Certification reference
The certification, verified
Everything below is drawn from 40 CFR Part 171, the federal certification standards, as published. Your state lead agency operates the program and is the authority on its own specifics.
The federal commercial categories
| Agricultural crop pest control | Field crops, orchards, vineyards and every operation growing plants for food or fiber. The largest slice of for-hire agricultural application work. |
| Agricultural livestock pest control | Applications on animals and the places animals are confined. A distinct competency because the exposure questions change when the target lives and breathes. |
| Forest pest control | Forests, forest nurseries and seed orchards. Terrain, drift and watershed questions dominate. |
| Ornamental and turf pest control | Trees, shrubs, flowers and turf in landscapes, lawns and grounds. The category behind most lawn care and landscape businesses that touch restricted products. |
| Seed treatment | Restricted use pesticides applied to seeds in treatment facilities. A narrow, industrial competency. |
| Aquatic pest control | Applications purposefully made to standing or running water. The drift and non-target stakes are the whole exam story here. |
| Right-of-way pest control | Roadsides, rail lines, powerline corridors, pipelines and similar maintained strips. Pairs naturally with ornamental and turf for vegetation-management businesses. |
| Industrial, institutional and structural pest control | In, on and around buildings: homes, food plants, warehouses, schools. The category behind the pest control operator trade. |
| Public health pest control | Government employees and contractors managing pests of public health importance. Mosquito and vector control lives here. |
| Regulatory pest control | Government employees and contractors applying restricted products in control programs required by law, such as quarantine and eradication work. |
| Demonstration and research | People who demonstrate application techniques publicly or apply restricted products in research. Extension educators and researchers certify here. |
| Sodium cyanide predator control | A single-product category for mechanical-ejection predator control devices. As specialized as certification gets. |
| Sodium fluoroacetate predator control | The livestock protection collar category. Similarly narrow and tightly controlled. |
| Soil fumigation | Fumigating soil with restricted products. One of the two fumigation deep ends: the highest-stakes competencies in the system. |
| Non-soil fumigation | Fumigating anything other than soil: structures, commodities, containers. The other deep end. |
| Aerial pest control | Application by fixed or rotary wing aircraft. Flying and applying are separately regulated skills; this category is the applying half. |
Common questions
Do I need private or commercial applicator certification?
Private certification covers producing agricultural commodities on land you or your employer own or rent. Commercial covers everyone else who uses or supervises restricted use pesticides. Both require a minimum age of 18.
How long does pesticide applicator certification last?
Certification expires five years after issuance under the federal standard; a certifying authority may set a shorter period. Recertification is by written examination or by completing an approved continuing education program, per the authority's EPA-approved plan.
What are the commercial applicator categories?
The federal list: Agricultural pest control: crop; Agricultural pest control: livestock; Forest pest control; Ornamental and turf; Seed treatment; Aquatic; Right-of-way; Industrial, institutional and structural; Public health; Regulatory; Demonstration and research; Sodium cyanide predator control; Sodium fluoroacetate predator control; Soil fumigation; Non-soil fumigation; Aerial application. States may add categories of their own.
Can uncertified workers apply restricted use pesticides?
Noncertified applicators may use restricted use pesticides under the direct supervision of a certified applicator, subject to the supervision requirements. The details of what supervision requires come from the regulation and your state plan.
Where do I actually get certified?
Certification runs through state plans approved by EPA; your state lead agency operates the program, and land-grant extension services publish the study manuals in most states.
The certification map
One printable page: private vs commercial, every federal category, and the five-year clock with the exam-or-CE choice. Free.
No spam. One useful sheet and occasional notes.