Pennsylvania Pesticide Licensing and Certification

About 5 of every 50 questions on a Pennsylvania Core practice exam come from this topic.

Sources checked November 6, 2026

What to know

The Pennsylvania Pesticide Control Act of 1973 defines a public applicator as a certified applicator employed by the state or a local agency, and a private applicator as one using restricted use pesticides to produce an agricultural commodity on owned or rented land, or on another producer's land for traded services only. Under 7 Pa. Code § 128.41, certification as a commercial or public applicator is required for restricted use pesticides on the employer's own property when nothing agricultural is produced, for apartment structures of four or more units (except a resident using general use products in the resident's own unit) and for school property (except disinfectants and sanitizers inside the building). Termite work falls in the wood destroying pests category. The exam has a core part and a category part; once one part is passed, the other must be passed within 1 year, each added category needs its own exam, and only PDA-approved references may be used. Applicants must be 18, must file within 12 months of eligibility, and certificates expire September 30; an expired certificate allows no further use. Update training is due every 3 years at 1 credit per 30 minutes of instruction, excluding breaks and exhibits, and falsified attendance can bring a warning, fine, suspension or revocation. Without a certified applicator on site, a crew must be all registered technicians; an unregistered worker needs a certified applicator physically present with continuous voice and visual control, while a technician's supervisor must be able to reach the site within 5 hours. Technician registrations cannot be transferred, and training programs are run by a certified applicator with at least 1 year of experience. A business may apply only in categories where it employs a certified applicator. Dealers need proof of certification and identification before selling restricted use pesticides. A private applicator with an expired permit may not apply restricted use pesticides unless directly supervised by a certified applicator, and needs a fumigation-category permit to fumigate. PDA may warn instead of assessing a civil penalty when no harm resulted, revokes only after a hearing, and a repeat offense within 3 years is a second-degree misdemeanor for anyone but a private applicator.

Where it comes from

• 3 P.S. § 111.24
• 3 P.S. § 111.29
• 3 P.S. § 111.36b
• 3 P.S. § 111.49
• 3 P.S. § 111.50a
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.2
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.10
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.31
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.32
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.41
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.42
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.43
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.44
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.45
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.51
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.52
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.62
• 7 Pa. Code § 128.64

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