How to Read a Florida WDO Inspection Report

FDACS-13645 (“Wood-Destroying Organisms Inspection Report”) is the mandatory state form for Florida WDO inspections tied to real estate. Under s. 482.226, Florida Statutes, a licensed company that inspects a property for WDOs in a real estate transaction and charges a fee must report the findings on the form the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services prescribes — and Rule 5E-14.142, Florida Administrative Code, prescribes exactly this form. Current revision: Rev. 05/21; the blank form is public (FDACS-13645 PDF).

Standardization means every Florida WDO report — Pensacola to Key West — reads the same way. Lenders and title agents skim two things: the findings boxes in Section 2 and the inaccessible list in Section 3. Read all five sections; the statute also makes the company keep a copy for at least three years.

1. 1

   Section 1 — General Information

   Who inspected what, for whom: the company name and business license number, the inspector’s name and FDACS identification card number, the inspection date, the property address, which structures the inspection covered (“main residence and attached garage only” excludes the detached shed), and who requested and receives the report.

2. 2

   Section 2 — Inspection Findings

   Opens with the consumer disclaimer — the report covers what was visible and readily accessible on the inspection date and is not a guarantee of the absence of WDOs. Then one of two paths: box A, no visible signs of WDOs, or box B with up to three finding types: 1. Live WDOs, 2. Evidence (dead insects or parts, frass, shelter tubes, exit holes), 3. Damage — each with the organism’s common name and location.

3. 3

   Section 3 — Obstructions and Inaccessible Areas

   Everything the inspector could not see, by zone — attic, interior, exterior, crawlspace, other — with specific areas and reasons: insulation over attic wood, furniture against walls, vegetation hiding the foundation, wrapped eaves. The form gives no information for these areas, and on real Florida reports this section is rarely empty.

4. 4

   Section 4 — Notice of Inspection and Treatment Information

   Two disclosures. Whether the inspector saw evidence of previous treatment — drill holes in slab joints, old treatment stickers — with the caveat that the treating company, not the inspecting one, holds the history and any warranty. And where the notice-of-inspection sticker went (commonly the electrical panel or attic access), plus details if this company treated the structure at inspection time: organism, pesticide, whole-structure or spot.

5. 5

   Section 5 — Comments and Financial Disclosure

   Free-text comments — conducive conditions like vegetation against the wall or moisture at grade, and recommendations such as keeping the home under a termite protection contract. It closes with the signed statement that neither company nor inspector has any financial interest in the property or the transaction.

The four finding types carry different weight with lenders. The form defines a WDO as “an arthropod or plant life which damages and can reinfest seasoned wood in a structure, namely, termites, powder post beetles, old house borers, and wood-decaying fungi” — any of those groups can appear in any finding.

Two clarifications buyers ask about constantly. Drywood termite evidence — pellet-like frass under tiny kickout holes — is a finding, not automatically an active infestation; see what inspectors photograph in drywood termite evidence. And soft, darkened wood is not always termites: wood-decaying fungi cause similar-looking damage on the same form — wood rot vs termite damage.

Section 3 is where clear reports go to die quietly. The form only vouches for what was visible: with insulation over the attic deck, boxes along garage walls, and aluminum-wrapped fascia, a report can be technically clear while most of the home’s wood went unseen. Not inspector laziness — the nature of a visual inspection, stated on the form.

• Buyers: read Section 3 before celebrating box A. If key zones were blocked, ask the seller to clear access and re-inspect the specific area — targeted re-checks are quick and cheap relative to the risk.
• Sellers: pull stored items away from garage and closet walls before the inspection. Shrinking Section 3 makes the clear report you’re hoping for actually mean something.
• Everyone: a short, honest Section 3 beats a suspiciously spotless report — the disclaimer language is the same on both.

The form itself has no expiration date — it certifies conditions on the inspection date only, and that applies equally to the clear version agents casually call the “termite letter.” Shelf life comes from whoever relies on it: VA guidance treats wood-destroying insect reports as valid for 90 days (VA SAR training, benefits.va.gov), FHA uses the same 90-day standard (HUD HOC reference guide), and conventional lenders commonly ask for 30–90 days. If closing slips past the window, the fix is a re-inspection — priced on the cost page — not a new negotiation.

A clear report goes into the loan file — done. Findings start a short, well-worn workflow that, on a financed purchase, must finish before the closing date (agents: see ordering against the contract timeline).

1. 1

   Scope it

   Match the finding to the response: live activity points to treatment by a licensed pest control company; damage points to a contractor or engineer for repair scope (the WDO report deliberately gives no structural opinion). Treatment is a separate service with its own budget — get more than one quote before the negotiation step.

2. 2

   Negotiate it

   Findings become a repair addendum: who pays for treatment or repairs, seller credit versus price reduction versus seller-completed work. VA note — repairs required by the Notice of Value must actually be completed before the loan closes; the veteran may pay for them under Circular 26-22-11, though VA encourages negotiating them to the seller.

3. 3

   Re-inspect and clear it

   After the work, a licensed company re-inspects and issues a fresh FDACS-13645 with no live activity or untreated evidence — the “clearance letter” your lender wants. Keep both reports; the pair documents the finding and its resolution for future buyers.

• Frass — insect droppings. Drywood termite frass looks like small, hard, six-sided pellets that pile up like coarse sand or coffee grounds below infested wood.
• Kickout holes — pinholes drywood termites cut to push frass out of their galleries; a fresh pile below one is classic “evidence.”
• Shelter tubes (mud tubes) — pencil-width soil tunnels subterranean termites build across foundations and walls to travel between soil and wood.
• Conducive conditions — situations that invite WDOs without being findings: wood-to-soil contact, moisture at the foundation, vegetation against the structure. Inspectors flag them in comments.
• Clearance letter / termite letter — informal names for a clear FDACS-13645: “clearance letter” usually means the follow-up report after treatment or repairs, “termite letter” any clear WDO report a lender accepts.
• Notice of inspection — the dated sticker the company affixes to the structure (electrical panel, attic access) recording that a WDO inspection occurred.