Termite Inspections for Ohio Home Sales: How the NPMA-33 Report Works

What is an NPMA-33 report, and when does an Ohio sale need one?

The NPMA-33 is the standard wood-destroying insect (WDI) inspection report, often called a termite inspection or termite letter. Ohio law does not require one for every sale. The buyer's lender or the purchase contract decides, and some loan programs and many contracts ask for one. Ohio law then controls who may inspect and which form is used.

NPMA stands for the National Pest Management Association, which publishes the form used in many states. Ohio adopted it by rule: Ohio Administrative Code 901:5-11-13 has inspectors record every real estate WDI inspection on the NPMA-33, and where the form's own instructions conflict with the rule, the Ohio rule wins.

In practice, the request usually comes from the buyer's side once a purchase agreement is signed, during the inspection period. Sellers of older houses sometimes order one before listing to avoid surprises. Who pays is a matter for the contract and the negotiation, not the inspector.

This page explains how the inspection works. It is not legal advice; your real estate agent or a real estate attorney can tell you what your contract requires and by when.

Who is allowed to do a WDI inspection in Ohio?

Only a licensed commercial pesticide applicator holding Ohio's wood-destroying insect diagnostic inspection category, Category 12, may do a WDI inspection for a real estate transaction. Before getting that category, the inspector must attend mandatory training from Ohio State University Extension. The company must also hold an ODA pesticide business license, which you can verify with ODA.

Ohio's pesticide law is run by the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Pesticide & Fertilizer Regulation Section in Reynoldsburg. ODA's own pages list real estate WDI inspections among the activities that require both a commercial applicator license and a pesticide business license.

To earn the license, an applicator passes the Core exam and at least one category exam, then applies and pays the fee. The WDI category adds the OSU training, offered through OSU Extension's Pesticide Safety Education Program, and inspectors keep up recertification credits to stay current.

Checking takes a minute. Ask for the inspector's name and license number before the visit; the completed form will show them anyway. ODA's online pesticide applicator search can confirm the license, or you can call the Pesticide & Fertilizer Regulation Section at (614) 728-6987.

What does the inspector look at in a Lorain County house?

The inspector makes a visual check of readily accessible areas, inside and out: the foundation, basement or crawlspace walls, sill plates and joists, the garage, porches, attached decks, door and window frames near grade, and any outbuildings named on the order. Probing suspect wood and noting moisture and wood-to-soil contact are part of the job.

The Ohio WDI inspection covers four groups of insects: termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees and reinfesting wood-boring beetles. Eastern subterranean termites are the termite here, and they are present throughout Ohio, including Lorain County. Carpenter ants favor damp wood, so lakefront houses in Bay Village and Avon Lake and older homes with leaky window frames get a careful look.

Local housing shapes the visit. A 1990s or newer Avon colonial with a poured basement and a bare foundation is fairly quick to read. A farmhouse near the French Creek District with a fieldstone foundation, a porch on piers and a converted barn takes longer, and a finished basement hides the very walls an inspector most wants to see.

Evidence the inspector records includes live or dead insects, shed wings, mud tubes on foundation walls, exit holes, frass and damaged wood. Carpenter bee holes in fascia and deck rails count too.

How should you read the findings on the form?

The form records whether the inspector saw visible evidence of wood-destroying insects (box A for none, box B when evidence was found), describes any live insects, damage or signs of earlier treatment, and lists areas that could not be inspected. It reports conditions on that day only, and it does not cover mold or wood rot.

Under the Ohio rule, the first section names the pesticide business, its license number, the inspection date, the property address, the name, license number and signature of the applicator who did the inspection, and the specific structures inspected. If a detached garage or barn is not listed, it was not inspected.

Box A does not mean the house has never had termites or never will. It means no visible evidence turned up in the areas the inspector could reach. Stored boxes, paneling, carpet, insulation and finished walls all limit what can be seen, and the report should say so.

