What a Termite Inspection Covers in DFW — And When to Get One

What the inspector actually checks

A termite inspection is a visual and probing examination of every accessible area where subterranean termites enter or feed. On a typical DFW single-family home, that means the full exterior foundation line, garage interior (especially the expansion joint where the slab meets the garage stem wall), interior baseboards and window frames, plumbing penetrations under sinks, the water heater closet, and the attic.

Outside, the inspector walks the slab line looking for mud tubes — the pencil-width earthen tunnels subterranean termites build to travel between soil and wood without drying out. They check weep holes in brick veneer, wood fences or trellises that touch both soil and the structure, tree stumps close to the foundation, and mulch beds piled against siding. Anything that creates wood-to-soil contact or holds moisture against the slab gets noted.

Inside, they probe suspect wood with a screwdriver or awl — baseboards that sound hollow, door frames near ground level, window sills that have bubbled paint. Subterranean termites eat wood from the inside out along the grain, so damaged trim often looks fine until it's pressed. In the attic, they check rafters and decking near the eaves, although in North Texas the attic is more often a drywood termite concern, which is much rarer here than the subterranean species.

Why DFW slab foundations change the job

Most homes in Dallas–Fort Worth sit on slab-on-grade foundations. There's no crawl space to walk, which cuts inspection time — but it also removes the easiest place to spot termite activity. On a pier-and-beam house, an inspector can see mud tubes running up piers from ten feet away. On a slab home, termites come up through places nobody can see: expansion joints, cracks in the slab, and the gaps around plumbing penetrations poured into the concrete.

That's why slab-home inspections lean heavily on indirect evidence. The inspector reads the interior walls near ground level, the garage joint, and bath traps — the access panels behind tubs where plumbing enters the slab. A bath trap full of soil is one of the most common termite entry points in North Texas homes, and it's a spot homeowners never look at.

Slab homes also make moisture management part of the termite conversation. Sprinkler heads spraying the foundation, poor drainage holding water against the slab, and A/C condensate lines dripping in one spot all create the damp soil conditions subterranean termites favor. A good inspection notes these conducive conditions even when no live termites are found.

The WDI report — what buyers and sellers need

If the inspection is part of a home sale, the product is a Wood Destroying Insect report — the Texas WDI form. It documents visible evidence of termites, previous treatment evidence, damage, and conducive conditions. Lenders, particularly for VA loans, often require a clear WDI before closing.

A WDI report is a snapshot of what was visible on inspection day, not an X-ray of the walls. Inspectors can't open walls or move a garage full of storage, and the report says so. That distinction matters in negotiations: 'no visible evidence' and 'no termites anywhere in the structure' are different statements.

If you're the seller, getting an inspection before listing beats getting surprised by the buyer's. Evidence of an old, treated infestation with proper documentation reads very differently in a negotiation than active tubes discovered a week before closing.

How long it takes and how to prepare

A typical DFW single-family inspection runs 45 minutes to an hour; larger homes and homes with outbuildings take longer. You don't need to do much beforehand, but a little access work helps the inspection cover more: pull storage away from garage walls, clear under-sink cabinets, make sure the attic hatch and any bath trap panels aren't blocked, and unlock gates so the inspector can walk the full foundation line.

Expect questions about history — previous treatments, past leaks, and any swarms you've seen. If you have paperwork from an earlier termite treatment or a bait-station service, have it out. Evidence of prior treatment changes how the inspector reads drill holes in the slab or trenching marks along the foundation.

If the inspection finds termites

Finding activity isn't a catastrophe — subterranean termites work slowly, and a colony discovered through a routine inspection has usually done far less damage than one discovered through a wall collapse of a windowsill. The inspection report will map where evidence was found, and the treatment conversation follows from that: liquid barrier treatments trench and treat soil along the foundation, while bait systems place monitored stations around the perimeter and eliminate the colony over months.

What matters most after a positive finding is acting within a season rather than a week of panic or a year of forgetting. Termite damage compounds; the difference between treating this month and treating in two years is real money in repairs. The related service below routes your call to a local DFW provider who can quote the treatment approach that fits the finding.

When to schedule an inspection in North Texas

The most informative time is spring through early summer. Subterranean termite swarms in DFW typically fly between March and May, often after rain on a warm morning — so evidence like discarded wings and fresh mud tubes is most visible then. An inspection during or just after swarm season catches colonies at their most detectable.

Beyond that, three triggers should prompt an inspection regardless of season: you're buying or selling a home; a neighbor within a few houses just treated for termites (colonies forage across property lines); or your home is more than ten years old and has never been inspected. Slab homes built in the 1980s through early 2000s across Plano, Richardson, Garland, and Arlington are now in the age window where original construction-era soil treatments have long since broken down.