Termites and Your Subfloor: What the Alabama Report Does Not Cover
This is not a page about pest control. It is a page about one clause in your flooring contract, and why in Alabama it is worth more than anything else in the document.
Two facts that sit oddly together
One. The U.S. Forest Service maps termite infestation probability in zones, and the whole of Alabama sits in Zone 1 — “very heavy”, the top of the scale. That is not a marketing statistic; it is a building assumption, and the residential code carries requirements in very-heavy zones that it does not impose elsewhere. Formosan subterranean termites, the more destructive species, are confirmed in at least twelve Alabama counties, with most activity in Mobile and Baldwin.
Two. The Official Alabama Wood Infestation Report — the letter almost every lender requires before closing — is by definition a visual and non-invasive inspection. An inspector examines joists, sills and the underside of the decking from the crawl space where there is access, and reports what can be seen.
Both of those are correct and neither is a criticism. Put together they mean something specific: a clean report is genuinely good news about what was visible, and it is silent about the sheet of decking under your kitchen, because nobody lifted a floor to look at it.
The flooring job is when someone finally looks
There is exactly one moment in the life of a house when the subfloor is exposed, and it is when the old floor covering comes off. That is your flooring job. It is the inspection nobody scheduled, and it happens with your crew, on your week, with your material already delivered.
Which is why the flooring contract is where this gets decided — before anyone starts, not on the morning it is discovered.
Four questions to settle in the quote
- What is the rate for replacing damaged decking? Per sheet or per square foot, agreed in writing. A number set in advance is a completely different conversation from a number quoted with your kitchen already torn up.
- Is joist or framing repair in scope? Usually it is a separate trade. Knowing that in advance means you are not choosing a carpenter under time pressure.
- Who authorises the extra work, and how do they reach you? Name the person.
- What does it do to the schedule? Subfloor work adds days, and the material is already on site.
A quote silent on all four is not cheaper. It is a quote that will be renegotiated mid-job from a much weaker position, and that is a predictable and avoidable outcome.
Why a small amount of damage matters
A 2% loss of weight can reduce the strength of a piece of wood by as much as 50%. That is the reason “it looked fine” is not a standard: damage that removes very little material can take a large share of the strength out of decking or a joist. It is a structural question, not a cosmetic one, and it is the reason this belongs in a contract rather than in a conversation.
What this page is not saying
It is not saying your house has termites. Most do not. It is not telling you to buy a treatment, and no floor covering is termite-proof — anything you put on top of a floor leaves the joists and decking exactly as they were. The useful, actionable point is narrow and it is entirely within your control: the report was non-invasive, the flooring job is invasive, so put the terms in the quote.
Common questions
My report was clean. Is that worth nothing?
It is worth a great deal — about everything the inspector could see. It simply cannot speak to what was under a floor that was never lifted. Treat it as a good result with a defined scope.
Should I have someone inspect before I book the floor?
You can, and a licensed inspector will give you a better read on the crawl space than you will get yourself. But no non-invasive inspection reaches the decking under a finished floor, so the clause in the quote still matters.
Is this different in newer houses?
The exposure is the same — every county is in the same zone — but the elapsed time is not. A house built in 2005 has had far less opportunity than one built in 1935, which is why this page matters most in Birmingham, Mobile and Montgomery and least in Madison and Auburn.