Whole-structure tent fumigation for drywood termites, explained step by step, with California's Branch 1 rules and re-entry notices.
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Termite fumigation covers the whole house with a tent and fills it with gas so drywood termites hidden inside the wood are killed. In California it is a separate licence branch, Branch 1, with a supervising licensee on site. Sacramento Pest Control connects Sacramento callers with a local technician and explains the price before any work.
Drywood termites live entirely inside dry wood, with no soil contact, so a spot treatment can miss the colonies tucked into framing, eaves and attic timbers. UC IPM states that fumigation and whole-house heating are the only options that ensure eradication in an entire structure. That is why a termite report that finds drywood activity in several places often ends with a recommendation to tent the house.
Fumigation is also the one pest service in California that is regulated as its own licence. The Structural Pest Control Board, part of the Department of Consumer Affairs, treats fumigation as Branch 1, separate from general pest work and from termite work done with insecticides or repairs. Sacramento Pest Control is a 24/7 call line that connects you with a local pest technician, so you can ask the questions below and get the price explained and approved before anything starts.
Because the fumigants are poisonous gases. Under the Structural Pest Control Act, Branch 1 covers control of household and wood-destroying pests by fumigation with poisonous or lethal gases. A person qualified only for general pest work or the termite branch is not qualified for the gas work.
Licences are limited to the branch the person qualified for by examination. Branch 2 covers household pests without fumigation, and Branch 3 covers wood-destroying pests by insecticides or structural repairs, excluding fumigation. Every pest control company must be registered with the Board and have an Operator as its qualifying manager.
An Applicator, the entry-level licence, cannot inject fumigation gases. Fumigation must be under the direct, personal supervision of a Branch 1 Operator or Field Representative, who is present for the release, the start of ventilation and the release for occupancy.
Warning signs must read DANGER--FUMIGATION, show a skull and crossbones, name the fumigant, state the injection date and time, and give the registered company's name, address and phone. The Occupant Fumigation Notice tells people and animals to vacate, and no one re-enters until the re-entry notice is posted.
Sulfuryl fluoride is a California restricted material and a federal Restricted Use Pesticide, according to the Department of Pesticide Regulation. That is why the process has signs, a notice and a supervising licensee instead of a simple spray.
The Sacramento County Agricultural Commissioner enforces pesticide law locally under the state department and registers pest-control businesses annually, so the county office is a local point of contact for pesticide questions.
Use Verify a License on the Structural Pest Control Board website, pestboard.ca.gov. It leads to the Department of Consumer Affairs License Search, where you choose Structural Pest Control Board and search by name, business name or licence number. The Board's Enforcement Unit at (800) 737-8188 can say whether a company is registered.
Ask the company which Operator is its qualifying manager and which Branch 1 licensee will supervise your house. Ask to see the Occupant Fumigation Notice before the day, and read the preparation instructions in full. These are normal questions, and a good company expects them.
If you are comparing quotes, ask each company for the same things in writing: the fumigant, the exposure period, the preparation instructions and who supervises the release.
Yes, a termite inspection report is usually the first step. A Wood Destroying Pests and Organisms Inspection Report records evidence in visible and accessible areas and gives recommendations. Areas the report could not reach may be flagged for further inspection, which can change whether fumigation or a localized treatment is recommended.
In California the address of each inspected property must be reported to the Board on its form no later than 10 business days after an inspection begins or work is completed. Our termite inspection report service and the guide to California termite reports explain the sections and what each finding means.
It is reasonable to ask what area the report could not inspect before agreeing to tent. A tent cannot reach rot or subterranean activity that needs repairs or soil work, so fumigation is one part of a larger plan, not the whole of it.
Never enter a tented or posted house, remove a warning sign or open the tarps, even if the tent looks quiet. The gas is poisonous, and no one may go back in until the company posts the re-entry notice. Follow the Occupant Fumigation Notice, and keep pets and plants out as it directs.
A technician looks at visible and accessible areas, identifies the termite from the pellets and galleries, and says whether fumigation, a localized treatment or something else fits. The price is explained before you decide.
You receive an Occupant Fumigation Notice and Pesticide Disclosure that says people and animals must vacate. The company explains how to prepare the house, which typically covers food, plants and utilities, and which items need special handling.
The structure is covered with vinyl-coated nylon tarps, sealed at the ground, and the gas is released. California requires a Branch 1 Operator or Field Representative to supervise personally while the gas is introduced.
After the exposure period the tent is removed and the house is ventilated. The supervising licensee must be present when ventilation starts and when the house is released for occupancy.
