Pesticide Applicators License
Which license do I need: Private, Commercial, or Structural?
A Private Pesticide Applicator license...
- Is needed if either of the following statements is true:
I want to purchase and use a Restricted-Use pesticide (RUP) on my property or the property of my employer to produce an agricultural, horticultural, or forestry commodity.
-OR-
I want to supervise the use of a Restricted-Use pesticide (RUP) on my property or the property of my employer to produce an agricultural, horticultural, or forestry commodity.
A Commercial Pesticide Applicator license...
- Is required if you want to buy, apply, or supervise the application of a general use or restricted-use pesticide (RUP) without a fee and you do not qualify as a private applicator.
- Is required if you work for or as a licensed Pesticide Contractor applying any pesticide to the lands of another for a fee unless you work under the supervision of someone else who has a Commercial Pesticide Applicator license.
- Does not permit you to charge a fee unless you also have a Pesticide Contractor license.
- Is required for Restricted-Use pesticide purchases, and your purchases must be confined to only those categories for which you are authorized by your license.
A Structural Pest Control license...
- Is required to solicit work or perform work as a Structural Pest Control business in Georgia.
- Requires you to be certified or registered and work for a licensed Structural Pest Control company to solicit or perform Structural Pest Control work in Georgia.
- Is divided into three operational categories: Household Pest Control (HPC), Wood Destroying Organisms (WDO), and Structural Fumigation (FUM).
- Requires pre-licensing: training, experience, and examinations.
Recertification for Commercial and Private Applicator Licenses
Other helpful links
- Pesticide Safety Education Publications
- UGA Extension Publications Store
- GA Department of Agriculture information for a variety of ag-related pest management situations including commercial farming, lawn care/landscaping, forestry, public health, right-of-way, etc.
A searchable database is available through the Georgia Department of Agriculture where you can search by applicator last name, license number, or commercial license category. Approved online classes are listed on this web page as well. In addition, there is a searchable database for recertification courses by course title, course date, or commercial category.
An App for Weed and Pest Identification: BASF has launched an app to help farmers with identifying weeds and pests, even when weeds are at the cotyledon stage. The app was developed by Bayer and released in 2018. The way it works is you snap a picture of the weed or disease and the app tells you with a percentage of confidence what you're looking at. You should consider anything over 90% confidence as accurate, since the identification is being done by a remote server that has more than 150,000 weed and disease images in a massive database for comparison. Your pictures get added to the database and over time the system gets even better. This is a high-tech way to speed scouting and make inexperienced scouts more effective.
Upcoming Events
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May 30 UGA Extension Henry County Category 41 Mosquito Control Training University of Georgia Extension Henry County is offering a webinar to help prepare those who are planning to take the Georgia Pesticide Applicator Licensing Exam in Category 41 Mosquito Control to pass it. The workshop will cover ONLY the Mosquito Control section and NOT the Core Manual (General Standards). For those of you who already have the license, five pesticide applicator recertification credits will be offered in Category 41 Mosquito Control. For those of you who already have the license, five pesticide applicator recertification credits will be offered in Category 41 Mosquito Control. The program will be online via Zoom.
- Virtual Event