Who to call first
The Texas Poison Center is 1-800-764-7661, and the National Pesticide Information Center is 1-800-858-7378. TDA's consumer sheet also lists DSHS's non-emergency pesticide health information line at (512) 458-7111, and TDA's pesticide registration office at (512) 463-7407 or 800-835-5832. For a sting reaction in progress, call 911.
What emergency pest control costs in Texas
For an emergency visit in Texas our estimate is $100 to $535 per visit. It joins national ranges with the lowest and highest of three Texas company prices for this job, after adjusting by the wage ratio of 0.89, and it's an estimate, not a quote.
Ask whether the price is for the visit alone, whether it changes by time of day and whether a follow-up is included.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $100 to $535 per visit | Built from 3 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas pest control worker wage ratio (0.89), then widened to take in the lowest and highest of the three Texas company prices for this job ($100 to $185). 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: small sample (3), national estimate joined with the company range. |
| Pest control worker wage, Texas mean | $19.90 an hour | Mean pay for Texas pest control workers, May 2025 (BLS); a visit's price is the company's. |
| State fee, business license, each location | $300 to license, $300 to renew | The company's cost of holding a TDA license at each location, per fees effective January 1, 2016. |
| Liability cover a licensed business must carry | $500,000 injury and property, $1,000,000 total | TDA's minimum: $500,000 for bodily injury and property damage and a $1,000,000 total aggregate, filed on form ALS-1101. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (3 sources), 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 three Texas companies publish a price we could count for this job, too few for a range of their own, so the range is our national estimate widened to take in their lowest and highest prices. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
Bites and wild animals
DSHS says not to handle wildlife regardless of whether it appears healthy or sick, that you cannot get rabies from being sprayed by a skunk, and that a bite is washed with soap and water with medical help sought. Moving a live fox, skunk, coyote or raccoon is a Class C misdemeanor except under an exemption, covered on the wildlife removal page.
When someone pushes you to decide now
TDA's consumer sheet says a home solicitation contract can be canceled within 72 hours. A written contract must carry TDA's jurisdiction statement, and a termite proposal comes with a diagram, the warranty terms and the chemical label, never on the back of a business card.
Checking a company in a hurry
TDA's SPCS Reports page publishes lists of licensed commercial businesses as downloadable files, and SPCS answers at (866) 918-4481. TDA says a license is required for anyone in the business of pest control. Under Occupations Code 1951.602 and 1951.603, in a 2018 copy of the statute, civil penalties run $50 to $2,000 for each act and each day, and a violation is a Class C misdemeanor. If you file a complaint, SPCS advises waiting for the inspector before repairing damage or retreating.
What can wait, and what can't
- Someone's ill after a treatment: phone 1-800-764-7661, the Texas Poison Center.
- A wild animal's bite or scratch: wash it with soap and water and seek medical help.
- A sting reaction in progress: 911.
- Choosing a company for ants, roaches, mice or a wasp nest you can avoid; photograph the pest and collect written estimates.
Check these before you choose a spray or trap.
- Is anyone having an allergic reaction to a sting? Call 911.
- Did a bat bite or scratch anyone, or was a bat in a room with someone asleep? Call your local health department before a pest control company.
- Are stinging insects near someone who's had a serious reaction before? Keep that person away from them and book a company the same day.
- Are there droppings or chewed packaging where food is stored or prepared? Seal the food, and book a company this week.
- None of those, just one pest and nobody's at risk? Try the identification guide before the form.
Answered yes to either of the first two? Call 911 or your local health department, then use the form. Yes on the third or fourth means the form with Urgent ticked, and for the last one the normal form's fine.
Steps in a pest emergency
- For illness, call the Texas Poison Center first.
- Do not handle a wild animal.
- Photograph the pest or damage and write down the time.
- Ask the company for its business license number and a written estimate.
- Look for TDA's jurisdiction statement on the contract.
License and complaint rules
Texas pest control for pay needs a TDA structural business license for each location, and a 2018 copy of Occupations Code 1951.005 bars cities from adopting their own rules on pesticide sale or use. SPCS takes complaints about structural pesticide misuse, unlicensed businesses or individuals, and incomplete or inaccurate wood destroying insect reports at (866) 918-4481 or spcs@TexasAgriculture.gov.
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
Who do I call if a pest treatment makes someone sick in Texas?
Call the Texas Poison Center, 1-800-764-7661. The National Pesticide Information Center, 1-800-858-7378, also answers pesticide questions.
Who do I report an unlicensed pest control company to in Texas?
SPCS at (866) 918-4481 or spcs@TexasAgriculture.gov. SPCS assigns an inspector to the complaint, though it can't make a company pay damages.
Can I cancel an emergency pest control contract in Texas?
Within 72 hours, if it was a home solicitation contract, according to TDA's consumer sheet. Check the contract for TDA's jurisdiction statement.
What do I do after a bite from a wild animal?
Wash it with soap and water and seek medical help, DSHS says. Do not handle wildlife whether it looks healthy or sick.
What does emergency pest control cost in Texas?
Our estimate is $100 to $535 per visit, and a company's written quote is the price that counts. Ask what the visit includes.
- 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: SPCS Complaint Process; Complaint Resolution Procedures; Termite FAQs Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: SPCS Consumer Information Sheet (PDF, rev. 5/2/18) Read Oct 28, 2026.
- DSHS: Rabies Read Oct 23, 2026.
- DSHS: Laws, Transport of rabies vector species Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code §1951.451: Written contract terms Read Oct 28, 2026.
- TDA: Termite/Fumigation Applications; Termite FAQs Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: Structural Pest Control Service Reports (CSV downloads) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Occupations Code ch. 1951 (Wayback copy 2018-02-03) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code §1951.005: Municipal preemption and exceptions Read Oct 28, 2026.
- TDA: Structural Pest Control Consumer Information; Structural Pest Control Licensing Read Oct 23, 2026.