No one goes back in until the company posts its re-entry notice. Afterward you receive a written service report that records what was done and when.
The house is sealed under a tent and treated with a gas fumigant, usually sulfuryl fluoride. According to UC IPM the gas kills drywood termites in several days, and monitored fumigation has the highest success rate. Occupants and pets are out from about six hours to a week.
UC IPM lists heat as the other approach that can treat an entire structure. The wood is brought to a lethal temperature instead of using gas. It suits some homes, but not every house is a good candidate, so ask the technician what applies to yours.
Small, accessible colonies can sometimes be treated in place with drill-and-inject products or foams. UC IPM does not rank these as ensuring eradication throughout a structure, so they are best for a limited finding, and re-inspection is wise.
Fumigation cost depends on the size of the house, the number of stories and the access around it. The figures below are typical ranges from published sources, not Sacramento quotes. The two Fixr rows are California figures.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Fumigation with tenting (typical national range) | $2,000 to $8,000 | HomeGuide |
| Whole-home fumigation, upper end | up to $8,000 | Angi |
| Tenting or fumigation in California | $1.30 to $4.35 per sq ft | Fixr, California page |
| Tentless termite treatment in California | $3.36 to $18.40 per linear ft | Fixr, California page |
| Termite inspection (typical national range) | $75 to $150 | HomeGuide |
Estimates only, not Sacramento quotes. The technician explains your exact price on site, and you approve it before any treatment starts.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Sacramento's drywood termites swarm late in the year. UC IPM and vendor summaries place their flights from August into November, which falls in the hottest, driest weeks of the Sacramento Valley, long before the first autumn rain brings out subterranean swarms. A pile of shed wings on a window sill in September points toward drywood termites, while wings after the first November rain point toward subterranean termites.
Vendor pages say subterranean termites are the more common type in Sacramento, with drywood termites also present. That means a house may need more than one answer: fumigation for drywood in the framing, and soil-contact work for subterranean activity near the foundation. See termite control for that side.
Plan for the vacating step with Sacramento's weather in mind. A week away can fall in the August and September heat, so arranging pets, plants and a place to stay early matters more than the tent itself. Homes in Curtis Park, Land Park and East Sacramento date from the 1920s and 1930s, and their attics and eaves are worth including whenever a report flags further inspection.
Subterranean and drywood termite treatment for Sacramento homes, with inspection first and the price approved before work starts.
A California termite inspection report covers visible and accessible areas, is filed with the state Board and explains what to do next.
Inspection and treatment under older raised-floor homes for subterranean termites, rodents, ants and the moisture that feeds them.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Published figures put an average one-time pest control service at $200 to $600, with ongoing plans at $100 to $300 per quarterly visit or $40 to $70 per monthly visit.
A California Wood Destroying Pests and Organisms Inspection Report records evidence of termites, fungus and dryrot in the visible and accessible areas of a structure, with recommendations for correction.
Older Sacramento homes in Curtis Park, Land Park and East Sacramento often have raised floors, and the space beneath them is where soil moisture, wood and old plumbing meet.
UC IPM says occupants and pets stay out from six hours to a week, depending on the method. With sulfuryl fluoride the gas needs several days to kill drywood termites, then the house is ventilated. The company gives your exact dates in writing, and you stay out until the re-entry notice is posted.
No. The gas fills the entire tented structure, and the notice requires people and animals to vacate. There is no safe room inside a fumigated house. You can ask the company for the preparation sheet early, so you can arrange a hotel or family stay before the date is set.
Fumigation kills the termites present when the gas is released, but it leaves no lasting barrier. New drywood termite swarms can land on the house in later seasons. Sealing wood, fixing moisture and having the house re-inspected at sensible intervals are the follow-up steps the technician may suggest.
No. Spot treatments inject products into known galleries, and tentless approaches use foams or dusts, while fumigation treats the whole structure. UC IPM lists only fumigation and whole-house heating as ensuring eradication in the entire structure, so the technician compares them based on how widespread the finding is.
The company's preparation instructions cover this, and you should follow them exactly. Items such as food and medicine that are not in sealed containers designed for the purpose typically have to be removed or specially bagged. Ask for the instructions as early as possible, because preparing a whole house takes time.
A report lists findings such as drywood termites, subterranean termites, fungus or dryrot, and further-inspection items, and recommends corrections. It covers visible and accessible areas only, so hidden infestations may exist. If you doubt a recommendation, you can ask the company manager first, then the Board at (800) 737-8188.