How to Get a Texas WDI (Termite) Inspection License
A TREC home inspector license does not authorize you to perform wood destroying insect inspections in Texas. WDI inspections are regulated by the Texas Department of Agriculture through its Structural Pest Control Service, not by the Texas Real Estate Commission, and the report can only be completed by a certified applicator or technician licensed in the termite control category. That license must be held under a licensed structural pest control business — you cannot hold it independently. The practical path for most Texas home inspectors is to register as an apprentice under a sponsoring company, complete 20 hours of self-paced training video, log 40 hours of on-the-job training with a certified applicator, finish 8 hours of test prep, and pass two 50-question TDA exams. Most people finish in three to six months and are then licensed to perform WDI inspections and complete the Texas Official Wood Destroying Insect Report.
Can a TREC home inspector do termite inspections in Texas?
No — not with the home inspector license alone. This is an extremely common misunderstanding about the Texas inspection industry, and it costs inspectors real money every year in referred-away business.
Home inspection and structural pest control are governed by two different state agencies with two different licenses:
| Home inspection | WDI (termite) inspection | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) | Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), Structural Pest Control Service |
| License | Professional Real Estate Inspector / Real Estate Inspector | Technician or Certified Applicator, termite control category |
| Report | TREC Property Inspection Report (REI 7-6) | Texas Official Wood Destroying Insect Report (SPCS/T-5) |
| Held independently? | Yes | No — must be under a licensed structural pest control business |
You can hold both. Most of the inspectors licensed through WDI Science are dual-licensed TREC inspectors who added WDI so they could deliver the termite report themselves instead of subcontracting it out or losing the job to an inspector who can.
Why do you need a sponsoring company?
A termite technician license in Texas is not a standalone credential. It lives under a licensed structural pest control business, which means an individual inspector cannot simply apply to TDA and start working. Someone has to hold the business license, carry the insurance, take responsibility for compliance, and sponsor the apprentice through training.
Historically that left Texas home inspectors with two poor options. They could ask a local pest control company to license them, which usually meant becoming a lead source for that company’s treatment business. Or they could sign on with a high-volume license mill that collected a fee and offered little training, no meaningful compliance support, and no help when TDA had questions. Neither served the inspector or the inspector’s clients well. WDI Science was built specifically as a third option: a structural pest control business that does not sell treatments and exists only to license, train, insure, and support independent inspectors.
What are the steps to get a Texas WDI license?
The path from unlicensed to performing your own WDI inspections runs in five stages:
- Sign up with a sponsoring company. Your sponsor submits the apprentice paperwork to TDA and becomes the business license your future technician license sits under. With WDI Science, we handle all TDA paperwork and communication on your behalf.
- Complete 20 hours of training video. Self-paced, covering wood destroying insect identification, Texas law and regulation, treatment methods, and reporting. TDA-approved study books are shipped to your door.
- Log 40 hours of on-the-job training. Performed alongside a certified applicator. Apprentices may be present at real inspections during training, but the report itself must be completed and signed by the licensed inspector, and the apprentice is listed under “others present” in section 7B of the T-5.
- Complete 8 hours of test prep. A focused Zoom class aimed squarely at the two TDA exams rather than general industry knowledge.
- Pass the General and Category exams. Two separate 50-question tests. Once you pass, your technician license is issued under the sponsoring business and you can begin performing and signing your own WDI inspections.
How long does it take to get licensed?
Three to six months is typical. TDA allows an apprentice up to twelve months before the apprentice application has to be resubmitted, so there is room in the schedule, but most people who stay engaged finish well inside that window.
The variable that surprises people is that most of the timeline is not study time — it is scheduling. The 28 hours of video are self-paced and can be knocked out in a couple of weeks. The 40 hours of on-the-job training depend on a certified applicator having inspections for you to attend and on your own availability to attend them, which moves with the real estate market. TDA processing backlog affects both the front end (apprentice registration) and the back end (license issuance after you pass). Inspectors who treat the on-the-job hours as the bottleneck and book them aggressively finish fastest.
What is on the Texas WDI licensing exam?
The exam comes in two parts, each 50 questions:
- General exam — 50 questions. General structural pest control laws and regulations. This portion is not termite-specific; it covers the rules that apply to anyone licensed under the Structural Pest Control Service.
- Category exam — 50 questions. Wood destroying insect identification, plus the laws, treatment methods, and reporting requirements specific to the termite control category.
The reporting portion of the Category exam tracks closely to the T-5 form itself, which is why the 8 hours of test prep are built around the form rather than around textbook material.
What does a Texas WDI license cost?
Through WDI Science, the pricing is flat and there are no monthly fees:
| New license | Transfer an existing license | |
|---|---|---|
| One-time fee | $899 | $200 |
| Per report | $25 | $25 |
| Monthly fees | None | None |
| Typical time to working | 3–6 months | About 3 business days |
The one-time fee includes the training videos, TDA-approved study books, on-the-job training with a certified applicator, the test prep class, and all TDA paperwork. Coverage under our business insurance is included, so you do not need to add termite coverage to your home inspection policy — for most inspectors that alone offsets a meaningful share of the cost every year. Reporting software is included at no extra charge. Continuing education is provided at no cost to inspectors who complete at least 25 inspections in the year.
What if you are already licensed and want to transfer?
If you already hold a Texas termite technician or certified applicator license, you do not repeat any of the training. Your license moves from your current sponsoring business to the new one. Transfers through WDI Science are typically complete in about two business days, cost a one-time $200, and put you on the same $25 per-report schedule with no monthly fees. See the Currently Licensed page for details.
What happens after you are licensed?
Once licensed, you can perform WDI inspections and complete the Texas Official Wood Destroying Insect Report (Form SPCS/T-5) under your own name and license number. Two ongoing obligations follow you:
- Annual renewal and continuing education. Your license renews yearly and requires continuing education hours. WDI Science provides 8 hours of CE at no cost to inspectors completing at least 25 inspections in the year, and handles the renewal paperwork with TDA.
- Compliant reporting on every job. The T-5 has specific requirements that generate most of the compliance problems inspectors run into — a diagram is mandatory for all structures inspected, attics and crawl spaces must be inspected where accessible, corrective treatment can only be recommended on visible evidence, and the notice of inspection sticker location and date must be recorded. See Swarm Form for how our reporting software handles these.
Ready to start?
WDI Science is a licensed Texas structural pest control business (TPCL #0925450) that exists to license, train, insure, and support independent inspectors — we do not sell treatments and we do not compete with our own inspectors for work. More than 100 inspection companies hold their WDI license with us.
Start on the Get Licensed page if you are new to WDI, or the Currently Licensed page if you are transferring. Questions first? Read the FAQ or contact us.