Termite & Timber-Pest Inspection in Columbus, OH

Do I need a termite inspection before buying a Columbus home?

Often, yes, though the requirement comes from your contract or lender, not from a blanket Ohio law. Read the purchase agreement and ask your agent and lender whether a wood-destroying insect report is expected. If it is optional, get one anyway. Termite damage hides inside framing and behind finished walls, where a standard home inspection cannot see it.

Orkin's 2025 termite city list has Columbus at No. 50. Subterranean termites are the main wood-eaters in Ohio. They live in the soil and reach a house through mud tubes, foundation cracks and wood that touches the ground, and they stay out of sight for years.

What does Ohio require for a wood destroying insect inspection?

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) requires a Pesticide Business License, at least one licensed commercial applicator, and liability insurance to apply pesticides for hire, to solicit that work, or to do wood-destroying insect inspections for real estate sales. In plain terms, Ohio requires that a WDI inspection for a sale come from a licensed business.

You do not have to take anyone's word for it. ODA runs a public lookup where you can search any company by name, and you should run that search before you hire a termite inspector, whoever it is. The lookup link is in the sources at the bottom of this page.

What is inspected for wood destroying insects and timber pests?

A timber pest inspection covers every part of the structure where wood meets soil, moisture or hidden space. We check:

• Foundation walls, sill plates and band joists for mud tubes, frass and soft wood
• Crawl spaces and basements, including support posts and wood stored against walls
• Porches, decks, steps, window frames and door casings
• Attic framing and roof edges where leaks create damp wood
• Garages and detached outbuildings
• Exterior grade, such as mulch against siding, soil piled above the foundation line and downspouts that dump water at the wall

We probe suspect wood with a screwdriver and look for hollow sound, blistered paint and fine sawdust. Active infestation, past damage and conditions that invite termites are noted separately, since each one means something different for a buyer.

Do you check for wood borers as well as termites?

Yes. Wood borers such as powderpost beetles and carpenter ants leave different signs than termites. Beetles leave tiny round exit holes and fine, flour-like powder. Carpenter ants push out coarse shavings and tunnel into wood that is already wet. Wood decay is not an insect at all, but it matters because it shows where water has been and where pests will go next.

Telling these apart changes the fix. A beetle problem in dry lumber is treated differently than termites in the soil, and a wet beam may need repair before any treatment will hold.

What does a home buyer termite inspection involve, step by step?

1. You tell us the closing timelineGive us your contingency dates, so the report reaches you while you can still negotiate.
2. We inspect outside, then insideFoundation, grade and exterior wood first, then basement or crawl space, attic and visible framing.
3. We document what we findYou receive documentation after the inspection listing locations, evidence and areas we could not reach.
4. We explain the findingsActive insects, old damage and moisture conditions are explained separately.
5. You decide the next moveThat may mean treatment, repairs, a price adjustment or nothing. See termite treatment in Columbus if treatment is needed.

Who pays for the inspection, and what happens if problems turn up?

Buyers commonly pay for the inspection, though some contracts split or assign it. We price by the property and its size, and you hear the number before booking. If termites or damage turn up, negotiating with the seller is a normal next step: ask for treatment, a repair credit or both, in writing.

Keep in mind that a clean report applies to the day of the inspection. Termites can arrive later, which is why many owners schedule a check every year. Our pest inspection page covers the general version, and the post on termites and Ohio home buyers goes deeper on contracts.

Can existing homeowners book an inspection too?

Yes. Look for swarmers in spring, discarded wings on window sills, mud tubes on foundation walls, or wood that sounds hollow when tapped. Any of those is a reason to call. So is a basement leak, since termites and decay follow moisture.

Ohio's WDI report rules: Category 12, rule 901:5-11-13 and the NPMA-33 form

Ohio Administrative Code rule 901:5-11-13 governs how wood-destroying insect inspections for real estate transactions are recorded. The standard report is the NPMA-33 form, published by the National Pest Management Association. Ohio State University Extension says inspectors need a commercial applicator license in Category 12, Wood-Destroying Insect Inspection, and training through OSU comes first.

Before you order a report for a purchase, ask three things. Which license category does the inspector hold, and is the business in ODA's public search? Will the report come on the NPMA-33 form? And which areas could not be reached, such as a finished basement wall or a blocked crawl space? Those gaps belong on the form.