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Is my pest control quote complete?

Check that your pest control quote names the target pests, the rooms and outdoor areas treated, the first visit and the recurring schedule, re-service and cancellation terms and the products used, and whether termite or fumigation work is excluded, because Florida's definition of general household pest control leaves out both.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.021, Definitions, read 15 October 2026.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 15 October 2026

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Key facts

What should a written pest control quote list?

Ask for a written pest control quote that names each target pest, such as ants, cockroaches, spiders or rodents, lists the rooms, garage, attic and outside perimeter it treats, and separates the initial visit from the recurring schedule, with the visit frequency, the treatment method and a start date.

  1. Target pests: Which pests does the service cover by name, and are bed bugs, fleas, wasp nests, mosquitoes or wildlife marked as included, extra or excluded?
  2. Inside areas: Which rooms are treated on the first visit, and do recurring visits come inside every time, only on request, or not at all?
  3. Outside areas: Does the exterior treatment cover the foundation perimeter, eaves, door and window frames, the lanai or pool cage and the garage, and how far out from the walls?
  4. Visits: What does the initial service include, how many recurring visits a year follow it, and at what interval, such as monthly, every other month or quarterly?
  5. Method: Does the plan use sprays, baits, dusts, granules or traps in each area, and where would bait stations or traps sit in and around your home?
  6. Rodents: If rodents are listed, does the quote separate trapping from sealing entry points, and who checks the traps and removes what they catch, on which visits?

Florida Statutes s. 482.021(11), read 15 October 2026, states: "“General household pest control” means pest control with respect to any structure, not including fumigation or pest control with respect to termites and other wood-destroying organisms." Use that boundary when you read the quote: if a bidder adds a termite treatment or tenting, ask for it as a separate line with its own written terms.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.021, Definitions, read 15 October 2026.

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Which items are often left out?

Start with the items a pest control quote can skip: return visits when pests come back between treatments, preparation and re-entry instructions, product names and label safety information, rodent exclusion work, trap removal, and a written exclusion for termites. Ask the bidder to answer each one in writing as included, extra or not offered.

Ask what happens if pests come back between scheduled visits. A quote can say whether a callback is part of the plan, how soon a technician returns after you ask, whether a callback treats the inside or only the outside, and whether the plan lapses when a scheduled visit is missed.

Ask for the preparation and re-entry instructions in writing before the first visit: which kitchen cabinets to empty, whether pets, birds or a fish tank need to be moved or covered, and how long people and pets stay out of treated rooms. Keep those instructions with the quote so every bidder answers the same questions.

Section 482.2265(1) of the Florida Statutes, read 15 October 2026, states: "Any person, partnership, firm, corporation, or other business entity that is licensed or certified under this chapter to engage in the business of pest control, or any other person who is a limited certificateholder under this chapter, shall, upon request, provide a customer of its pest control services with the following information:"

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.2265, Consumer information; notice of application of pesticide, read 15 October 2026.

Item (c) of that list reads: "The common or brand name of the pesticide to be used and the common name of the active ingredient in that pesticide."

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.2265, Consumer information; notice of application of pesticide, read 15 October 2026.

Item (d) of that list reads: "Appropriate safety information pertaining to the pesticide product to be used, as provided on the label for that product." Ask each bidder to give those answers for every product in your quote, so the product lines can be read side by side.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.2265, Consumer information; notice of application of pesticide, read 15 October 2026.

If the same agreement also covers termites, read the termite part on its own. Ask whether your household pest agreement and any termite agreement are separate documents, and which one each visit falls under.

Ask what happens to a recurring agreement if the company is sold. Florida Administrative Code rule 5E-14.142(8), read 15 October 2026, states: "When a licensee acquires and becomes responsible for the pest control contracts of another licensee or former licensee he shall give written notice to all such contract holders within thirty (30) days, and shall furnish the Department with a list of the individual contracts acquired, or if applicable, a statement that all contracts of the other licensee or former licensee have been acquired." Ask how you could end the agreement after such a transfer.

Source: Florida Administrative Code rule 5E-14.142, read 15 October 2026.

What should the payment terms say?

