New Construction Termite Pretreatment FAQ – Orlando, FL
- Is a termite pretreatment legally required when building a new home in Florida? Yes. The Florida Building Code requires every new structure to receive a termite pretreatment before construction is signed off, and your builder must supply a termite treatment certificate once the work is done.
- What pretreatment methods are approved for new construction in the Orlando area? The most common approach is a soil treatment: a technician applies an EPA- and Florida Department of Agriculture-approved termiticide to the soil beneath the slab before the concrete pour. Where a soil treatment isn’t practical, Bora-Care wood treatments and termite baiting/monitoring systems are approved alternatives.
- Does my new-construction termite treatment come with a warranty? Yes. State law requires the company that performs the pretreatment to include a one-year retreatment warranty starting on the treatment date. You can renew that warranty annually for a minimum of four years, but if a renewal payment is missed, the warranty lapses and your termite protection ends with it.
- When during the build does the soil treatment happen? The best window is after the foundation is graded and while the soil beneath the future slab is still exposed. Code sets the application rate at roughly 1 gallon of termiticide per 10 square feet of open soil, with a heavier 4 gallons per 10 linear feet (per foot of depth) required along walls, piers, pipe penetrations, and other critical areas like slab expansion joints.
- If Bora-Care is used instead of a soil treatment, when is it applied? Bora-Care goes on during the dried-in phase of construction, sprayed directly onto exposed wood, concrete, and foundation penetrations in a single application. Once treated, termites can’t feed on or tunnel across the wood.
- When is a termite baiting system installed on a new build? Baiting and monitoring stations go in after landscaping is complete, spaced around the exterior perimeter of the structure.
- When should I schedule my pretreatment, and who handles it in Orlando? Schedule the treatment once your plumbing inspection is finished and the slab has been graded — it has to happen before the concrete is poured. Envirosafe Pest Control of Orlando provides pre-construction termite protection throughout Central Florida; call 407-580-7124 and one of our termite inspectors will help you set up coverage and walk through your options.
