The law requires that anyone who applies or supervises the application of a general-use or restricted-use pesticide to a property not owned or rented by the applicator or their employer has to be certified as a public or commercial applicator in accordance with EPA regulations and state laws. Likewise, if restricted-use pesticides will be used for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity on land which is owned or rented by the applicator or their employer, then they must be certified as a private applicator. In addition, only a certified pesticide applicator can purchase restricted-use pesticides.
Anyone looking to apply for a pesticide applicator license is going to have a lot of questions. You’ll find the answers to them all at Penn State Extension. The requirements for Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator Certification are laid out in the Pennsylvania Pesticide Control Act.
Private applicators have to pass one written multiple-choice examination, while commercial and public applicators have to pass two multiple-choice written examinations – one core and one category.
Penn State Extension has certification exam study materials for the majority of examinations that are required. Here are just a few of them:
Study materials are also available for the pesticide dealer manager certification examination and a training package is available for businesses that have registered technicians.
Success is more likely if you take the time to prepare for the pesticide applicator exam. Purchasing the study materials and carefully reading through them is the best course of action. All the exam questions are taken from these materials. Other opportunities are available to help you prepare for the private applicator examination and the public and commercial core examination and a few select categories through Pesticide Applicator Short Courses. In addition, an annual private applicator short course is provided in Spanish. The categories that are usually covered include Category 06: Ornamental and Shade Tree, Category 07: Lawn and Turf, Category 10: Right-of-way and Weeds, and Category 23: Park and School Pest Control. The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health puts on a Category 24: Swimming Pool exam preparation course.