so those limits should be read before signing.
- Complete retreatment is required where a contracted structure has three or more separate areas of active subterranean infestation within a five-year period.
- A partial retreatment covers at least ten feet in each direction from the point of reinfestation.
- The control methods named in the rules include comprehensive and defined soil treatments, wood treatment or fumigation, baiting and an alternate application technique.
What does a termite warranty commit a company to?
A termite warranty is a written contract that ties the company to a defined scope. The scope covers inspection, the treatment the contract describes and the limits the contract states.
In Georgia, a termite warranty is a contract for ongoing protection against subterranean termites, and it carries obligations that a one-time treatment does not. The company commits to the inspections and any retreatment the contract describes, and the homeowner receives a document that says what those commitments are. The contract is the reference point for every later question, so its details matter more than any summary of it.
Because the warranty is written, a reader can check each promise against the document. A warranty is not the same as a promise to eliminate termites. It is a defined service with defined limits, and the rules require those limits to be stated plainly in the contract. Read the scope before comparing one warranty with another, since two contracts with similar names can cover different work.
Does every termite job need a written contract?
Yes. The rules require a written contract for each job, and a warranty-only contract has its own set of required parts.
Georgia's structural pest control rules for wood-destroying organisms require a written contract for each job. For a warranty-only contract, the rules call for an initial inspection with a diagram, an annual inspection and a conspicuous statement about inspection, future treatment and repair limits. A promise made on the phone or at the door is not a substitute for the written version, so ask for the contract before work starts.
The contract should also say what work is covered and what is excluded, which is where the scope lives. If a part of the job is not in the contract, the contract is where that answer should be found. Keep a copy together with the initial diagram, since both will be needed at the annual inspection and at any later retreatment question.
What does the initial inspection include?
The initial inspection produces a diagram, which is the reference for every later visit. It records where the company looked and what it found.
For a warranty-only contract, the initial inspection is the starting point. The diagram it produces records the structure as the company saw it, and the company refers back to that record when it returns. A useful test of the diagram is whether a reader can walk the house with it in hand and find each marked area without help. If that is not possible, ask for a revised diagram before the contract is signed. Without a diagram, the annual inspection has nothing to compare against, so the diagram is not an optional extra.
The inspection also shapes the conversation about limits. Anything the inspector cannot reach on the day is a part of the house the contract cannot describe in detail, and a reader should ask which parts those are. Putting the record of what was seen and what was not seen in writing from the start means the contract begins from the same facts both sides can check.
Why is there an annual inspection?
A warranty-only contract requires an annual inspection so that the company can check the structure against its earlier diagram. The inspection is part of the service, not an optional extra.
Subterranean termites are the structural pest the warranty is written around, and an annual look is how the company checks the structure against its earlier record. The rule ties the inspection to the warranty itself, which means it is not something to skip because the house seems fine. A house with no visible activity can still hold activity that has not yet shown itself.
Schedule the annual inspection with the same care as the first one. Ask who performs it, what they check, and how the results are recorded and sent to you. Keep the records together with the contract, so the next visit can be compared against the last without starting over.
What does the conspicuous statement say?
The contract must include a conspicuous statement about inspection, future treatment and repair limits. Conspicuous means it is set apart so that a reader cannot miss it.
The statement tells you what the warranty does not do. It sets the limits on future treatment and on repairs, and it should be easy to find on the page. Read it before you sign, because it is the part of the contract most likely to decide what you can expect after a problem is found.
Ask for specifics if the statement is vague. Vague wording is not a small matter, because it is the wording that will be quoted back to you if a problem appears later. Compare the statement word for word against the contract's own definitions, and note any term the contract uses without defining. A reader should be able to tell what the company will treat, what it will repair and what it will not, without relying on memory or on a summary from a salesperson. If those three questions cannot be answered from the contract alone, the contract is not finished.
What triggers a complete retreatment?
A complete retreatment is required when a contracted structure has three or more separate areas of active subterranean infestation within a five-year period. The rule counts separate areas, not a single problem spot.
