What must a Florida termite contract say before you sign?

Which termites Florida has

FDACS's consumer page on termites, as of August 29, 2026, names four known types in the state: dampwood, drywood, subterranean and conehead. It calls subterranean termites the most destructive and drywood the second, and says homeowners insurance doesn't cover termite damage.

UF/IFAS says the native subterranean termites Reticulitermes flavipes and R. virginicus are found statewide. For the invasive Formosan subterranean termite it says the species is distributed throughout Florida, primarily in urban areas with high population density, from a distribution figure dated July 2024. As of early 2005, a separate UF/IFAS profile of the Asian subterranean termite named Broward and Dade as the only known counties where it and the Formosan termite had both become established.

FDACS runs a Conehead Termite Eradication Program. As of September 18, 2026, its page said the termite was first detected in Dania Beach, Broward County, in 2001, that a second detection followed in Pompano Beach in 2016, and that two Broward areas need frequent survey and treatment. Suspected nests go to the FDACS Division of Plant Industry Helpline at 1-888-397-1517.

Termite treatment in Florida: what our model says

The model's termite treatment range is $225 to $1,725 per treatment, joined from two national ranges and scaled by Florida's pest control wage ratio of 0.99. It's an estimate, not a quote.

One Florida company price for this job was counted, short of the five needed to set a range from Florida prices. Set the maximum price and renewal fee that rule 5E-14.105 requires beside each bid.

Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 sources), adjusted by Florida's pest control worker wage ratio to the US (0.99, BLS May 2025), with no permit fee added because pest control has no city permit. Not a quote. Four Florida pest control companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Only one Florida company publishes a price we could count for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.

What the first page of the contract has to say

The statute sets the first-page statement: the contract is offered for repair and retreatment, for retreatment only, or with no warranty, and it says in bold whether disclaimers, limitations, conditions or exclusions cut back the duty to repair or retreat. Where such limits exist, the words full or unlimited can't sit beside warranty.

Rule 5E-14.105, effective April 29, 2025, adds that a signed Consumer Notice Form (FDACS-13692) comes first and the contract reaches the owner before work or payment. The contract names the organisms, says on page one whether it covers subterranean termites, drywood termites or both, and names Formosan or other invasive termites if they are excluded. It also states inspection intervals and fees, the retreatment and repair conditions, the maximum price and the exact annual renewal fee.

The 30-day, 60-day and 90-day clocks

Under the same rule a company must inspect within 30 calendar days of written notice and retreat within 90 days of discovery, which becomes 180 days for a commercial or multiunit property. It may not use an exclusion clause to deny treatment unless the condition primarily caused the problem and written notice was given within 60 days of discovery.

Put your notice in writing and keep the date, since two of those clocks are counted from written notice or from discovery.

Bait systems and new construction

Chapter 482 has no section written for termite bait stations, so read a bait contract against the wood-destroying organism contract rule above, which covers those treatment contracts in general.

Preventive treatment of a new building is separate. A company needs an FDACS permit for it, applies the product at the label's amount, concentration and area, and keeps records for 3 years. The contract carries a warranty of at least one year from treatment, issued within 30 days, and the owner can extend it each year for at least 4 more years.

Do termites call for a same-day visit?

Steps before the visit

1. Photograph the insects or the damage with a coin beside it for scale.
2. Write down the room, the date and whether the wood touches soil.
3. Ask which termite the company found and whether the contract covers subterranean, drywood or both.
4. Ask whether Formosan or other invasive termites are excluded.
5. Ask for the Consumer Notice Form before the contract.
6. Ask for the maximum price and the exact annual renewal fee in writing.

FDACS rules behind termite work

Operator certificates come in four categories, and one of them is termites and other wood-destroying organisms pest control, so a person certified only in general household pest control may not do that work (s. 482.111). Section 482.242 reserves pest control regulation to the state but leaves local governments a few openings, among them ordinances that require annual termite inspections for multicomplex dwellings of more than 10 units or require treatment of structures with termite activity. Ask for the business license number and the name of the certified operator in charge at that location.

Ask for the company's FDACS business license number and the name of its certified operator in charge, and check the license with FDACS before any work starts.

Questions people ask

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