Pesticide Licensing
A pesticide is any substance that can prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests, and includes anything used as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant. The use of pesticides can be used to control pests- undesirable organisms that injures humans, plants and animals, manufactured products, or natural substances. Common pests include weeds, insects, animals, and disease pathogens like bacteria and fungi. I have written about integrated pest management in the past, so today I wanted to focus on the licensing requirements around pesticides and pesticide use.
First, it’s important to distinguish the different types of pesticides on the market. General or unclassified pesticides are those which have low toxicity and pose little threat to human or wildlife health. Some general use pesticides you might be familiar with are weed killers, rodent poisons, ant baits, and other products that can be purchased at any home and garden store. Restricted use pesticides are those that have higher toxicities and pose a significant threat to human and environmental health and safety. In order to purchase or use a restricted use pesticide, you must hold a pesticide license obtained through the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
There are two classifications of pesticide licenses offered in the state of Georgia. A private applicator license is for those who intend to use restricted pesticides for agriculture production on property owned, rented, or otherwise in their care or on the property of another person, provided there is no compensation between parties. For example, this would include most farmers, ranchers, orchardists, and foresters. A commercial applicator pesticide license is required for people who are not directly producing an agricultural commodity. If an individual wants to provide pesticide applications to the property of another person for compensation, such as a lawn care business or pest control service, they will need both a commercial applicators license and a pesticide contractor license. Beyond these classifications, there are nineteen different license categories depending on what commodities the individual handles. For example, agriculture plant pest control accounts for restricted use pesticides for all agricultural crops, but does not extend to ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers, and turf.
If you are interested in getting a private applicator license, you can arrange with our Extension office to get the appropriate training. Once completed, the GA Department of Agriculture will issue your private applicators license at no cost to you. If a commercial applicators license is needed, you will need to schedule to take the pesticide licensing exam through a Georgia Technical College. The exam is $45 and will cover both the general standards examination and one major category examination. Study materials can be purchased directly from UGA or may be accessible through your local extension office. Once you have passed the exam, you will pay the GA Department of Agriculture $90 for your license, which will be valid for 5 years. At the 5-year mark, you will need to re-certify in order to renew the license. You can do this by re-taking the exam or by accumulating the required hours of continuing education for recertification throughout the 5-year period. Continuing education credits are offered through a wide variety of courses provided through organizations like UGA Cooperative Extension.
If you are interested in getting your pesticide license, or if you have questions about continuing education requirements, please let us know at uge3181@uga.edu.
