What counts as a condition conducive to infestation in Georgia?
Rule 620-6-.01(3) defines the term and then closes it. The rule says these conditions are limited to the following three, so anything outside the list is not a reportable conducive condition in Georgia:
- Cellulosic material underneath a building, meaning wood or other plant-based debris left in the crawl space or under the structure
- Wood in contact with the soil that has not been treated with preservatives to a minimum retention rate designed for ground contact
- Ventilation of the under-floor space between the bottom of the floor joists and the earth that does not meet the International Residential Code as adopted and amended by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Does a tree stump in the yard count as a conducive condition?
No. The rule covers conditions that exist in a structure, and the closed list runs to cellulosic material underneath a building, untreated wood touching soil, and under-floor ventilation. A stump standing in the lawn is none of those, so it does not belong in the conducive conditions box on the report.
Where tree work does intersect the rule is underneath the building. Buried stumps, root masses, cut limbs, scrap lumber, and form boards left in a crawl space or under a slab are cellulosic material, and that is item one on the list. Position relative to the structure is what changes the answer, not the fact that the wood came from a tree.
The enforcement rule points the same way. Rule 620-6-.07 states that correction of deviations applies only to the removal of cellulosic debris, wood to earth contact, and removal of accessible termite tunnels. Wood, and its distance from soil and structure, is the whole of what Georgia asks anyone to physically fix.
What does the Official Georgia report actually record?
The report is a one-page form prescribed by Rule 620-6-.03, and its content is fixed. Reading it in advance removes most of the confusion about what a termite letter is:
| Section of the report | What it records |
|---|---|
| Visible evidence of infestation | Active and previous infestation for exactly five organisms: subterranean termites, powder post beetles, wood boring beetles, drywood termites, and wood decaying fungi |
| Obstructed or inaccessible areas | A yes or no answer, then a list of the areas that could not be inspected |
| Conditions conducive to infestation | The conditions found at the time of inspection, with their locations marked on an attached diagram |
| Treatment and warranty | Organism, treatment date, contract expiration, treatment type, and whether the warranty transfers to a subsequent owner |
| Certification | A statement that neither the inspector nor the company has any interest in the property, signed by the Designated Certified Operator |
Does grinding a stump prevent termites?
No, and it is worth being blunt about that. Removing a stump removes one food source near the house, which reduces one part of the pressure. Preventing termites is a different claim, and it is not one that stump grinding can support in Georgia.
UGA Extension entomologist Brian Forschler puts the scale of it plainly: ten thousand termites could be feeding on a stump three feet from a house, which means at least ten of them are looking around for new food. His advice on stumps is direct, that if you have stumps in your lawn, get rid of them, and rent a grinder if you have to.
The same researcher is equally direct about the limit. He says every home landscape in Georgia has termites living in it, and calls eliminating them a pipe dream. Ninety percent of the termites he encounters in Georgia buildings are eastern subterranean termites, and Georgia sits inside what entomologists call the termite belt.
So the honest version is narrow. Removing wood near the structure takes away one attractant and is worth doing on its own merits. Protection comes from a treatment and an inspection schedule handled by a certified operator, not from a grinder.
Which wood conditions does a Georgia termite treatment have to correct?
Georgia sets minimum adequate treatment standards in Rule 620-6-.04, and the first items on that list are physical rather than chemical. The Official Waiver form the state uses to record shortfalls opens with the same three:
- Removal of all cellulosic material from underneath the building, plus any other debris that would interfere with inspection or treatment in that area
- Removal of all wooden contacts between the building and outside soil, other than wood preservative-treated for ground contact. Untreated wood must clear the soil by at least six inches
- Removal of wooden contacts between the building and inside soil, with a minimum clearance of eighteen inches between wood and soil in a crawl space
- Removal of all visible accessible termite tunnels
- Trenching and treatment of soil along foundation walls, pillars, and other supports, which is the chemical half of the standard
What does Georgia actually require, and what is only custom?
Five claims circulate widely, and only some of them survive contact with the rule text:
| Common claim | What the primary source says |
|---|---|
| A termite letter is required by Georgia law | Chapter 620-6 defines the report, prescribes its form, and restricts who may issue it, but never mandates one for a property transfer |
| Every mortgage requires one | VA requires wood-destroying insect information for the entire state of Georgia. HUD conditions the FHA requirement on evidence of infestation, a state or local mandate, local custom, or lender discretion |
| The letter is valid 30 to 90 days | Chapter 620-6 sets no expiration on the report. The 90-day figure in the rule is a free retreatment guarantee, which is a different thing. Validity windows come from the lender and the purchase contract |
| The inspection covers mold | Condition 4 on the form excludes molds and mildews and states that structural pest control companies are not responsible for inspecting for molds. The fungi line covers only white rot, brown rot, or water-conducting fungi below the first floor |
| Any inspector can write one | Rule 620-6-.03(1) says the report shall be issued only by a pest control operator certified in Wood Destroying Organisms, and the Designated Certified Operator signs it |
Related conditions in DeKalb County
Sources
- Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission, Chapter 620-6 (Wood Destroying Organisms): https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/620-6
- Full SPCC rule text and the Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report form, edition effective 4/8/2026: https://agr.georgia.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pest-control/rules-of-the-georgia-structural-pest-control-commission-20210701.pdf
- UGA Extension, Remove termite food from your home landscape: https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/news/remove-termite-food-from-your-home-landscape/
- UGA Extension, Cut down on moisture and debris around your home to help keep termites away: https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/news/cut-down-on-moisture-debris-around-your-home-to-help-keep-termites-away/
- US Department of Veterans Affairs, appraiser local requirements (Georgia, entire state): https://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/appraiser_cv_local_req.asp
- HUD Homeownership Center Reference Guide, Pest Control: https://archives.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/ref/sfhp1-23.cfm
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, structural pest control licensee lookup: https://agr.georgia.gov/structural-pest-control-search