North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 02 - AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES › Chapter 34 - STRUCTURAL PEST CONTROL › Section .0500 - WOOD DESTROYING ORGANISMS › Section 34 .0503 - SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE CONTROL: BUILDINGS AFTER CONSTRUCTION

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) The following standards and requirements
				apply to the treatment of a building for subterranean termite control after
				construction if the building has a basement or crawl space:
(1) Access openings shall be provided to
				permit inspection of all basement and crawl space areas of a building and all
				open porches.
(2) Clean up and
				remove all wood debris and cellulose material, such as wood, paper, and cloth,
				contacting soil in all crawl space areas. This excludes shavings or other
				cellulose material too small to be raked with the tines of an ordinary garden
				rake. Remove all visible stumps from all crawl space areas. Remove all visible
				form boards in contact with soil.
(3) Remove all earth which is within 12
				inches of the bottom edges of floor joists or within eight inches of the bottom
				edges of subsills or supporting girders, but not below footings of foundation
				walls. If foundation footings are less than 12 inches below the bottom edges of
				joists, subsills, or supporting girders, a bank of soil 12 inches to 18 inches
				wide shall be left adjacent to footings for the purpose of support. Clearance
				shall be adequate to provide passage of a person to all crawl space areas of a
				building.
(4) All visible termite
				tubes or tunnels on pillars, pilasters, foundation walls, chimneys, step
				buttresses, sills, pipes, and other structures below the sill line shall be
				removed.
(5) Eliminate all wooden
				parts making contact with the building and soil, either outside or inside, as
				follows:
(A) No wood of any access opening
				shall be in contact with the soil.
(B) Where wood parts such as door frames,
				partition walls, posts, stair carriages, or other wood parts can be ascertained
				to be making direct soil contact through concrete or where there is evidence of
				termite activity or damage, such wood parts shall be cut off above the ground
				or floor level, the wood shall be removed from the concrete, and the resulting
				hole shall be filled with concrete or covered with a metal plate after the
				point of contact has been treated with a termiticide.
(C) Where wood parts such as vertical wood
				supports or other wood parts under a building or steps outside a building are
				not resting on solid masonry or concrete bases extending at least two inches
				above the soil surface or are in direct soil contact and such supports or steps
				are not removed, the supports and steps shall be cut off and set on a solid
				masonry or concrete footing extending at least two inches above the ground
				after the point of contact has been treated with a termiticide.
(D) When wood skirting and lattice work are
				suspended, there shall be at least a two-inch clearance between the top of the
				soil and the bottom edges of the wood skirting or lattice work. If the two-inch
				clearance is not acceptable to the property owner, it may be closed with solid
				masonry or concrete, but a minimum clearance of one-fourth of one inch shall be
				provided between the masonry or concrete and wood.
(E) Where houses or decks are built on
				pressure-treated wood pilings, pillars, or all-weather wood foundations, such
				pilings, pillars, and wood foundation members, including wood step supports,
				are not subject to Parts (a)(5)(A), (B), or (C) of this Rule.
(6) Where evidence of either past
				or present subterranean termite infestation exists, drill and treat all voids
				in multiple masonry foundation and bearing walls and all voids created by their
				placement at and a minimum distance of four feet in all directions from such
				evidence. Porch foundation walls shall be drilled and treated to a distance of
				three feet from the main foundation wall and the point of contact with any
				wooden members. Drill as follows:
(A) The
				distance between drill holes shall not exceed 16 lineal inches and holes shall
				be no more than 16 inches above the footing or, for footings deeper than 16
				inches, above the lowest soil level.
(B) Test drill the main foundation wall
				behind any porch or slab area to determine if the porch or slab is supported by
				a wall whose placement creates a void between itself and the main foundation
				wall. If test reveals that a void exists, drill and treat all voids therein as
				specified in this Rule.
(7) Where evidence of either past or present
				subterranean termite infestation exists, drill and treat all voids in all
				multiple masonry pillars, pilasters, chimneys, and step buttresses associated
				or in contact with such evidence and any void created by their placement. Drill
				as follows:
(A) The distance between drill
				holes shall not exceed 16 lineal inches and shall be no more than 16 inches
				above the footing or, for footings deeper than 16 inches, immediately above the
				lowest soil level.
(B) Drilling is
				not required if solid concrete masonry footings of pillars, pilasters,
				chimneys, or step buttresses extend eight inches or more above the soil
				surface.
(8) Where
				concrete slabs over dirt-filled areas are at the level of, above the level of,
				or in contact with wood foundation members, treat dirt-filled areas with a
				termiticide as follows:
(A) Drill vertically
				three-eighths of one inch or larger holes in the slab, no more than six inches
				from the building foundation at no more than 12-inch intervals, and treat soil
				below slab from the bottom of the slab to the top of the footing; or
(B) Drill horizontally three-eighths of one
				inch or larger holes in the foundation wall of the concrete slab, no more than
				six inches from the building foundation every 16 vertical inches starting
				immediately below the bottom of the slab, and rod treat all soil adjacent to
				building foundation from the bottom of the slab to the lowest outside
				grade.
(9) Trench or
				trench and rod treat soil to establish a continuous termiticide barrier in the
				soil adjacent to, but not more than six inches from:
(A) all pillars, pilasters, chimneys,
				pressure-treated wood supports, and step buttresses;
(B) inside of foundation walls;
(C) outside of foundation walls;
				and
(D) the outside of foundation
				walls of concrete slabs over dirt-filled areas, and the entire perimeter of a
				slab foundation wall from the top of the grade to the top of the footing or to
				a minimum depth of 30 inches, whichever is less.
Where footings are exposed, treatment shall be performed
				  adjacent to the footing but not below the bottom of the footing. The trench
				  shall be no less than six inches in depth or to the bottom of the footing,
				  whichever is less. Where outside concrete slabs adjacent to the foundation
				  prevent trenching of soil, drill three-eighths of one inch or larger holes, not
				  more than 12 inches apart and within six inches of the foundation wall, through
				  slabs or through adjoining foundation wall, and rod treat soil below slabs as
				  indicated above to establish a continuous termiticide barrier at all known
				  points of entry. The soil around pipes and other utility conduits making
				  contact with the structure shall be treated.
(10) Where stucco or similar materials,
				including extruded or expanded rigid foam insulation or similar materials, are
				installed on wood and extend to or below grade, trench soil to a depth below
				and under the edge of the stucco or similar materials and treat soil to
				establish a continuous termiticide barrier in the soil. After the soil has been
				treated, a masonry barrier wall may be erected to hold back the soil from
				making direct contact with the stucco or similar materials. Where outside slabs
				on grade adjacent to foundation prevent trenching of soil, drill three-eighths
				of one inch or larger holes through slabs within six inches of the foundation
				wall or through adjoining foundation wall, not more than 12 inches apart, and
				rod treat soil below slabs. Where drain tile, french drains, or other
				foundation drainage systems present a hazard of contamination outside the
				treatment zone, treatment shall be performed in a manner that will not
				introduce termiticide into the drainage system.
(11) The requirements set forth in Paragraph
				(b) of this Rule shall be followed if applicable to basement or crawl space
				construction.