The NPMA-33 is also not a structural report. If the inspector sees damage, the form notes it, but judging whether a sill or joist needs repair is a job for a contractor or structural engineer. Mold and rot sit outside the WDI inspection entirely, so a home inspector or other specialist handles those.

If the report shows termites, what comes next?

Usually a treatment quote and a negotiation. If box B is checked for active termites, the buyer, seller and agents work out who pays for treatment and any repairs. Around Avon, liquid treatment on a typical home is estimated at $1,200–$3,000, and a bait system at $1,200–$2,800 to install plus $300–$500 a year to monitor.

Evidence does not always mean active termites. Old mud tubes, past damage or signs of earlier treatment may be noted without any live insects. Ask the seller for treatment records and the name of the company that did the work, since that history helps a buyer weigh the finding.

When treatment is needed, a liquid termiticide in the soil along the foundation is the most common approach, and bait stations are the main alternative. In basement homes that often means drilling a garage slab or porch to reach the soil. Get the plan in writing, including what will be treated and how follow-up works, and a second opinion on a large quote is reasonable.

Termites feed slowly, so a find rarely needs a same-week rush, though a closing date can make it feel that way. If a sill, joist or subfloor looks damaged, have a contractor check it before walls are closed back up. Termite control describes how treatment visits run.

How do you get a house ready for the inspector?

Give the inspector room to see. Pull stored boxes a couple of feet away from basement and garage walls, clear the path to the crawlspace hatch and attic access, unlock outbuildings, and move firewood stacked against the house. Keep pets out of the way, and tell the inspector about any past treatment or leaks.

Sellers of older homes can get ahead by fixing obvious moisture problems before listing: gutters dumping at the foundation, a leaking hose bib, a sump discharge that pools by the wall. Damp wood draws carpenter ants and termites alike, and an inspector may point those conditions out.

Finished basements are the hardest case. If drywall or paneling covers the foundation, the inspector cannot see behind it and will note that. It is no reason to tear out finishes, but a buyer should understand what the limit means.

• Clear about 2 feet along basement and garage walls where you can
• Make the crawlspace hatch, attic hatch and sump area reachable
• Unlock the detached garage, shed, barn or pool house if it is part of the sale
• Move firewood stacked against siding or the foundation
• Have treatment records, receipts or past reports handy
• Keep dogs and cats out of the work areas

Which Lorain County homes deserve a closer look before closing?

Older houses with stone or block foundations, porches and additions on piers, wood touching soil, and finished basements deserve the most attention. So do lakefront homes with damp crawlspaces and any property with barns or sheds in the sale. These features do not mean termites are present, but they hide activity and make a careful inspection more valuable.

Housing around Avon runs from 1990s-and-newer subdivisions on old farm fields to early-1900s farmhouses near the French Creek District. Rural parcels toward Columbia Station and Grafton often add barns and horse buildings, while lakefront streets in Avon Lake and Sheffield Lake bring older homes and lake moisture. Each changes what the inspector has to cover.

None of this means a particular house has termites. It means the inspector has more to examine, and buyers should read the not-inspected areas on the form with extra care.

Carpenter bees often turn up on older trim and barns here, leaving round holes about half an inch across in fascia, deck rails and porch ceilings. They are part of the WDI inspection, and a carpenter bee note is far less serious than active termites, though the holes are worth treating and sealing; see carpenter bee control.

What does a WDI inspection cost, and how soon is the report ready?

Around Avon, a wood-destroying insect (WDI / NPMA-33) report for a home sale is estimated at $75–$150, and a termite inspection outside a sale runs from free to $150. Many single-family inspections take an hour or two, and the signed form is often ready the same day or the next.

Price moves with size and access. A large house with a crawlspace, an attached deck and a barn takes longer than a ranch on a slab or a home with an open poured basement. The price is confirmed and approved before the inspector arrives.

Lenders often want the report dated within a set window before closing, so check your deadline before booking. Call (855) 974-4733 at any hour to set it up, with same-day service when available. More detail is on the termite inspection page.