Do you need a termite inspection to buy a house in San Diego?
State law doesn't require one, but VA loans do, and most deals get one. The report splits into Section 1 (active damage, usually the seller's to fix) and Section 2 (conditions that could cause it). A clearance lasts 90 days.
- Required by state law
- No
- VA loans
- Required
- Section 1
- Active damage
- Clearance good for
- 90 days
But usually done anyway
Full inspection and Section 1 clearance
Seller customarily fixes
Then it's treated as stale
The short version
- No California law requires a termite inspection to sell or buy a home, but buyers can make one a contingency (First Tuesday Journal).
- VA loans in California require a full wood-destroying organism inspection and a Section 1 clearance; FHA requires one only in certain cases.
- Section 1 is active infestation or damage, Section 2 is conditions likely to lead to it, and Section 3 is areas the inspector couldn't reach.
- By custom the seller pays for Section 1 repairs; Section 2 is negotiable, and both should be written into the purchase agreement.
- The Structural Pest Control Board lets anyone search for inspections filed on a California address within the last two years.
Buyers arriving from out of state are often surprised that a San Diego home sale comes with a termite report, and that it's split into numbered sections that decide who pays for what. Here's how it works, from California real estate and pest-board sources, checked October 6, 2026. Not legal advice; your agent and lender will confirm what your deal needs.
Is it required?
Not by state law. First Tuesday Journal, a California real estate publication, notes that termite inspections aren't legally required and many lenders don't require one. The big exception is VA loans: in California they require a complete wood-destroying organism inspection and a Section 1 clearance, because the state is treated as a high termite-risk area. FHA requires one only when it's local practice, there's visible infestation, local law requires it or the lender asks. In practice, most San Diego purchase contracts include one.
How to read the report
| Section | What it means | Who usually pays |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | Active infestation or existing damage: live termites, dry rot, fungus already in the wood | Seller, by custom, because lenders want it cleared |
| Section 2 | Conditions likely to cause damage later, such as wood soaked by sprinklers | Negotiable |
| Section 3 | Areas the inspector couldn't reach, like a blocked crawl space | Open them up and reinspect |
US Realty Training and First Tuesday Journal, checked October 6, 2026. Who pays is custom, not law: write it into the purchase agreement.
Tenting vs. spot treatment
If the report finds drywood termites, the two usual fixes are fumigation and local treatment. Fumigation, or tenting, covers the whole structure, typically takes about two and a half days and aims for complete eradication. Local treatment targets the infested wood and doesn't guarantee everything is gone. Expect to move out, with pets and food, while a house is tented.
What to do as a buyer
- 01
Search the address first
The Structural Pest Control Board's online search shows whether a wood-destroying organism inspection has been filed for any California address in the last two years.
- 02
Ask for any existing report
If the seller already has a recent inspection, ask for it before you write the offer.
- 03
Keep the contingency
Include an inspection contingency so you can renegotiate or walk away if Section 1 is bad.
- 04
Spell out who pays
Name Section 1 and Section 2 responsibilities in the contract, not in a hallway conversation.
Budgeting the rest of the purchase? See what it really costs a buyer to close. Buying with VA benefits? Start with VA loans in San Diego.
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
- BackgroundTermites and the California home sale
First Tuesday Journal · Checked October 6, 2026
Not required by law; FHA conditions; fumigation vs local treatment
US Realty Training · Checked October 6, 2026
Section definitions, who pays, VA requirement, 90-day clearance
Structural Pest Control Board · Checked October 6, 2026
Public search of inspections filed in the last two years