What is actually published
We checked every Salem and Willamette Valley operator we could find. Not one publishes a heat-treatment price or a per-square-foot rate; every page says “free quote.” The two “Salem” dollar ranges that show up in search ($334–$1,482; $289–$669) are national lead-generation templates, not tariffs from anyone who owns a heater. The only published range from a university source is Virginia Cooperative Extension’s 2024 figure that heat treatments “range in cost from $500.00 to $5000.00 depending on the size of the home.” HomeAdvisor’s national guide (updated June 2026) puts heat at $1–$3 per square foot and the overall normal range at $1,000–$4,000.
Heat-treatment cost estimator
Estimate built from HomeAdvisor’s national cost guide (heat $1–$3 per sq ft; normal range $1,000–$4,000) and Virginia Cooperative Extension’s 2024 range — no Salem operator publishes a price. Real quotes depend on clutter, construction, and access — the inspection sets the price.
What moves the price
- Square footage and layout. Heat is a volume job; a split-level or a finished basement is more hours.
- How long it has been going on. A long-standing infestation means a longer hold and more furniture rotation.
- Adjacent units. In a multi-unit building, treating neighbors the same day drops the per-unit price and is the only way it holds.
- Heat versus chemical. Chemical is cheaper per visit and needs two or three visits plus prep each time. Over a whole job the gap is smaller than the first quote suggests.
Who pays in Oregon
Often the tenant, sometimes the landlord, and the answer depends on the building type and when the bugs arrived. The rule, quoted →