Pest Control Inspection Checklist (Free, Room by Room)

Attila, founder of PestShiftLast updated: November 11, 202611 min read

Old hand tools and work gloves on a wooden surface — Wood Tools by Todd Quackenbush · CC CC0

A pest control inspection checklist is the walk-through a technician follows at a property before deciding what to treat: the exterior, each room inside, the attic, crawl space or basement, the garage, and the conditions that invite pests in. Work it in the same order every time, record what you find with a photo, and the treatment decision almost makes itself. The full checklist is below, ready to copy.

This post is about inspecting the property. If you came here because a state inspector is coming to look at your records, you want the pest control record audit instead. And if you are after the one-page summary you leave with the customer afterwards, that is the service report template. The inspection checklist is what feeds both.

Why use a written inspection checklist?

Habit skips things on a hot afternoon, and a new hire has no habit yet. A written checklist does three jobs:

It makes every inspection the same. The fourth stop gets the same look as the first.
It produces evidence. A finding written down at the property, with a photo, is what you point to when a customer calls back. The guide to pest control callbacks explains why the first visit's notes decide most callback arguments.
It trains people. A checklist is the fastest way to teach a new technician what "a good inspection" means at your company.

How do you run a pest control inspection, step by step?

Follow the same order at every property. Outside to inside, bottom to top, wet areas first.

Talk to the customer for two minutes. What have they seen, where and how often? Ask about pets, children, allergies and anything they already sprayed.
Walk the exterior perimeter. Foundation line first, then eye level: entry points, moisture, vegetation, debris.
Check the yard and outbuildings. Sheds, fences, woodpiles, irrigation, trash and recycling areas.
Go inside, starting with the kitchen and bathrooms. Moisture and food are where most indoor activity starts.
Work through every other room. Bedrooms, living areas, laundry, utility rooms, closets. Note rooms you could not enter.
Inspect the garage. It is where outside pests become inside pests.
Check the attic and the crawl space or basement.
Log conducive conditions. Anything the customer can fix that would make your treatment last longer.
Decide. Compare what you found to your company's action threshold for that pest. One ant on a patio is not the same as a trail into the pantry.
Record and photograph. Before you start treating, not after.

The decision step is where an inspection earns its keep. The EPA describes integrated pest management as setting action thresholds, monitoring and identifying pests, prevention, and then control, with the less risky controls chosen first and broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides as a last resort (EPA, IPM principles). Your inspection is the "monitor and identify" step, done properly.

The full pest control inspection checklist

Copy this into a document, print it, or paste it into your notes app. Tick each line, write the location next to anything you find, and photograph every line marked (photo).

PEST CONTROL INSPECTION CHECKLIST

Date: ________  Technician: __________________  Time in: ______  Time out: ______
Property address: ____________________________________________
Property type: ☐ House  ☐ Apartment/condo  ☐ Commercial: ____________
Reason for visit: ☐ New customer  ☐ Routine service  ☐ Callback  ☐ Other
Customer's concern (their words): ______________________________
Pets / children / allergies / sensitive occupants: ______________

1. EXTERIOR PERIMETER
☐ Foundation: cracks, gaps, weep holes, expansion joints (photo)
☐ Doors: sweeps, thresholds, gaps under garage door (photo)
☐ Windows: screens, sills, gaps around frames
☐ Utility penetrations: pipes, cables, AC lines, dryer vent
☐ Roofline: eaves, soffits, fascia, gaps at roof returns
☐ Vents: foundation vents, gable vents, screens intact
☐ Mulch or soil against foundation (inches of clearance: ____) .. (photo)
☐ Plants or tree limbs touching the structure
☐ Gutters and downspouts draining away from the foundation
☐ Standing water, leaking hose bibs, irrigation hitting the wall
☐ Wood-to-soil contact (siding, trim, decks, steps) (photo)
☐ Mud tubes on foundation or piers (photo)
☐ Ant trails or mounds, nests, webs, wasp activity
☐ Rodent burrows, rub marks, droppings along the wall (photo)

2. YARD AND OUTBUILDINGS
☐ Woodpiles, lumber, debris (distance from house: ____)
☐ Sheds, fences, play structures
☐ Trash and recycling: lids closed, location
☐ Pet food or bird feeders outside
☐ Low spots that hold water

