What is California Form 43M-44? The Complete Guide to Notice of Work Completed

If you've completed termite work or WDO repairs in California, you already know that the inspection report (Form 43M-41) is just the beginning. Once the work is done, California law requires you to issue a Form 43M-44 — the Standard Notice of Work Completed and Not Completed. Many operators get this wrong or skip it entirely, which can result in SPCB violations, escrow delays, and serious legal exposure. This guide explains everything you need to know about the 43M-44.

What is Form 43M-44?

Form 43M-44 is the Standard Notice of Work Completed and Not Completed. It is prescribed by the Structural Pest Control Board and must be issued after any recommendations from a 43M-41 WDO inspection report have been completed — either in full or in part. It documents exactly what work was done, who did it, what it cost, and what still remains to be completed.

Think of the 43M-41 and 43M-44 as two halves of the same transaction. The 43M-41 documents what was found and what needs to be done. The 43M-44 documents what was actually done and what remains outstanding. Together they form the complete record of a WDO inspection and treatment transaction.

When is a 43M-44 required?

A 43M-44 must be issued whenever:

• Any Section I or Section II items from a 43M-41 report have been completed by your company
• Work has been partially completed and some items remain outstanding
• Secondary (substandard) recommendations have been performed instead of primary recommendations
• An escrow transaction requires documentation of completed work

If no work was performed — for example, if the inspection found no evidence of WDO activity and no recommendations were made — a 43M-44 is not required. The 43M-44 only applies when work listed in a 43M-41 has been completed by your company.

Note: If the property owner has work completed by a third party (a general contractor, for example), a 43M-44 is still required from your company for any items your company completed, and those third-party completed items must be noted separately.

The legal basis — and the consequences of skipping it

The 43M-44 requirement is established under the California Structural Pest Control Act, enforced by the SPCB, and applies to all licensed Branch 3 operators in California. This is not optional paperwork. Failure to issue a 43M-44 after completing work can result in:

• SPCB disciplinary action and formal citations
• Fines and financial penalties
• License suspension in serious or repeat cases
• Failed escrow closings — title companies will not close without the 43M-44
• Legal liability in workmanship disputes — without a 43M-44, you have no documented proof of what work was completed and when

The 43M-44 protects you as much as it protects the client. Years after work is completed, disputes arise. Your 43M-44 is the document that proves exactly what you did, what you charged, and what remained outstanding at the time of completion.

What the form includes — field by field

Header section

• Building address — Full property address where work was performed. Must match the address on the original 43M-41 exactly.
• Date of completion — The actual date work was finished, not when the report was written or emailed. This date is legally significant — it marks the start of any applicable warranty period.
• Ordered by — Same as on the original 43M-41. Who hired you for the work.
• Property owner and/or party of interest — Property owner's name and address. Must match the original 43M-41.
• Completion sent to — Who receives this notice (escrow officer, agent, property owner, or all three).
• Reference to original inspection — Required language: “...as outlined in Wood Destroying Pests and Organisms Inspection Report dated [date of original 43M-41].” This links the completion notice to the original inspection on file with the SPCB.

Section 1 — Recommendations completed (primary)

List every item from the original 43M-41 that was completed in accordance with SPCB Rules and Regulations — the “primary” or standard recommended treatment. For each item include:

• Item code (11A, 4A, 7A, etc.) matching the original report exactly
• Description of the work performed (what was done, not just a reference to the original finding)
• Actual cost charged for the completed work

Section 2 — Recommendations completed (secondary)

List any items completed using secondary or substandard measures under Section 1992 of the SPCB Rules. This section exists because property owners sometimes request an alternative, less effective treatment instead of the standard recommendation. For each item in this section you must include:

• Item code matching the original report
• Description of the secondary work performed
• The name of the person who specifically requested the secondary measure
• A statement that it was performed as a “substandard measure under Section 1992”

This designation is your legal protection. It documents that the client made an informed choice to use a substandard treatment, that you informed them of this, and that they accepted the risk. Without this documentation, you may be held liable if the secondary treatment proves ineffective.

Cost breakdown

• Cost of work completed — Total labor and materials for all completed items
• Inspection fee — The original inspection fee if included in the contract
• Other charges — Any additional charges (permits, materials, etc.)
• Total — Grand total of all charges

Recommendations NOT completed — this section is critical

This section is the one most commonly left incomplete, and it's one of the most important. You must list every item from the original report that was NOT completed by your company, along with the estimated cost from the original report.

