Private and Commercial Pesticides
Interested in getting a Pesticide License?
UGA Extension’s Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) promotes the responsible and safe use of pesticides throughout Georgia.
We offer educational resources, training programs, and study guides for private, commercial, and residential applicators.
Who needs a pesticide applicator’s license?
If you want to purchase or use a restricted-use pesticide, you or your supervisor must have a pesticide applicator license issued by the:
Private Applicators
Private Applicators The private pesticide applicator license is required for individuals to purchase and use – or supervise the use of – a restricted-use pesticide on their property or the property of their employer to produce a commodity (agricultural, horticultural, or forestry).
According to the Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act of 1976, examples of individuals who might benefit from this license include (but are not limited to):
- Farmers
- Ranchers
- Vineyardists
- Plant Propagators
- Christmas Tree Growers
- Aquaculturists
- Floriculturists
- Orchardists
- Foresters
Commercial Applicators
The commercial pesticide applicator license is required for individuals to purchase and use or supervise the use of a general-use or restricted-use pesticide and you do not qualify as a private applicator.
Commercial applicators must pass a general standards exam as well as at least one category standards exam with a score of 70% or higher on each exam, and pesticide purchases must be confined to only those categories for which you are certified by your license.
To charge a fee for their service, commercial applicators must also hold a pesticide contractor license or work for a pesticide contractor. Certified commercial applicators who want to charge a fee for the application of any pesticide to the land of another person or business must also have a pesticide contractor’s license for each business location.
Preparing for a Commercial Applicators Exam
The UGA Pesticide Safety Education Program offers printed copies and online study guides for the general standards and specialty categories.
Printed Study Guides
Online Study Guide Courses
Digital access to online versions of the general standards study guide course and select categories can be found on the Georgia Professional Certifications Storefront. Step-by-step course ordering instructions can be downloaded here:
Pesticide storage
Pesticide storage areas should be fire-resistant, well-ventilated, locked, dry, protected from direct sunlight, and insulated against temperature extremes. Access should be limited to those trained to work with and handle pesticides. Always keep pesticides out of reach of children, animals, and untrained adults.
Pesticide containers should frequently be checked for leaks or breaks. If a container is damaged, transfer contents into an unmarked replacement container with the pesticide label attached.
Store pesticides only in their original containers with labels intact. Never place pesticides in a food or beverage storage container!
Do not store pesticides with food, feed, animal supplies, or seeds. Store pesticides at least 100 feet from wells and waterways.
Pesticide Disposal
The best option to dispose of unused pesticides is to use them according to label directions if possible. Follow label instructions for disposal or contact your local Extension office for additional disposal information.
An App for Weed and Pest Identification:
has launched an app to help farmers identify weeds and pests, even when weeds are at the cotyledon stage.
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 the system gets even better over time. This is a high-tech way to speed scouting and make inexperienced scouts more effective.
