How to choose a pest control company in Texas
Pest control in Texas is licensed work. The Texas Department of Agriculture licenses the businesses and individuals who do it for hire, and the license covers more than the treatment itself: inspecting, writing reports, giving estimates and advertising all count. These six steps use the state's own rules to help you compare pest control companies before you hire one.
Confirm the license yourself
Ask for the company's Texas Pest Control License number, the TPCL, before anyone comes out. The department publishes files of active license holders on its Structural Pest Control Current Licenses page, and the Structural Pest Control Service answers questions about a licensee at 866-918-4481. The department calls a missing license, or a TPCL number that is not on the service vehicle, a red flag. When a listing here says a company states a license, that is what its own website says, not a check we made.
Match the company to the pest
Licenses come in categories, among them pest control, termite control, lawn and ornamental, structural fumigation and weed control. Termite inspections and written termite estimates must come from someone licensed in the termite category. Live trapping of nuisance wildlife without pesticide falls outside the pest control license, and a person paid to remove a honey bee nest must be a registered beekeeper or a licensed pest control professional. The service tiles on each listing show what a company names on its own site: yes, no, or not enough info, which means the site did not say.
Get more than one written estimate
The department advises checking references and getting several estimates. Contracts, warranties and service agreements must show the business name, license number, address and phone, plus a statement that the business is licensed and regulated by the Texas Department of Agriculture. For termite work, a written estimate comes with a diagram of the areas to be treated, the pesticide label and full warranty details, and a termite proposal may never be given on the back of a business card.
Ask what will be applied and where
Every pesticide used in Texas is registered with the U.S. EPA and the state, and that registration is not a finding of safety. For an indoor treatment of a private home that is not a rental, the applicator must make the state's consumer information sheet available. Property managers have more to plan: rentals of five or more units, workplaces, schools and day care centers must post notice at least 48 hours before a planned indoor treatment.
Read the warranty before you sign
A termite warranty must state its term, its renewal options and cost, and what could void it. Yearly retreatment for subterranean termites is not allowed without clear evidence of reinfestation or a disrupted barrier, so ask what evidence a renewal plan relies on.
Know your options after the visit
A customer who signs a pest control contract through a home solicitation may cancel within 72 hours by telling the company. Complaints go to the Structural Pest Control Service at 866-918-4481 or spcs@TexasAgriculture.gov. The service can investigate and act against a license, but it cannot order a refund.