Around a Mobile closing table, “termite letter,” “clearance letter,” and “wood infestation report” all mean the same document: Alabama’s Wood Destroying Insect Report, written on the state’s official WDIR form. It’s the report of a visual inspection of the home for termites and other wood-destroying organi, and in this market most lenders, and plenty of cash buyers with good agents, expect one before money changes hands.

Three things about it are worth getting straight before you order one:

• Only licensed operators can issue it. A WDIR has to come from a pest control operator licensed by the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries — not from a home inspector, not from a handyman with a flashlight. Your general home inspection, however thorough, does not substitute. You can verify any operator’s license through ADAI’s Pesticide Management Section in Montgomery at (334) 240-7240.
• It reports four kinds of findings. Visible evidence of active wood-destroying insects, visible evidence of previous infestation, visible evidence of previous treatment, and visible damage — plus conducive conditions like wood-to-soil contact or moisture problems. Note the word doing all the work: visible.
• It is not a warranty. A “clear letter” says a licensed inspector found no visible evidence in accessible areas on that date. It doesn’t certify the house termite-free, doesn’t cover what’s inside sealed walls, and doesn’t promise anything about next year. Protection going forward is what a termite bond is for — a separate document worth asking the seller about.

Why does this piece of paper get more scrutiny in Mobile than in most of the country? One word: Formosan. Lenders and underwriters know this is one of the heaviest Formosan subterranean termite areas in the continental U.S., and letters on Mobile and Baldwin County properties get read accordingly — especially on older homes in Midtown and Oakleigh, pier-and-beam construction, and anything with a history of previous treatment. That’s not a reason to dread the process. It’s a reason to order the letter from a licensed local operator who documents things properly the first time.

A WDIR inspection on a Mobile-area home is a ground-level, hands-on look at everywhere evidence shows up:

• Foundation and crawlspace. Mud tubes on piers and foundation walls, moisture staining, wood-to-soil contact, damaged sills and joists. On Midtown and Oakleigh pier-and-beam homes, the crawlspace is where letters are won and lost.
• Slab edges and garage. Expansion joints, plumbing penetrations, and the slab-to-siding line — the Formosan highways on newer West Mobile and Baldwin County construction.
• Interior and attic where accessible. Baseboards, window sills, door frames, visible framing — probing suspect wood, noting old damage, and checking for drywood pellet frass as well as subterranean signs.
• Evidence of previous treatment. Drill marks in slabs and mortar joints, old bait stations, treatment stickers in the panel box. Previous treatment isn’t a scandal — in Formosan country it’s common — but it must be documented on the form.
• Conducive conditions. Mulch piled against siding, leaky hose bibs, poor drainage, firewood on the slab — the fixable habits that make a lender’s underwriter read a letter twice.

On timing: order the letter once your closing date is real, but don’t sit on it. Lenders commonly expect the report to be recent — often dated within about 30 days of closing, though your closer confirms the exact requirement — so the sweet spot is one to three weeks out. That leaves room for the two scenarios that wreck timelines: findings that need a treatment proposal before the lender will proceed, and access problems (a locked crawlspace hatch has delayed more Mobile closings than anyone admits).

On who pays: in the Mobile market it’s a negotiated item like everything else in the contract. Convention has often put the letter on the seller — especially on VA-financed deals, where the rules about who can pay have their own history — but the purchase agreement controls. Ask your agent to point at the line item rather than assuming.

• “Are you licensed to issue Alabama WDIRs?” Termite and WDO work is its own ADAI category. Confirm it directly, and check the number with the Pesticide Management Section at (334) 240-7240 if you want certainty.
• “Can you meet my closing date — and my lender’s freshness window?” Give them the exact date and ask how soon they can inspect and deliver the completed form to your closer.
• “What happens if you find something?” Ask how findings are handled: what goes on the form, what a treatment proposal looks like, and whether they re-inspect after corrective work so the file closes clean.
• “Does evidence of previous treatment cause a problem?” It usually doesn’t kill a deal — it gets documented, and lenders in Formosan country see it constantly. Ask how they write it up and what supporting detail they attach.
• “What exactly does the letter cover — and not cover?” A pro will tell you plainly: visible evidence, accessible areas, that date only, no warranty. If someone implies the letter certifies the house termite-free forever, that’s your cue to keep shopping.