The NPMA-33 is the national "Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report" — the one-page form a licensed pest control firm completes after inspecting a property during a sale. It records visible evidence of wood-destroying insects and visible damage found in accessible areas on the day of the inspection. It is not a warranty that the house is free of termites.
This is general information, not legal advice or a substitute for reading your own report. Form revisions change. Confirm anything that affects your transaction with the inspecting firm, your agent, or your lender.
Why this form exists at all
Lenders needed one document that meant the same thing in every state. Before it, a "termite letter" could be anything a company chose to write.
The National Pest Management Association publishes the NPMA-33 as that standard. It is required for HUD and VA guaranteed transactions and is used routinely in conventional ones. The current revision dates from 2019; earlier versions are obsolete and should not appear on a current transaction.
If someone hands you a "termite letter" that is not this form, ask why.
What the five parts of the report contain
The form organizes the inspection into five parts. Read them in reverse order of how most people read them — the exclusions matter more than the conclusion.
General information. Property address, inspecting company, inspector name, company address and phone. This is the block you use to verify the firm's license.
Findings. What was actually observed: visible evidence of wood-destroying insects — live insects, dead insects, their by-products — and visible damage attributable to them.
Obstructions and inaccessible areas. Everything the inspector could not reach or see, and why. Spray foam insulation and equipment were added to the list of obstructions in the current revision.
Treatment recommendations and conducive conditions. Whether treatment is required, recommended, or unnecessary, plus structural or environmental conditions that invite infestation — wood-to-soil contact, poor drainage, moisture.
Comments and attachments. Anything else the inspector wants on the record, including reference to a separate state form where one exists.
One caution on numbering. Published guides disagree about which numeral is attached to which part — some place obstructions third, some fourth. Read the printed labels on your actual form rather than relying on a section number quoted elsewhere, including here.
What "visible evidence" actually means
The inspector's job is to perform a careful visual inspection of readily accessible areas and report what is visible. That phrase does the heavy lifting in every dispute about these reports.
Visible evidence includes live insects, dead insects, shed wings, mud tubes, frass, and damage that can be seen. It does not include anything behind drywall, under finished flooring, inside a wall cavity, or in a crawl space the inspector could not enter.
A colony can be active inside a joist while the report is accurate and clean.
Why the report is not a warranty
The form states this directly: it is not to be construed as a guarantee or warranty against latent, concealed, or future infestation or damage, unless a warranty is separately attached or required by state law.
Three separate things get conflated here, and they are worth separating:
| Document | What it promises |
|---|---|
| NPMA-33 report | what was visible on one date, in reachable areas |
| Treatment record | that specific work was performed |
| Termite bond or warranty | ongoing coverage, retreatment, sometimes repair |
A clean report is not a bond. If you want ongoing protection, that is a separate contract with its own price, term, and exclusions.
Reading the obstructions section first
This is the practical advice most worth taking from this page.
A clean finding is only as broad as the area inspected. If the obstructions section lists a sealed crawl space, a finished basement, stored belongings against the perimeter, or insulation covering the sill plate, then the clean result covers the parts of the house that were never the concern.
Common entries and what they hide:
- Finished basement or wall coverings — conceals sill plates and rim joists, the classic subterranean termite entry point.
- Sealed or inaccessible crawl space — conceals the most common damage location entirely.
- Spray foam insulation — conceals both the wood and any mud tubes on it.
- Stored items along walls — conceals the base of the wall on the inside.
- Heavy vegetation or mulch against the foundation — conceals the outside face and is itself a conducive condition.
If an obstruction covers an area you actually care about, the useful response is to remove the obstruction and have that area inspected, not to argue about the report.
Conducive conditions: the part nobody reads
The report flags conditions that invite infestation even when nothing is currently present: wood-to-soil contact, moisture problems, poor drainage, wood debris under the structure, insufficient ventilation.
These are not findings of infestation, and no one is contractually obligated to fix them. But they are the reason a house gets termites again after treatment, and they are cheap to address compared with the damage.
For a buyer, this section is a maintenance list handed to you for free.
Who fills out the form
A licensed pest control firm. In Virginia, pesticide businesses are licensed by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and commercial applicators are certified by category — wood-destroying pest control is category 7b under 2VAC5-685-70.
The Virginia Pest Management Association also runs a voluntary WDI Inspector Certification specifically covering how to complete this form, and publishes a directory of inspectors who hold it.
