Georgia WIIR Checklist: Termite & Wood-Destroying Organism Diligence for Atlanta Buyers

Georgia’s Official Wood Infestation Inspection Report — often called a WIIR or casually a “termite letter” — is the state-mandated written instrument for reporting evidence of wood-destroying organisms when real property changes hands. Under Georgia Rules & Regulations Chapter 620-6, only a pest control operator certified in Wood Destroying Organisms may issue it, and Georgia’s Structural Pest Control Commission has confirmed it is the only form permitted for property transfer in this state — including when lenders would otherwise expect a national NPMA-33 form.

For Atlanta-area buyers, that means WDO diligence is not an optional nicety. It is a Georgia-specific closing document with defined organisms, defined “conditions conducive to infestation,” and a built-in 90-day treatment guarantee when apparent freedom is certified. This article is process education for homebuyers. It is not legal advice, not pest-control advice, and not a substitute for a licensed Georgia WDO inspector, home inspector, or real estate attorney. Confirm findings and next steps with those professionals.

What the WIIR actually covers

The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Official WIIR Fact Sheet (SPCS 14-10) explains that the report is the written instrument for reporting evidence of wood-destroying organisms and conditions conducive to their infestation. Inspection findings on the official form address visible evidence of active or previous infestation for five categories:

• Subterranean termites
• Powder post beetles
• Wood boring beetles
• Drywood termites
• Wood decaying fungi (not mold and mildews)

The form itself states that reporting of wood-decaying fungi is intended to cover white rot, brown rot, or water-conducting fungi infestations below the first floor level — and that structural pest control companies are not responsible for inspecting for molds. That boundary matters: a clear WIIR is not a mold survey, and a home inspection or moisture specialist may still be needed if you see staining, musty odors, or damp materials.

Scope also matters. Attached decks or enclosed porches contiguous with the main structure are part of the inspection. Detached structures (for example a garage or pool house) are included only if listed. Fencing is generally not part of the structure unless attached, in which case the attachment point must be inspected.

Who can issue it — and what must appear

Only a licensed pest control company licensed in the wood-destroying organisms category may issue a Georgia WIIR. A technician certified or registered in that category may perform the inspection, but the Designated Certified Operator for the WDO category must sign the certification. Signature by another individual is unacceptable under the fact sheet guidance.

Required fields include company identity and license number, date of issuance, seller and purchaser names, property address, inspector name, findings for each covered organism, obstructed or inaccessible areas, conducive conditions, treatment history when applicable, and whether any Official Waiver form exists. If visible evidence of infestation is reported, a diagram locating that evidence must be attached in plain language a homeowner can follow.

Buyers should also read the treatment and warranty section: whether a current treatment contract exists, whether it is transferable, treatment type, and whether an Official Waiver is attached. Prior treatments may still need disclosure within the company’s record-retention rules.

The 90-day guarantee buyers should understand

Rule 620-6-.03 is explicit: the Official Georgia WIIR carries a guarantee that if an infestation of wood-destroying organisms from which apparent freedom was certified is found within ninety (90) days from the date of issuance, the licensee must treat the infested structure free of charge, subject to the minimum adequate treatment standards in the rules for the organism found. Georgia Department of Agriculture guidance states that this guarantee cannot be altered.

Two buyer takeaways follow from the official text:

1. Timing relative to closing. Lenders often want a report dated close to closing; the statutory guarantee clock runs from the issuance date. Ask your agent and lender what window they require for your loan type, then schedule the WDO inspection accordingly — without inventing a fee or a universal calendar rule that is not in the statute.
2. Treatment is not the same as repair. The guarantee focuses on required treatment. The official form states that evaluation of damage and corrective action should be performed by a qualified building-trade inspector approved by the purchaser and lending agency. Do not assume free retreatment repairs structural damage.

Known conducive conditions that existed at inspection, were not reported, and are found within 90 days shall be corrected free of charge by the licensee — but only for the narrowly defined conducive conditions in the rules.

Conditions conducive to infestation (and why crawl spaces show up)

Chapter 620-6 defines “conditions conducive to infestation” narrowly. Reportable conducive conditions on a WIIR are limited to:

• Cellulosic material underneath a building
• Wood in contact with the soil that has not been treated with preservatives to a minimum retention designed for ground contact
• Under-floor (crawl space) ventilation that does not meet the International Residential Building Code standard as adopted and amended by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs

The fact sheet translates those into practical inspection notes: earth-to-wood contact (siding, crawl-space doors, form boards, decks, stair stringers — with limited exceptions for properly rated ground-contact treated wood), insufficient crawl-space ventilation, and wood debris in the crawl space. Those conditions must be indicated on the attached diagram when found.