3. KITCHEN
☐ Under sink: leaks, gaps around pipes (photo)
☐ Behind and under appliances (fridge, stove, dishwasher)
☐ Cabinets and pantry: droppings, frass, stored product pests
☐ Food storage: open packages, crumbs, pet food
☐ Cracks and crevices along counters and backsplash

4. BATHROOMS
☐ Under sinks and around toilets: moisture, gaps
☐ Tub and shower surrounds, plumbing access panels
☐ Floor drains, exhaust fans

5. BEDROOMS AND LIVING AREAS
☐ Baseboards, outlet covers, window sills
☐ Beds and furniture seams (if bed bugs are a concern) (photo)
☐ Closets and storage, clutter level
☐ Rooms not entered: _________________________________

6. LAUNDRY AND UTILITY
☐ Water heater, washer hookups, HVAC unit: leaks and gaps
☐ Floor drains and sump

7. GARAGE
☐ Door seal and side gaps
☐ Stored boxes, cardboard, firewood, pet food
☐ Wall to slab joint, expansion joints

8. ATTIC
☐ Insulation: tunnels, nesting, droppings (photo)
☐ Rafters and framing: gnaw marks, damage
☐ Vents and gable screens from inside
☐ Roof leaks or staining
☐ Access: ☐ Full  ☐ Partial  ☐ None (why: __________)

9. CRAWL SPACE OR BASEMENT
☐ Moisture: standing water, damp soil, condensation (photo)
☐ Wood: damage, soft spots, mud tubes on piers (photo)
☐ Vapor barrier condition
☐ Gaps at sill plate and penetrations
☐ Access: ☐ Full  ☐ Partial  ☐ None (why: __________)

10. MONITORS AND STATIONS
☐ Monitors or bait stations checked: number ____ with activity ____
☐ Stations damaged, missing or moved

11. CONDUCIVE CONDITIONS FOR THE CUSTOMER
1. ________________________________  Who fixes it: ☐ Customer  ☐ Us
2. ________________________________  Who fixes it: ☐ Customer  ☐ Us
3. ________________________________  Who fixes it: ☐ Customer  ☐ Us

12. FINDINGS SUMMARY
Pest identified: __________  Where: __________  Level: ☐ Low ☐ Moderate ☐ High
Pest identified: __________  Where: __________  Level: ☐ Low ☐ Moderate ☐ High
Above our action threshold?  ☐ Yes  ☐ No
Recommended action: ☐ Treat today  ☐ Exclusion work  ☐ Quote needed  ☐ Monitor only
Photos taken: ____

What evidence should you look for, pest by pest?

The checklist tells you where to look. This table tells you what counts as a finding for the pests most residential routes see.

Pest	Evidence to look for	Where it usually shows up
Ants	Trails, workers carrying food, frass, nest openings	Kitchen sills, slab cracks, mulch beds, along the foundation
Cockroaches	Live insects, droppings like pepper or smears, egg cases, shed skins	Under sinks, behind appliances, cabinet hinges, drains
Rodents	Droppings, gnaw marks, rub marks, nesting material, tracks	Attic insulation, garage, behind appliances, along walls
Termites	Mud tubes, damaged or hollow-sounding wood, discarded wings	Foundation, crawl space piers, wood touching soil, door frames
Spiders	Webs, egg sacs, the insects they feed on	Eaves, corners, garages, basements, window wells
Bed bugs	Live bugs, shed skins, small dark spots, eggs	Mattress seams, bed frames, headboards, furniture joints
Stinging insects	Nests, flight paths, activity at gaps	Eaves, soffits, sheds, play structures, ground holes
Stored product pests	Larvae, webbing, adults in or near food	Pantry shelves, open packages, pet food bins

Write the location as precisely as you can. "Mud tube on the second pier from the north wall of the crawl space" is a finding someone else can find again. "Termite evidence, crawl" is not.

Termite and wood-destroying organism work often comes with its own report format, set by your state or by the lender on a real estate transaction. This checklist is not a substitute for that. Check what your state requires and confirm with your state agency before you use any general checklist for a WDO inspection.

What should you record and photograph?