This section protects you legally by documenting that unfinished work was identified, disclosed, and remains outstanding at the time of completion. In escrow transactions, this tells the title company and lender exactly what work remains. In future disputes, it establishes that you disclosed outstanding issues at the time of completion.

Remarks

Free text field for additional notes, special circumstances, or explanations. Use this to document anything that affected the work — property access issues, weather delays, materials substitutions, or client instructions that changed the scope of work.

Signature

Licensed inspector or operator name, license number, and signature. The person who signs must be a licensed Branch 3 Field Representative or Operator. The license number must match the person signing — not the company registration number.

Required SPCB footer text

The following text must appear on every 43M-44 and cannot be modified or removed:

“You are entitled to obtain copies of all reports and completion notices on this property reported to the Board during the preceding two years upon payment of a search fee to: Structural Pest Control Board, 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1500, Sacramento, California, 95815.”

Missing this footer is an automatic SPCB violation. It must appear on every page of the 43M-44, verbatim.

Primary vs. secondary recommendations — the most misunderstood part

The distinction between primary and secondary recommendations is one of the most important — and most frequently mishandled — aspects of California pest control compliance.

Primary recommendations are the treatments and repairs your company recommended as the proper, SPCB-compliant solution. For example, recommending fumigation for a widespread drywood termite infestation throughout the structure. This is the industry-standard, most effective treatment for the identified infestation.

Secondary recommendations are alternatives that property owners sometimes request in lieu of the primary recommendation. For example, a property owner who cannot vacate the home for three days might request localized chemical treatment (spot treatment with Termidor-HE) instead of fumigation. This is considered a substandard measure because it may not fully eradicate the infestation — the chemicals only penetrate wood they directly contact, while fumigation permeates the entire structure.

When you perform secondary work, you MUST:

• List it in Section 2 of the 43M-44 — never in Section 1
• Identify it as a “substandard measure under Section 1992”
• Name the specific person who requested it
• Document that you informed them it is a substandard measure

This documentation is your protection against future liability claims. If the secondary treatment later proves insufficient — which it sometimes does — you have a clear paper trail showing the client was informed of the limitations and made the choice themselves.

Common mistakes that cause SPCB violations

• Not issuing a 43M-44 at all after completing work — this is the most common violation
• Listing secondary work in Section 1 instead of Section 2
• Failing to name who requested the secondary measure
• Not listing items that were NOT completed in the outstanding work section
• Missing the required SPCB footer text
• Using the report write date instead of the actual work completion date
• Item codes that don't match the original 43M-41 exactly
• Missing signature or wrong license number
• Not referencing the original 43M-41 report number and date
• Issuing a 43M-44 before work is actually complete — the form documents completion, not authorization

The 43M-41 and 43M-44 in escrow transactions

In California real estate transactions involving pest control work, both the 43M-41 and 43M-44 must be filed with the SPCB and provided to all parties in the transaction. Lenders, title companies, and real estate agents will request both documents before a transaction can close.

The typical escrow timeline looks like this:

• Seller orders inspection → 43M-41 issued → items identified
• Negotiation between buyer and seller determines who pays for which items
• Work is completed by your company → 43M-44 issued
• 43M-44 provided to escrow company → escrow can proceed to close

Missing or delayed 43M-44 issuance is one of the leading causes of escrow delays and cancellations in California real estate transactions. Getting the 43M-44 out quickly after work is completed is not just a compliance requirement — it's good business that keeps your realtor relationships strong.

How Bug HQ generates 43M-44 automatically

Bug HQ handles the entire 43M-44 workflow in four clicks:

1. Complete the work from a 43M-41 inspection in Bug HQ
2. Open the Completion tab on the inspection — all items from the original 43M-41 are pre-loaded
3. Check off which items were completed (primary vs. secondary), enter actual costs, and note any items not completed
4. Click Generate PDF — the fully compliant 43M-44 is ready to email, text, or print

Bug HQ pre-fills every field from the original inspection data — the address, the original report reference, the item codes, the party names. The required SPCB footer text is always included. Section I and Section II designations carry over from the original 43M-41. Secondary work fields prompt you for the requestor's name automatically.

No manual form filling, no risk of missing required fields, no SPCB violations from forgotten footers or wrong section designations. Bug HQ tracks both 43M-41 and 43M-44 together so your complete filing record is always in one place — accessible from any device, searchable by address or report number.

Learn more about Bug HQ's WDO inspection and completion notice features →