Identify before you pay
TDA's Pest control category covers insects and pest animals such as roaches, silverfish, ants, flies, mosquitoes, rats and mice. Structural pest control, as TDA describes it, includes identifying infestations, making inspection reports, giving recommendations and submitting estimates for pay.
A photograph with a coin beside the insect and one specimen sealed in a bag give a company something to name before it prices anything. Winged insects indoors in spring deserve a closer look. SPCS says subterranean termites are usually detected when they swarm in the spring, and the termite page covers that case.
What ant and roach control costs in Texas
Our estimate for an ant or roach treatment in Texas is $150 to $310 per treatment, and the table adds a severe-infestation estimate. Both are built from one national range, widened and scaled by the Texas wage ratio of 0.89; they are estimates and not quotes.
One Texas company's published price for roach work sits below the five we need to set a range of our own. Ask whether the price covers inside and outside the house and whether a second visit is in it.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $150 to $310 per treatment | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Texas pest control worker wage ratio (0.89). Four Texas 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. Basis: no state company sample (one counted Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Estimated range for a severe infestation, not a quote | $605 to $1,225 per treatment, severe infestation | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Texas pest control worker wage ratio (0.89). Four Texas 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. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Pest control worker wage, Texas mean | $19.90 an hour | What Texas pest control workers earn (BLS, May 2025), not the price of a treatment. |
| State fee, business license, each location | $300 to license, $300 to renew | Paid by the company to TDA, not billed to you; fee schedule dated January 1, 2016. |
| State fee, certified applicator license | $125 to license, $125 to renew | The applicator pays it; TDA's exam fee is $64 for each category. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Texas's pest control worker wage ratio to the US (0.89, BLS May 2025), with no permit fee added because pest control has no city permit. Not a quote. Four Texas 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 Texas company publishes a price we could count for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
Fire ants and scorpions are their own problems
The Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project at Texas A&M AgriLife estimates the red imported fire ant's impact in Texas at $1.2 billion annually. It says the ant has spread north, west and south since the 1950s and now infests more than the eastern two-thirds of the state, and some urban areas in western Texas. About 1 percent of people are hypersensitive to the venom.
AgriLife's listing for its scorpion publication, E-362, says scorpions are common in most of Texas, that their stinging behavior is unpredictable and that individual reactions to stings vary. A reaction in progress is a 911 call.
The information sheet and the 48-hour sign
Under Occupations Code 1951.453 to 1951.457 (read from a 2018 copy of the statute), the applicator makes the pest control information sheet available to an owner before each indoor treatment at an owner-occupied home. At a rental with fewer than five units the sheet goes to the tenant of each unit. At a rental with five or more units the owner or manager receives the sheet and a sign, and residents in the direct and adjacent areas are notified at least 48 hours before each planned treatment.
TDA's own Consumer Information Sheet, revised May 2, 2018, says signs must be posted in many instances at least 48 hours before treatment. The 48-hour notice may be waived for emergency treatments by rule.
What a contract for this work has to say
Under Occupations Code 1951.451, in a 2018 copy of the statute, a written pest control contract must carry TDA's mailing address and telephone number and a statement that TDA has jurisdiction over the individuals licensed under the chapter. TDA prints the wording: "Licensed and Regulated by: Texas Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 12847, Austin, TX 78711-2847, Phone (866) 918-4481." The consumer sheet also says that under home solicitation you have the right to cancel the contract within 72 hours.
Do ants or roaches need a same-day call?
- After a sting, an allergic reaction in progress is a 911 call.
- Someone ill after a spray or bait needs the Texas Poison Center at 1-800-764-7661.
- A trail of ants or the occasional roach, which you can photograph and show to companies when you ask for written estimates.
Steps before the visit
- Photograph the insect with a coin beside it and seal one specimen in a bag.
- Write down the room, the time of day and the date.
- Ask the company to name the insect before it quotes.
- Ask for the information sheet before an indoor treatment.
- Ask for the contract with TDA's jurisdiction statement printed on it.
License rules for ant and roach work
Pest control for hire needs a TDA structural business license, and the company designates a responsible certified applicator who may serve only one business location. Occupations Code 1951.052 exempts a person treating property the person owns or leases as a dwelling. Section 1951.055 covers an owner's use of retail household products in an area the owner occupies, used per the label (both from a 2018 copy of the statute).
Ask for the company's TDA business license number and the applicator's name, and check both with TDA's Structural Pest Control Service before any work starts.
Questions people ask
Do ant and roach companies need a license in Texas?
Yes: pest control for hire needs a TDA structural business license, and the Pest control category covers insects such as ants and roaches. An owner treating the dwelling the owner lives in is exempt under Occupations Code 1951.052, in a 2018 copy of the statute.
How big a problem are fire ants in Texas?
AgriLife estimates their impact at $1.2 billion annually. The ant now infests more than the eastern two-thirds of the state and some urban areas in western Texas.
What must a pest company give me before an indoor treatment?
The pest control information sheet, made available to the owner before each treatment. At rentals of five or more units the owner or manager gets the sheet and a sign for residents at least 48 hours before.
Can I back out of a pest control contract signed at my door in Texas?
TDA's Consumer Information Sheet says that under home solicitation you can cancel within 72 hours. Read the contract for the TDA jurisdiction statement as well.
What does ant or roach control cost in Texas?
Our model gives $150 to $310 per treatment, an estimate and not a quote. Ask whether the price covers the outside of the house.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021), Texas, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- PestControlMatch: how we estimate costs, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: SPCS Fees Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: Structural Pest Control Business Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: Structural Pest Control Licensing Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: Structural Pest Control Consumer Information; Structural Pest Control Licensing Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Your Home Company (Houston) pest guide list; TDA Termite FAQs Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas A&M AgriLife: Fire Ant FAQ; fireant.tamu.edu home Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Spiders and other biting and stinging pests (E-362 listing) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code §§1951.453–1951.455: Consumer information and posting contexts Read Oct 28, 2026.
- TDA: SPCS Consumer Information Sheet (PDF, rev. 5/2/18) Read Oct 28, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code §1951.451: Written contract terms Read Oct 28, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code §1951.052: Dwelling-owner exception Read Oct 28, 2026.
- 4 TAC §7.147: Consumer Information Sheet Read Oct 28, 2026.
- 4 TAC §7.148: Responsibilities of Unlicensed Persons for Posting and Notification Read Oct 28, 2026.