What South Carolina's CL-100 termite letter covers, what it leaves out, and how a North Charleston inspection is scoped to it.
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The CL-100 is South Carolina's official Wood Infestation Report, the document that records visible insect and decay damage for a property. A technician inspects the area the state regulation sets out, reports what is visible there, and notes any waiver the owner has signed.
In North Charleston the CL-100 is usually called the termite letter, and it is one of the documents that sales and closings in the area run on. It is the state's official Wood Infestation Report, covering visible infestation and damage caused by insects and by decay. Many buyers, sellers and lenders ask for one as a matter of course, and many people do not know what it actually covers until they need it. This page explains the report so you can ask the right questions before the inspection.
The report is narrower than most people expect. South Carolina's standards for preventing and controlling wood-destroying organisms set the inspected area, and for decay that area is limited to the space below the level of the first main living-area floor. Decay is still reported in a few places above that line, including the lower portions of exterior doors, door jambs, steps, stairs and porch columns. A report that looks thorough on the surface can therefore leave the upper parts of the house out of scope, and that is worth knowing before you rely on it.
A technician performs the inspection and records what is visible in the area the report covers. If you are preparing for a sale and want to talk through the timing or the paperwork, call (855) 974-4733. Phones are answered 24/7, and a visit the same day is possible when a technician is free. The price is explained and approved before work starts.
Do not try to complete a CL-100 yourself, and do not sign a waiver or a treatment record for someone else's property. Do not crawl into a damp or unstable crawl space to check the framing for a sale without light, a plan for getting out and a second person nearby. Avoid probing soft wood on a porch or stair in a way that could cause a fall. If a step, porch column or door frame feels unsafe, keep weight off it and call (855) 974-4733 before the inspection. The report is a record of what is visible, and it should not be used as a reason to disturb a damaged structure.
This is the most common reason for the report. The buyer, the seller or the closing agent needs a record of what was visible at the time of the inspection. The report covers the area the regulation sets out, so it may not describe the full house. Ask the people who need it which area they expect to see covered.
When termites or decay are already known to be present, the report records what the inspection finds and the treatment plan records what is being done about it. The two documents answer different questions. Telling the technician about known activity before the visit lets the report and the plan line up.
Some houses cannot be treated across the full structure without disproportionate difficulty or cost. In those cases the owner signs an Official Waiver of Standards Form before work starts. The waiver is part of the record, and a report that references it is clearer for a buyer or lender reading it later.
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It records visible infestation and damage caused by insects and decay, within the area the state regulation defines. It is not a full inspection of every part of the building.
The report is South Carolina's official form for recording visible wood-destroying insect activity and decay. Its scope comes from the state's standards for preventing or controlling termites and other wood-destroying organisms, which apply to anyone performing preventive or control measures on another person's property. What the report says is therefore limited by that scope, and a clean report means that nothing visible was found in the scope, not that nothing exists anywhere in the building.
The regulation limits the decay inspection to the area below the level of the first main living-area floor. Decay in the lower exterior doors, jambs, steps and porch columns still has to be reported.
The line is set by the regulation, and it is one of the most common surprises for people who expect a full inspection. The lower portions of exterior doors and the steps, stairs and porch columns are still checked because they sit at the level where water and soil usually cause decay. A buyer who wants the upper parts of the house inspected for decay should ask whether a separate inspection is needed, since the CL-100 does not provide that.
Crawl-space or slab construction, the size of the structure, access to the sub-floor and the perimeter, and whether a waiver applies all change the work. The price is explained and approved before work starts.
A crawl-space house with clear access takes less time than one with blocked openings, tight duct runs or stored items under the floor. The number of structures on the lot matters when a detached garage, shed or porch enclosure is part of the sale. Age and construction also matter, because older framing and porches often take longer to examine properly. None of these factors are estimated by phone. The price is explained and approved before work starts, after the technician has seen the property.
It is a written waiver the owner signs when full treatment of the structure is unnecessarily difficult or costly. It must be signed and acknowledged before work begins.
The state rules expect treatment to cover the entire structure, but they allow an exception when the property's characteristics or the owner's instructions make full coverage unnecessarily difficult or costly. In that case the waiver has to be signed and acknowledged in writing by the owner before any work begins. The firm keeps the waiver, along with the treatment and inspection records, for the period the regulation sets. Ask to see the waiver if one is referenced in a report you are given.
The regulation does not set a validity period that this page can state. Lenders and closing attorneys usually set the timing, so ask the people handling your sale.
