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Category and license path finder

Quick answer

Which pesticide applicator category do I need?

It depends on what you apply pesticide to and who you do the work for. Farming your own or your employer's agricultural land is the private track; nearly everything else done for compensation, lawn care, structural, right-of-way, aquatic, aerial, and more, is a commercial category matched to the work. Answer 3 questions below for your category and your state's exact path.

Question 1 of 3

What kind of work do you do?

Reference

All 14 national categories

40 CFR Part 171
Private or commercial Agricultural Plant

Row crops, orchards, vineyards, pasture, and greenhouse food-crop production. The core category for farm and ag-service applicators.

Private or commercial Agricultural Animal

Livestock, poultry houses, and animal-premises pest control on farm operations.

Commercial Forest

Timber stand management, site preparation, and forest nursery pest control.

Commercial Ornamental and Turf

Lawn care, landscape beds, nursery stock, and sports turf. The everyday lawn-and-landscape-crew category.

Commercial Seed Treatment

Applying pesticide treatments to seed before planting or sale.

Commercial Aquatic

Standing and flowing water, ponds, canals, and irrigation-system pest and vegetation control.

Commercial Right of Way

Roadside, rail, and utility-corridor vegetation and industrial pest management.

Commercial Structural and Industrial

Buildings and their contents: general household, restaurant, warehouse, and industrial pest control.

Commercial Public Health

Government and government-contracted vector control: mosquitoes and other disease-vector pest management.

Commercial Regulatory

Government pest eradication, quarantine, and regulatory enforcement programs.

Commercial Demonstration and Research

Instruction, field trials, and extension-style demonstration application work.

Commercial Wood Destroying Organisms

Termite and wood-decay control, licensed as its own category in many states.

Commercial Aerial

Endorsement for pesticide applications made from aircraft, layered on top of a base category rather than a stand-alone category in most states.

Commercial Fumigation

Endorsement for soil, structural, and commodity fumigant applications.

States rename and split these categories; your state's page (linked from your result above) shows its own category letters and names alongside this national list.

Frequently asked questions

Which pesticide applicator category do I need?
It depends on what you apply pesticide to and who you do the work for. Farming your own or your employer's agricultural land is the private track; nearly everything else done for compensation, lawn care, structural, right-of-way, aquatic, aerial, and more, is a commercial category matched to the work. Answer 3 questions below for your category and your state's exact path.
Can I hold more than one commercial category?
Yes. Most states let a commercial applicator add category exams over time as the work expands, each with its own exam and often its own fee. Aerial and fumigation are usually endorsements added on top of a base category rather than stand-alone certifications, and most states require the Core exam only once.
What if my work does not fit any category cleanly?
Some work spans categories, for example a lawn-care company that also treats termites. In that case you likely need more than one category, each with its own exam. Use the finder for your primary work type first, then check your state's page for how it lists any additional category you also need.