Search “termite treatment cost” and you’ll find plenty of national websites happy to hand you a dollar range. Here’s the problem: those ranges are averaged across the whole country, and Mobile is not an average termite market. This is IRC Termite Infestation Probability Zone #1 — the heaviest-pressure classification the code recognizes — with established Formosan colonies that most of the country never has to price for.

A number generated before anyone has walked your slab edge, crawled your crawlspace, or confirmed which species is in the wood isn’t a price. It’s a guess with a dollar sign. The real quote comes from an ADAI-licensed operator after an on-site inspection, in writing, with the treatment method and the bond terms spelled out. Pricing is set by that independent operator — this dispatch service never sets, marks up, or takes a cut of it.

What this page can do is more useful than a fake range: explain exactly which factors move a Mobile-area termite quote up or down, so when the operator hands you their number, you understand every line of it — and you can tell a carefully scoped quote from a lazy one.

• Liquid soil treatment. Mostly an upfront cost: product volume by linear foot, plus drilling labor on slabs. Non-repellent termiticides (fipronil-class chemistry) are the workhorse for native subterranean pressure. The quote should state the product name and the treated footage.
• Bait systems (Sentricon-class). A different cost shape — a station-installation charge up front, then an annual monitoring fee that continues as long as you keep the system. Often the recommendation under heavy Formosan pressure because the stations double as an early-warning grid. Ask what the annual fee covers and what happens if you cancel. More on how these systems work: bait systems in Mobile.
• Direct wood and spot treatments. Borate applications and injected foams for localized drywood galleries — typically the smallest jobs on this list, but only when the activity truly is localized. That’s an inspection call, not a homeowner call.
• Whole-structure fumigation. The big-ticket option, reserved for widespread drywood infestation or aerial Formosan carton nests that spot treatment can’t reach. Requires an FC-certified operator, tenting, and days out of the house — if an operator scopes fumigation, ask them to show you why spot treatment won’t hold.

Two operators can look at the same house and honestly scope different methods. That’s not a red flag — it’s a reason to have each one explain the “why” behind their approach. Comparing written quotes is reasonable, and nobody on this line will pressure you out of it.

When the written quotes come back, don’t compare the bottom lines first. Compare these:

• Species confirmation. Does the quote name the termite — Formosan, native subterranean, or drywood — and say how it was confirmed? A quote with no species behind it is priced on a guess.
• Scope in feet and stations. Linear feet treated, number of bait stations, which structures are included. “Treat the house” is not a scope.
• Product names. The termiticide or bait product should be named. EPA registers every structural termiticide active ingredient; a legitimate operator will tell you exactly what’s going in your soil.
• Bond tier, renewal, and transfer terms. Retreat-only versus repair, the annual renewal amount, and whether it transfers at sale.
• ADAI license number. Verify it with the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries Pesticide Management Section at (334) 240-7240 before work begins. Legitimate operators expect the call.

If one quote is dramatically lower, the difference is almost always hiding in one of those five lines — usually the bond tier or the treated footage. Cheaper on day one is not cheaper in year three if the coverage isn’t there when swarmers show up in the bathroom.