A common assumption is that a termite letter expires after a fixed number of days, but the timing that people quote often comes from lenders, veterans and federal loan programs, and closing attorneys rather than from the regulation itself. Because the rules that apply to your transaction depend on who is involved, the safest course is to ask your lender and your closing attorney what they require, and to confirm the date they need before scheduling the inspection.
The first call establishes the address, whether the house is on a crawl space or a slab, and what the report is for. A sale, a refinance and a treatment each ask for a slightly different scope. Knowing the closing date helps plan the visit, though the timing of the report itself is set by the parties involved.
The technician inspects the area defined by the regulation, which for decay is the space below the first main living-area floor. Sub-floor framing, piers and the lower parts of the structure are examined with a light. Anything visible is recorded, and anything that cannot be reached is noted as such.
The lower portions of exterior doors, jambs, steps, stairs and porch columns are looked at closely, because decay there must be reported even though it sits in the exterior of the house. Soft wood is probed only where that will not cause new damage. The results are written down exactly as found.
Where full coverage of the structure is not practical, the state rules require a written Official Waiver of Standards Form, signed and acknowledged by the owner before work begins. Any previous treatment, warranty or inspection record that applies to the property is gathered at this stage. A missing record is noted rather than guessed at.
The findings are explained in plain terms, including what the report does not cover. The price is explained and approved before any work starts. If the report shows activity that needs treatment, the next step is a separate plan, which you approve before anything begins.
North Charleston is spread across Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, and sales here move between buyers and sellers from all three. The report is the same document wherever the house sits, but the people reviewing it may be working with different local offices and timelines. Give the closing agent the address exactly as it appears on the deed or the tax record, so the report matches the transaction.
Much of the city's older housing is single-storey brick or frame on a vented crawl space under mature live oaks, and that stock is where the CL-100 scope matters most. The sub-floor framing is the area most likely to show decay, and it sits below the first main living-area floor where the inspection is concentrated. Post-1995 slab homes in newer developments have no sub-floor to inspect, so their report focuses on the perimeter and the exterior.
The former Charleston Naval Base shaped much of the city's land and housing, and some older buildings in the area are raised frame structures with exposed sub-floor framing, deep porches and party walls. A technician working on those houses pays close attention to the porch columns and the lower exterior elements, because those are the parts the report must cover. Historic-district rules can also affect what is practical to change around older structures, so mention any historic designation when you schedule.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Inspection and treatment for Formosan and native subterranean termites in North Charleston homes, from vented crawl spaces to slab edges.
A termite bond is a contract, and what it covers depends on its wording, especially for Formosan termites.
Why damp vented crawl spaces in North Charleston feed wood decay and termites, and how the sub-floor inspection is scoped.
Slab-on-grade homes have no sub-floor to inspect, so the work moves to the slab edge, the penetrations and the perimeter.
A pest control quote in North Charleston depends mostly on the house: its footprint, whether it sits on a crawl space or a slab, how much of the sub-floor and perimeter a technician can reach, and the species and scope of the work.
The CL-100 is South Carolina's official Wood Infestation Report, covering visible insect infestation and damage.
In South Carolina, pest control is licensed by the Department of Pesticide Regulation at Clemson University, not by a standalone licensing board.
A vented crawl space in coastal South Carolina can hold more moisture than its vents suggest.
No. The CL-100 is a report of visible infestation and damage, and it is used mainly for sales and closings. A termite bond is a contract for ongoing treatment and coverage, and it has its own terms. Read any contract you have carefully, because coverage for specific termites and damage can differ from what people assume.
Only if they are visible in the area the report covers. Termites inside a wall may leave mud tubes, soft wood or frass that the inspection can see. A clean report means nothing visible was found, which is not the same as saying nothing is present. The scope of the report is set by the regulation.
Not for decay. The regulation limits the decay inspection to the area below the level of the first main living-area floor, although decay in the lower exterior doors, jambs, steps and porch columns is still reported. If you need the upper parts of the house inspected, ask whether a separate inspection is needed.
The report records what is visible, and a treatment is a separate step. The technician will explain what was found and what would be needed to address it. The plan and the price are explained and approved before any work begins, and you can decide how to proceed with the sale.
Buyers, sellers and closing agents usually ask for it, and lenders may too. The timing is set by the transaction and the people involved. Ask your lender and closing attorney what they require, and confirm the date before the inspection is scheduled.
Yes. Ask when you call, and the person who answers can explain what is available. The license records for this trade are held by the state department that regulates pesticide work, and most lenders and closing agents will want to see that information for the file.
A report is a snapshot of what was visible on the date of the inspection. It is not a promise about the future condition of the house. If a question comes up later, the treatment and inspection records and any signed waiver are the documents that explain what was done.