The rule in Georgia's Chapter 620-6 applies to a structure under contract. Once three or more separate areas of active subterranean termite infestation appear within a five-year period, the company must give a complete retreatment rather than a spot fix. The count is about separate areas, so repeated activity in one corner is treated differently from activity in three distinct parts of the house.
This is why the retreatment rule is worth knowing before a problem occurs. A homeowner who understands the count can read the annual inspection results and ask whether each finding is a new area or a return to an old one. The rule sits in the state's rules rather than in a company's marketing, so the rule text is the place to confirm it. A homeowner does not need to memorize the rule. It is enough to know the threshold exists, to recognize a count of separate areas when a report describes one, and to ask the company to show how it reached its decision. Rules in Georgia are reviewed and updated, so the current text on the state's rules site is the version to check. The department's notice on termite warranty retreatment explains the same point.
What is a partial retreatment?
A partial retreatment covers at least ten feet in each direction from the point of reinfestation. It is a targeted response, and the complete retreatment rule still applies once the count reaches three areas.
Georgia's notice on the alternate application technique sets the partial retreatment at a minimum of ten feet in each direction from the point of reinfestation. That minimum describes an area to be treated around one reinfested spot. A partial retreatment is a targeted response, and it does not replace the complete retreatment rule when separate areas add up to three.
Ask the company to show the boundaries on the diagram when a partial retreatment is performed. A ten-foot zone is easy to picture on a floor plan and hard to verify from memory. The notice is the source to check, and the diagram should match the work that was actually done.
Which control methods can the contract name?
Georgia's rule lists comprehensive soil, defined soil, wood treatment or fumigation, baiting and an alternate application technique for subterranean termites. Pre-construction soil and wood treatments are named in the department's contract guidance.
The standards for subterranean termite control include comprehensive soil treatment, defined soil treatment, wood treatment or fumigation, baiting and an alternate application technique. The contract should name the method it uses, because each method carries a different scope, and a warranty that names none leaves the work open to interpretation.
Pre-construction soil and wood treatments appear in the department's contract guidance for new building work. Those treatments belong to construction, which is a different job from treating an occupied home. If a contract mentions a pre-construction treatment, ask which part of the building it covers and when it was applied, and get the answer in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Does a termite warranty cover every kind of termite?
The warranty discussed here is about subterranean termites, which is the group Georgia's termite rules are written around. Ask the company whether the contract names other termite types, and do not assume it covers them. A written scope settles the question faster than memory. Look for the words that define the covered pest inside the contract itself.
Do I need an annual inspection if the house looks fine?
Yes, if the warranty includes one. Subterranean termite activity is not always visible from the outside, and the inspection is how the company checks the structure against its earlier diagram. Skipping it weakens the record the warranty depends on. Keep the reports with the contract so the next inspection has something to compare against.
What is the difference between a complete and a partial retreatment?
A complete retreatment applies when three or more separate areas of active subterranean infestation have appeared within five years. A partial retreatment covers at least ten feet in each direction from a reinfestation point. Check which rule applies against your contract. Ask the company which one it intends to use and why.
Can a termite warranty pay for repairs?
The contract decides. Every warranty must include a conspicuous statement about repair limits, so read that statement before signing. Treatment and repair are separate parts of the contract, and each clause says which one it covers. Ask which repairs are included, which are excluded and how a claim is documented. Get the answers in writing before work begins.
Do I need a termite letter if I have a warranty?
They do different jobs. A Georgia termite letter reports findings for a property, often at a sale, and it must be issued by a company licensed in the wood-destroying organisms category. A warranty is a contract for continuing service. The termite letter guide explains what the report must show, and the contract defines the service.
What should I check on the contract before signing?
Check for a written scope, the initial diagram, the annual inspection terms, the conspicuous statement about limits and the treatment method named in the contract. Confirm the company's license category with the state license search. Ask for copies of every document before work starts. A clear contract is easier to compare with other offers, and an unclear one is easy to misread.
Sources
- Georgia Secretary of State
- Georgia Department of Agriculture
- Georgia Department of Agriculture
- Cornell Law School
- Georgia Department of Agriculture
This guide is general information for Gwinnett County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.