That is why Atlanta buyers with crawl-space foundations should treat moisture and debris as diligence items alongside insects. The U.S. EPA’s Mold Course notes that crawl spaces with high relative humidity — especially with bare earth floors — are common sites of hidden mold growth, and that moisture can migrate into living spaces through cracks. Use EPA guidance as moisture context, not as a substitute for the WIIR: the Georgia form does not cover mold the way a moisture specialist would.

FHA, VA, and why Georgia will not accept NPMA-33 for transfers

Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission Notice 15-01 clarifies HUD’s acceptance of Georgia’s state-mandated form. When a wood-destroying insect inspection report is required for an existing property seeking FHA or VA insured financing, many states use NPMA-33. HUD Mortgagee Letter 95-33 directs that if a state has a mandated wood infestation form, that state form must be used. Because Georgia rules require that only the Official Georgia WIIR be issued for transfer of real property, Notice 15-01 confirms it is the only form permitted to be issued in Georgia for that purpose.

For Atlanta buyers on FHA, VA, or other paths that request a WDO report: expect the Georgia WIIR, not a substitute national form. Coordinate early with your lender and agent so the correct licensed company is ordered inside your inspection window.

A calm Atlanta buyer checklist

Use this as a conversation list with your agent — not as a DIY inspection:

1. Confirm a Georgia WIIR will be ordered from a company licensed in wood-destroying organisms, not a generic out-of-state form.
2. Ask who pays and who orders under your contract (customary practice varies; get it in writing in the purchase agreement).
3. Schedule inside your inspection contingency and ask your lender what issuance-date window they need before closing.
4. Read all five organism lines for active and previous evidence — not only “termites.”
5. Review obstructed or inaccessible areas listed on the report (insulation, storage, sealed cavities). Areas not inspected are not certified clear.
6. Study the diagram whenever evidence is marked. Match diagram locations to the narrative findings.
7. Note conducive conditions — wood-to-soil contact, crawl-space debris, insufficient ventilation — and ask what remediation looks like before you waive contingencies.
8. Ask whether a current treatment contract or Official Waiver is disclosed and whether any warranty is transferable.
9. Separate treatment from repair. If previous or active infestation is noted, budget for a qualified structural evaluation approved by you and your lender.
10. Keep moisture questions on a parallel track with your home inspector (grading, gutters, standing water, vapor barrier condition) using EPA moisture awareness — without treating the WIIR as a mold clearance.

How this fits the rest of JAR due diligence

WIIR review sits beside radon testing, lead-paint disclosure for older homes, septic evaluation where applicable, and flood-risk diligence — topics John Adams Realty has already walked through for Atlanta buyers. None of those reports replaces another. A clear WIIR does not answer floodplain questions; a flood check does not speak to subterranean termites.

If findings raise price, credit, or repair questions, decide with your agent whether you want seller remediation, a credit, further inspection, or a walk-away under your contingency rights. Confirm any treatment or repair plan with licensed Georgia professionals and, when contracts are involved, with your attorney.

Official next step

Start with Georgia Rules Chapter 620-6 for the legal definition of the Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report and the 90-day guarantee: https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/620-6

Then read the Georgia Department of Agriculture / Structural Pest Control Commission Official WIIR Fact Sheet (SPCS 14-10) for what must appear on the form and who may sign it: https://agr.georgia.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pest-control/spcc-notice-14-10-official-georgia-wood-infestation-inspection-report-factsheet.pdf

If your loan may require a WDO report for FHA or VA, keep Notice 15-01 handy so your team orders the Georgia form, not NPMA-33: https://agr.georgia.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pest-control/spcc-notice-15-01-official-georgia-wiir-for-hud-and-va-mortgages.pdf

For crawl-space moisture context that sits beside — not inside — the WIIR fungi findings, EPA’s Mold Course Chapter 2 is a clear public primer: https://www.epa.gov/mold/mold-course-chapter-2

If you are buying in the Atlanta metro and want help sequencing WIIR timing with your inspection window, reach out to John Adams Realty. We help you ask the right process questions; a licensed Georgia WDO company issues the report, and official Georgia and EPA pages remain the source of truth.