pest-control

The CL-100 Wood Infestation Report: South Carolina Termite Letters Explained

The CL-100 termite letter that South Carolina closings require costs $100 to $250, stays valid about 30 days, and covers termites, beetles, fungi, and moisture.

The CL-100 Wood Infestation Report: South Carolina Termite Letters Explained

Three days before closing on a brick ranch outside Columbia, the lender's file comes back with one item still open: the termite letter. The buyer has never heard of it, the seller assumed the home inspection covered it, and the closing attorney will not schedule funding until it lands.

That document is the CL-100, South Carolina's official wood infestation report, and nearly every closing in the state runs through one. Lenders want written proof that the house is not being eaten before they wire several hundred thousand dollars against it.

The report itself is quick and cheap compared with everything else in a closing file. A licensed inspector can usually complete one within a few days of the call, and most charge $100 to $250 depending on the size of the house and the market.

What the CL-100 Is and Who Can Sign One

The CL-100 is a standardized state form that reports visible evidence of wood-destroying organisms in a home. It gets its name from the form number, and agents across South Carolina shorthand it as the termite letter even though it covers far more than termites.

Regulation here works differently than in most states. South Carolina's pest control industry answers to Clemson University's regulatory arm rather than a standalone state agency, and that office licenses the companies, sets the inspection standards, and handles complaints about bad reports.

Only a licensed pest control company can complete and sign a CL-100. Your home inspector, contractor, or appraiser cannot issue one no matter how experienced they are, which is why the termite letter gets ordered as its own line item during the deal.

The letter also does a different job than the general home inspection. A home inspector may note suspected damage in passing, but the CL-100 is the formal record, tied to a company's license number, that lenders and closing attorneys will accept.

What the Inspector Checks

A CL-100 inspection covers the visible, accessible parts of the structure, with extra attention on the crawl space, sills, joists, and exterior foundation. The inspector is documenting evidence of a specific list of problems, past and present.

Expect the visit to take 45 minutes to an hour on a typical single-story home. The inspector works with a flashlight, a probe for sounding wood, and a moisture meter, and a good one gets fully under the house rather than glancing in from the hatch.

The form addresses several wood-destroying organisms, and each gets its own finding:

• Subterranean termites, including any live activity, mud tubes, or old damage
• Old house borers, a beetle whose larvae tunnel through pine framing for years
• Powderpost beetles, which leave pinholes and fine powder in hardwood and joists
• Visible wood-destroying fungi growing on structural wood

Moisture gets measured, and this is where many Lowcountry homes pick up a note. Wood-destroying fungi need damp wood to spread, so inspectors take readings in the crawl space and flag sustained levels of 28 percent or higher.

Raised homes with vented crawl spaces are everywhere in Charleston and along the coast, and summer humidity pushes a lot of them near that line. A moisture note on a CL-100 does not mean the house is failing, but it does mean the condition needs correcting before fungi take hold.

Drywood termites, a headache in Florida, show up only rarely in South Carolina, which is why the form centers on subterranean species. Formosan termite finds do occur around Charleston, and inspectors flag those with extra urgency because the colonies grow much faster.

The Cost and the 30-Day Clock

Most CL-100 inspections in South Carolina run $100 to $250. Charleston and Myrtle Beach tend toward the top of that range, while Columbia and Greenville usually come in lower. Larger homes, big crawl spaces, and detached structures push any quote up.

Book early during swarm season. March through May keeps pest companies busy across the state, and a company that can turn a letter around in two days in January may need a full week in April.

Validity is the detail that catches people. Most lenders expect the report to be dated within 30 days of closing, so a letter ordered during the first week of a 60-day contract can expire before the closing table.

The practical move is to schedule the CL-100 for two to three weeks before your closing date. If the closing slips, many companies will update and re-issue a recent report for a reduced fee rather than charging for a full second inspection.

When the Report Notes Damage or Active Infestation

An adverse CL-100 does not kill a deal by itself. The form separates findings into categories, and what happens next depends on which box gets checked and what the lender requires.