The exact state credential required to sign an NPMA-33 in Virginia is not clearly stated in the public materials we reviewed. If it matters to your transaction, ask the VDACS Office of Pesticide Services at (804) 786-3798.
How long the report stays valid
Roughly 90 days from the inspection date is the working standard, and it lines up with the 90-day window in the Northern Virginia contract.
If settlement is delayed past that point, expect the lender to require a re-inspection before final approval. Ask early rather than in the final week — a re-inspection is a small cost that becomes a large problem when it appears two days before closing.
What happens when the report is not clean
The finding does not usually end a transaction. It changes who does what, and when.
If you are selling
Under the Northern Virginia contract you pay for treatment and for repair of damage identified in the report, and you provide written evidence before settlement.
Your action: get the inspection done early in the contract period, so that a finding still leaves time for the work.
If you are buying
You are entitled to the report and to evidence of any work performed. Verify that the firm named on the treatment record holds a current Virginia license — the report's general information block gives you the name to search.
Your action: read the obstructions section before accepting a clean result, and inspect separately anything that was excluded and matters to you.
If you are buying "as is"
The contract's condition provisions are removed, and no report is owed to you.
Your action: commission and pay for your own inspection within your contingency period.
If you are refinancing
Some loan programs require the report on a refinance as well as a purchase. The obligations of a sales contract do not apply — you are the one ordering and paying.
Your action: confirm with your lender whether the report is required before you order it.
Before you call: what costs what
An inspection and a treatment are two separate services with separate prices, and conflating them is the most common way people end up surprised by a bill.
| Typical Virginia range | What it produces | |
|---|---|---|
| Wood-destroying insect inspection and report | $65–$200 | the NPMA-33 form |
| General pest inspection | often free where the company expects to quote treatment | a verbal or written assessment |
| Termite treatment | $500–$2,000; more where damage is extensive | a treatment record |
| Structural repair | quoted by a contractor, frequently the largest of the three | an invoice, not a pest control document |
What is usually free: a quote for treatment, once a company has seen the problem.
What is usually not: the inspection report used in a real estate transaction, and any visit that produces a document rather than a price.
Ask which applies before you book. A company quoting one figure covering both inspection and treatment is not quoting what a sales contract or a lender requires.
Common misunderstandings
"A clean NPMA-33 means the house has no termites." It means no visible evidence was found in accessible areas on that date.
"The report covers the whole house." It covers what the inspector could reach. The obstructions section defines the rest.
"The report is a warranty." It explicitly is not. A bond or warranty is a separate contract.
"Any pest control company can issue one." It requires a licensed firm, and the license is verifiable in a public registry.
"The home inspector's note about insect damage is the same thing." It is not, and it will not satisfy a lender.
"An old report is fine if nothing has changed." Lenders generally want one dated within about 90 days of settlement.
What to ask before booking the inspection
- Does the quoted price include the completed NPMA-33, or is the form billed separately?
- Under what name is your Virginia pesticide business license held?
- What will you do about areas you cannot access — note them, or advise on gaining access?
- If live activity is found, is re-inspection after treatment included?
- How quickly is the written report delivered?
- Do you also perform treatment, and how is that disclosed on the report?
- Does the inspection cover carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and wood-boring beetles, or termites only?
What to have ready before you call
Property address, year built, foundation type — crawl space, basement, or slab — settlement date, whether this is a purchase or a loan-program requirement, anything already observed and where, and whether any area is currently blocked.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for the report? Under the Northern Virginia contract, the seller. In other arrangements it depends on the contract and the loan program.
What does it cost? Roughly $65 to $200 in Virginia depending on region and property size. Under some loan-program requirements it runs lower and is commonly seller-paid.
Does it cover decks, sheds, and fences? Usually not. The sales contract clause addresses dwellings and garages. Ask before the inspection if an outbuilding matters to you.
Can the same company inspect and then treat? Yes, and it is common. The form provides for disclosing it.
What if I disagree with the finding? You may commission a second inspection at your own expense. Two licensed inspectors can reach different conclusions about what is visible, particularly where access differs.
Verify the firm before you accept the report
The report's general information block names the inspecting company. Use it.
VDACS publishes an updated list of currently licensed pesticide businesses weekly and provides a public lookup for confirming an active Pesticide Business License.
Ask which name the license is held under — companies often trade under a name different from the licensed entity.
VPMA maintains a directory of inspectors holding its voluntary WDI certification, useful as a second check.