Section 7.174 - Wood Destroying Insect Treatment Disclosure Documents(a) As part of each written estimate submitted for a subterranean termite, drywood termite, powder post beetle, wood boring beetle, or related wood destroying insect (excluding carpenter ants) treatment to a customer, the pest control business proposing the treatment must present the prospective customer or designee with disclosure documents. Verbal estimates may be provided to customers to advise of a general range of treatment costs, but a written estimate must be provided before beginning a treatment. Written estimates for termite and related wood destroying insect treatments and treatment disclosure documents shall only be made by licensed technicians or certified applicators licensed in the termite category.(b) Each subterranean termite, drywood termite, powder post beetle, wood boring beetle, or related wood destroying insect (excluding carpenter ants) treatment disclosure document must include, but is not limited to: (1) the business name, address, phone number, TPCL number, and the date the written estimate was submitted;(2) the address or physical location of the structure to be treated;(3) a diagram or blueprint or building plat and description of the structure or structures to be treated to include the following: (A) numerical perimeter measurements of the entire structure as accurately as practical;(B) areas of active or previous termite activity;(D) known wood destroying insect activity;(E) areas of conditions conducive to infestation by wood destroying insects; and(F) construction details and other information about construction relevant to the treatment proposal;(4) a label for any pesticide recommended or used. If a physical barrier is used, the appropriate unit of measurement of the physical barrier must be recorded and a diagram describing the installation must be provided;(5) the complete details of the warranty provided, if any;(6) the signature of approval on the disclosure documents by a certified applicator or licensed technician in the termite category employed by the company making the proposal;(7) the concentration of termiticide used or minimum number of bait stations to be installed;(8) for subterranean termite post construction treatments, the following statements and definitions in at least 8-point type: (A) A termite treatment may be a partial treatment or spot treatment using termiticide, approved physical barriers, or a baiting system. These types of treatments are defined as follows: (i) Partial Treatments. This technique allows a wide variety of treatment strategies but is more involved than a spot treatment (see definition below). Ex.: treatment of some or all of the perimeter, bath traps, expansion joints, stress cracks, portions of framing, walls and bait locations.(ii) Spot Treatments. Any treatment which concerns a limited, defined area less than ten (10) linear or square feet that is intended to protect a specific location or "spot." Often there are adjacent areas that are susceptible to termite infestation which are not treated.(iii) Baiting Systems. This type of treatment may include interior and/or perimeter placement of monitoring or baiting systems along with routine inspection intervals. The baiting technique may include one (1) or more locations as prescribed by the product label and instructions.(iv) Barriers. If a physical barrier is used, the square footage of the physical barrier must be recorded and a diagram describing the installation will be provided.(B) The types of treatment defined may apply to construction types as follows: (i) Pier and Beam. Treatment of the outer perimeter including porches, patios and treatment of the attached garage. In the crawl space, treatment would include any soil to structure contacts (piers and/or pipes).(ii) Slab Construction. Treatment of the perimeter and all known slab penetrations as well as any known expansion joints or stress cracks.(9) for all termite treatments the following statement in at least 8-point type: For all treatments there will be a diagram showing exactly what will be treated. Treatment specifications and warranties for those treatments may vary widely. Review the pesticide label provided to you for minimum treatment specification. If you have any questions, contact the pest control company or the Texas Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 12847, Austin, Texas 78711-2847. Phone (866) 918-4481;(10) for any pre-construction treatment, the "Proper Pre-Construction Subterranean Termite Treatments - A Guide for Builders and Consumers" guide, must be provided to the contractor or purchaser of the pre-treatment service prior to the beginning of the treatment. The text and format of the termite pre-treatment disclosure document is available on the Structural Pest Control Service website at: http://www.TexasAgriculture.gov/spcs, or by contacting the Texas Department of Agriculture at the address provided in paragraph (9) of this subsection;(11) for drywood termite, powder post beetle, wood boring beetle, and other related wood destroying insect treatments the following statements and definitions in at least 8-point type: A drywood termite, powder post beetle, wood boring beetle, or other related wood destroying insect treatment may be a full treatment or spot treatment. These types of treatments are defined as follows: (A) Full Treatment: A treatment to control 100% of the insect infestation by tarpaulin fumigation or appropriate sealing method. A full treatment by fumigation is designed to eliminate every insect colony. It should include the infested structure and all attached structures; or(B) Spot Treatment: Any treatment less than a full treatment by tarpaulin fumigation. This treatment should be considered only when a drywood termite, powder post beetle, wood boring beetle or related insect infestation has a limited and defined area of infestation. Adjacent areas susceptible to dry wood termite, powder post beetle, wood boring beetle or related insect infestations are not treated. Because of the nature of wood destroying insects, these untreated areas may continue to harbor drywood termites, powder post beetle, wood boring beetle, and related insects throughout the structure without detection;(12) a consumer information sheet described in § 7.147 of this chapter (relating to Consumer Information Sheet; and(13) The jurisdiction statement: "Licensed and regulated by: Texas Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 12847, Austin, TX 78711-2847, Phone (866) 918-4481, Fax (888) 232-2567."(c) For a re-treatment of a property for an existing customer, the pest control business must provide the following before conducting the re-treatment: (1) the label of the pesticide to be used;(2) a diagram or updated diagram of the structure showing areas to be treated; and(3) a consumer information sheet described in § 7.147, of this chapter.(d) The business license holder or, in the case of the certified noncommercial applicator, the applicator must keep and maintain correct and accurate copies of the disclosure documents for a period of two (2) years.4 Tex. Admin. Code § 7.174
The provisions of this §7.174 adopted to be effective September 1, 1987, 12 TexReg 901; amended to be effective December 29, 1994, 19 TexReg 10358; amended to be effective October 10, 1995, 20 TexReg 7829; amended to be effective March 5, 1996, 21 TexReg 1543; amended to be effective January 1, 1997, 21 TexReg 10535; amended to be effective July 8, 1997, 22 TexReg 6099; amended to be effective September 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 134; amended to be effective December 23, 1998, 23 TexReg 12919; amended to be effective September 1, 2000, 25 TexReg 5634; amended to be effective June 5, 2003, 28 TexReg 4280; amended to be effective October9,2005, 30 TexReg 6269; amended to be effective January 8, 2007, 32 TexReg 93; transferred effective September 1, 2007, as published in the Texas Register August 17, 2007, 32 TexReg 5189; amended to be effective December 11, 2008, 33 TexReg 9989; Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 43, Number 01, January 5, 2018, TexReg 0046, eff. 1/9/2018; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 48, Number 02, January 13, 2023, TexReg 0132, eff. 1/16/2023