Active termite infestation is the clearest case. The lender will want treatment before closing, the seller typically hires a licensed company, and the treatment invoice gets attached to the file. A liquid treatment on an average South Carolina home commonly runs $1,000 to $2,500.

Previous damage is murkier. The inspector reports what is visible but is not a structural engineer, so the form often recommends further evaluation by a qualified contractor. Lenders sometimes require that evaluation in writing before they will fund, which can add a week to the timeline.

Moisture and fungi findings usually resolve with corrective work rather than pesticide. A sealed vapor barrier, improved drainage, or a crawl space dehumidifier commonly runs $1,500 to $4,000 in a coastal crawl space, and the two sides work out who pays like any other repair item.

Ask for documentation on anything that gets corrected. A re-issued CL-100 or a treatment warranty in the file protects you at resale, since the next buyer's inspector will see the same old damage and ask the same questions.

Who Pays and When to Order It

The buyer pays for the CL-100 in most South Carolina deals, since the report protects the buyer and satisfies the buyer's lender. It often gets bundled into the closing file alongside the appraisal and survey, and some closing attorneys will order it for you if asked.

Sellers sometimes order one early instead, especially on older Columbia or Greenville homes where a surprise finding could derail a contract. A pre-listing letter costs the same $100 to $250 and gives the seller time to treat or repair on their own schedule.

Myrtle Beach and the other beach markets add a wrinkle. Many homes there are second properties, and out-of-state sellers can be slow to arrange access, so build a few extra days into the schedule when the crawl space needs a lockbox code or a property manager.

Order the inspection during your due diligence window, at the same time you book the general home inspection. That sequencing gives you time to negotiate repairs while you can still walk away, and our termite and pest articles cover what those treatments cost across the state.

One more note on the Upstate. Greenville and the rest of the Piedmont see less termite pressure than the coast, but old house borers and powderpost beetles show up in older framing there often enough that skipping the letter on a cash deal is a gamble.

Reading the Finished Report

The signed CL-100 is short, usually two pages, and every section matters. It identifies the structures inspected, lists each organism category with a finding, and notes any areas the inspector could not access.

Findings appear as checkboxes with short comments, so ask your agent or attorney to walk you through anything unclear. The comment lines are where inspectors pin down locations, like a damaged sill along the rear pier line, and those specifics are what you use when requesting repairs.

Inaccessible areas deserve a hard look. A report that excludes half the crawl space because of standing water or storage tells you less than a clean report on a fully accessible home, and lenders sometimes ask for reinspection once access is cleared.

Keep the letter with your closing documents after the deal is done. If you sell within a few years, the old report gives the next inspector a baseline, and if a dispute ever comes up about when damage occurred, the dated form is your evidence. For more South Carolina guidance before and after the purchase, the latest buying guides on the blog are a good next stop.

Frequently Asked Questions About the CL-100

How long is a CL-100 valid?

Most lenders accept a report dated within 30 days of closing, so treat that as the working window. Companies in Charleston and Columbia often update a recent report for $50 to $100 if your closing date moves.

Can a house fail a CL-100?

No. The form has no pass or fail grade, it only records findings. A report noting old beetle damage in a 1940s Greenville bungalow can still close on time if the lender accepts a contractor's evaluation.

Is the CL-100 required by South Carolina law?

No statute requires one for a sale. Lenders drive the requirement, which is why nearly every financed deal in the state includes the letter while some cash buyers skip it.

Who fixes problems the report finds?

That is negotiated like any repair. In practice, sellers usually pay for active infestation treatment, which runs about $1,000 to $2,500, while moisture corrections get split or traded against other repair requests.

What if the seller already has a termite bond?

The bonding company can usually issue the CL-100, often at a discount since they already know the property. Ask whether the bond transfers to you at closing, because transfer fees in South Carolina typically run $50 to $150.

Does a condo need a CL-100?

Lenders often waive it for units above ground level, but ground-floor units and townhomes with slab or crawl space contact usually need one. Expect the same $100 to $250 price as a small house.