Check that the payment schedule in your pest control quote separates the initial service from the recurring visits, says when each visit is billed, whether a callback between visits is billed separately, whether the agreement renews on its own, and how much written notice ends it.

Ask whether the quote expects a year of visits paid ahead, a charge after each visit, or an automatic monthly or quarterly charge, and what happens to visits you have already paid for if you cancel or move. Ask that any added treatment, such as a bed bug or wasp-nest job, be written as a change order you approve before the technician starts.

Section 482.1821 of the Florida Statutes, read 15 October 2026, states: "A licensee may not close its pest control business and open up a new pest control business under a different name without providing for meeting or satisfying its outstanding pest control contracts and liabilities."

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.1821, read 15 October 2026.

The next sentence of that section states: "However, the department may waive this requirement if the licensee has filed for bankruptcy and reached agreement with its creditors on the terms for disposing of existing debts and obligations." Read both sentences in full before you pay for months of service ahead, and ask the bidder how prepaid visits are recorded on your account.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.1821, read 15 October 2026.

Does the quote say who pulls the permit?

Ask the bidder to state in writing whether any permit applies to your pest control job and, if one does, who applies for it. Ask also which business location, which operator in charge and which technician would appear on the service record for your home.

Section 482.0815(1) of the Florida Statutes, read 15 October 2026, states: "A licensee must have a permit to perform preventive termite treatments for new construction, except for preventive termite treatments on additions to existing structures for which the licensee has a current termite treatment contract." If your quote includes termite work on an addition or a new building, ask which permit and termite contract that line relies on.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.0815, read 15 October 2026.

Section 482.091(2)(b) states: "The identification card shall be carried on the employee’s person while performing or soliciting pest control and shall be presented on demand to the person for whom pest control is being performed or solicited, to any inspector of the department, or to any of such other persons as are designated by the rules of the department." You can ask the technician who arrives at your door to show that card.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.091, Employee identification cards, read 15 October 2026.

If the quote adds a lawn or shrub treatment, section 482.2265(2) states: "Any person who is licensed or certified under this chapter, including any person who is a limited certificateholder, shall post a notice in a conspicuous location at the time of application of a pesticide to a lawn or to exterior foliage." Ask which business name the posted notice would carry, and whether the lawn work is done by the same company.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 482.2265, Consumer information; notice of application of pesticide, read 15 October 2026.

The FDACS Licensing and Certification page, read 15 October 2026, lists among its requirements for each structural pest control business location: "Employ full-time a Florida-certified operator in charge of the pest control operations of the business location." Ask each bidder which business location would serve your home.

Source: FDACS Pest Control Licensing and Certification, read 15 October 2026.

FDACS describes its Pest Control Database Search this way: "Search for licensed applicators, dealers, pest control companies, available and completed CEU classes, earned CEUs and exam scores." Any lookup you make there is optional and shows the public record on the day you search.

Source: FDACS Pest Control, read 15 October 2026.

What should my request include?

Describe the pests you have seen, where and when, in one written scope: rooms, garage, attic, lanai and yard perimeter, plus pets, children, a fish tank or any allergies the technician should plan around. Add a photograph of droppings, damage, nests, entry gaps and any bait stations already in place.

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How can I compare it with other written quotes?

Compare pest control quotes line by line: the same target pests, the same inside and outside areas, the initial visit, the recurring frequency, callback terms, named products, preparation instructions and the cancellation notice. Ask a bidder whose written scope leaves out or changes a line to answer it in writing before you choose.

  1. Pests: Does each quote cover the same pests, or does one treat rodents or a particular insect as an extra?
  2. Frequency: Does each quote state the same number of recurring visits a year, and does each visit include the inside?
  3. Callbacks: Does each quote say whether a return visit between scheduled services is included, and how soon it happens?
  4. Products: Does each quote name its products, or say the bidder will list them on request?
  5. Term: Does each quote state the length of the agreement, any automatic renewal and the written notice needed to end it?

Keep a termite, lawn or mosquito add-on as a separate option, so the comparison stays on the same household pest service. If a bidder points out an area you missed, such as an attic or a detached shed, add it to the written scope and send that version to every bidder.

When the pests, treated areas and visit schedule are settled, use the same written scope when requesting competing written responses.

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Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 15 October 2026.

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