California Pest Control License Lookup: Check Any Company in Two Minutes

Every termite and pest control company working in California has to be registered with the Structural Pest Control Board, and every person who inspects or applies has to hold a license from it. The records are public and take two minutes to check. Here is how, and what the record actually tells you.

Step by step

1. Go to the Department of Consumer Affairs license search at search.dca.ca.gov.
2. In the “Board and Bureaus” field, choose Structural Pest Control Board.
3. Search by the company name, the person's name, or the number printed on the estimate, the truck or the invoice.
4. Open the record. The DCA page states that each record shows whether the license is current, expired, or has been subject to disciplinary action such as suspension or revocation.

Ours are Company Registration 8828 and Operator License 13694. If a company will not give you its number, that is the answer.

Look up by license number

Have a number from an estimate, an invoice or the side of a truck? In the license search, choose Structural Pest Control Board, then enter it in the license number field. You can also narrow the search by license type, and the Advanced Search lets you filter by location or license status.

If nothing comes up, check the spelling of the business name and try the owner’s name or the number instead. Cancelled licenses and registrations do not appear in the search at all; the Board answers questions about those at 916-561-8704.

To see how a real record reads, search ours: Company Registration 8828 and Operator License 13694.

What the record shows, and what to look for

Why the branch matters

Branch 2 covers general pests: ants, cockroaches, rodents, spiders. Branch 3 covers termites and other wood-destroying organisms, and it is the one that matters when someone is about to write a termite report or treat your framing. Under Business and Professions Code section 8516, a company may not issue any opinion about the presence or absence of wood-destroying pests until an inspection has been made by a licensed Branch 3 field representative or operator, and the property address is filed with the Board. A general-pest company can be perfectly good at ants and still not be licensed to tell you about termites. Fumigation itself is Branch 1 work, which is why a fumigation is performed by a licensed fumigator even when your termite company coordinates it.

Two more checks that take a minute

• The written notice. Before any pesticide application, a registered company must give the owner and any tenant a written notice naming the pest, the product and its active ingredients (Business and Professions Code section 8538). A company that does not know what that notice is has not been doing this by the book.
• Insurance. Ask for the certificate. The Board record does not show it.

ExterMetro is registered for Branch 2 and Branch 3, and the owner holds the operator license, so the person who inspects your house is the person responsible for the work. Our about page has the details.

Check a property’s termite inspection history

The Board also keeps a database of wood-destroying organism inspections. Its Wood Destroying Organism System shows whether a specific property has been inspected within the last two years. The Board’s own tip: enter as little as possible, for example just the building number and ZIP code, so the whole database gets checked.

If a report turns up, you can ask the Board for copies in writing with its request form for inspection or completion reports. It is a useful way to see what an earlier inspection found on your house before you hire anyone for new work.

Red flags, and how to file a complaint

• No number. A registered company knows its registration number and has no reason to hold it back.
• A status other than current. Expired, or subject to discipline, is a stop.
• A termite opinion from a company without Branch 3. Termite inspections and reports require Branch 3 (section 8516).
• No written pesticide notice before an application (section 8538).

If something went wrong, the Board takes complaints through its online complaint form. It investigates registered companies and licensees, infestations missed or not reported during an inspection, unlicensed activity, poor workmanship, failure to complete work, false or misleading advertising, and fraud. It does not handle payment disputes or landlord-tenant issues. Under Business and Professions Code section 8621, a complaint has to be filed within two years of the act, or within four years when it involves fraud, gross negligence or misrepresentation.

Sources

• California DCA License Search (Structural Pest Control Board records)
• California Structural Pest Control Board
• California Business and Professions Code § 8516 (inspection by a licensed Branch 3 inspector before any opinion or work; reports filed with the Board)
• California Business and Professions Code § 8538 (written pesticide notice by the registered company to owner and tenant)
• California Structural Pest Control Board: Verify a Company or Licensee
• California Structural Pest Control Board: Search for termite inspection information (Wood Destroying Organism System)
• California Structural Pest Control Board: Online complaint (what the Board investigates)
• California Business and Professions Code § 8621 (deadlines for filing a complaint with the Board)