These findings need a photo:

Finding	What to write	Photo to take
Live activity or droppings	Pest, exact location, how much	Close-up with something for scale
Entry point	Size, location, what it leads to	Wide shot to show where, close-up to show the gap
Moisture problem	Source, location, how wet	The source, and any damage around it
Wood damage	Location, extent, what it touches	Close-up and a wide shot
Conducive condition	The condition and who should fix it	Before photo, so the next visit can take an after
Area not inspected	Why (locked, stored items, unsafe)	The blocked access

Three habits make the record useful later:

Photograph before treating. Afterwards the evidence is gone.
Write "areas not inspected" every time. A locked garage noted today is your answer to a callback from that garage next month.
Keep the customer's words separate from yours. "Customer reports ants" and "Ant trail at kitchen sill" are different facts.

If you treat, the products go on the chemical application record, which is a separate legal record in most states. Our chemical application record template covers the fields. What you apply has to match the label: the label is the law, and the EPA puts it in exactly those words (EPA, introduction to pesticide labels).

How does the inspection connect to the rest of the job?

The inspection sits in a chain. The work order tells the technician what the customer reported and whether an inspection is part of the job. Bigger jobs, like exclusion or termite work, turn the findings into a quote; the pest control estimate template shows how. Then come the treatment, the chemical record and the service report. When the checklist is done well, those later steps are mostly copying. When it is skipped, they are mostly guessing.

Where does this fit in PestShift?

PestShift technician app on a phone: target pest choices, target area choices such as wall voids, foundation, crawl space, attic, kitchen and garage, and the notes and photos section of a visit Target pests and areas, then notes and photos, as a technician completes a visit. (demo data)

In PestShift the technician records the outcome of the inspection when they complete the visit on their phone: treatment notes, recommendations for the customer, the chemical record, photos and, if you turn it on, the customer's signature. Findings go in the notes; conditions the customer should fix go in the recommendations.

What helps with inspections:

Photos. Attached to the visit, resized and stripped of location data before upload.
Offline. Once My day has loaded, the technician can complete the visit, add notes and photos and fill in the chemical record with no signal; it syncs when the phone is back in range.
Last time at this property. The app shows what was applied at the property last time.
Inspection-only services. You can set a service so it never requires a chemical record, so an inspection that applies nothing closes without one.
The customer's copy. When the visit is completed, the customer gets the service report by email with the notes, photos and products applied.

What PestShift doesn't do

It doesn't decide what to treat. Your action thresholds and your technician's judgment make that call. PestShift records it.
It doesn't assign jobs across technicians for you. You assign technicians yourself. The routing tool puts each technician's day in a good order, but it doesn't decide who gets which job.
It isn't in the App Store or Google Play. The technician app installs from the browser onto the home screen on iPhone and Android.
Office screens need signal. Offline covers the technician's own day: visits, notes, chemical records and photos. Other technicians' days and the office screens need a connection.
Weather capture is US only. The weather on the chemical record comes from the National Weather Service, so it works for properties in the United States.

If those fit how you work, you can try it on real inspections with a free 14-day trial.

Frequently asked questions

What should a pest control inspection include?

The exterior perimeter, the yard and outbuildings, every room inside with the kitchen and bathrooms first, the garage, the attic, and the crawl space or basement. Then a list of conducive conditions, a findings summary, and photos of anything you found.

How long does a residential pest inspection take?

It depends on the size of the property and whether you can reach the attic and crawl space. Time your own inspections for a few weeks and use that number when you schedule, rather than a figure from someone else's route.

Do I need to inspect on every recurring visit?

Do a full inspection on the first visit and on any callback. On routine visits, a shorter check of the areas where you found activity before, plus the exterior perimeter, is usually enough. Note what you checked either way.

Should the customer get a copy of the inspection checklist?

Usually not the checklist itself. Give them the findings and recommendations in the service report, which is written for them. Keep the checklist, or its results, in your own records.

Is this checklist enough for a termite or WDO inspection?

No. Wood-destroying organism inspections often require a specific report format set by your state or used in real estate transactions. Use this checklist for general pest work, and confirm with your state agency what a WDO inspection requires.

What is the most common inspection mistake?

Not writing down what you could not inspect. A locked room or a blocked crawl space that is not on the record looks like a room you missed.