Pesticide licence in Alabama: categories, exam and renewal

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The source is the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Pesticide Management, which splits tree and turf work into two layers: a certified individual and, for a business, a professional services license. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the department says
Agency	Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Pesticide Management, Certification Unit and Professional Services
Licence for the person	Commercial Pesticide Applicator Permit, US$45 for each category
Licence for the business	Horticulture Professional Services License, US$175 a year for each main office location, covering Landscape Design, Tree Surgery, Setting of Landscape Plants and Ornamental and Turf Pest Control
Category for trees and turf	Ornamental and Turf Pest Control (OTPS); Tree Surgery has its own category in the professional services rules
Exam	Written exam from the department's Examining Board; US$75 per examination under the professional services rules; computer-based testing is also linked for commercial applicators; pass mark not on the pages read
Recertification	Permit renewable three years from issue, on 30 points: approved training or re-examination
Insurance or bond	Required before a permit for the structural categories, not less than US$150,000; not stated for the horticulture categories on the pages read

The two layers

The department's commercial applicators page says that once the exams are passed, the person applies for certification through the office. If the applicator plans to start a business in Alabama, a license is also required: the professional services license for the structural categories, the professional services horticulture license for OTPS, LD, SLP and TS, and a custom license for the custom categories. The professional services page says the horticulture license is issued to businesses that engage in and solicit Landscape Design, Tree Surgery, Setting of Landscape Plants and Ornamental and Turf Pest Control, and that each needs a certified operator who passed the exam and submitted the applicator application and fees for the category. Licenses run from October 1 to September 30 and are renewed every year.

Categories for trees and turf

Alabama's pesticide rule on sale and use describes Ornamental and Turf Pest Control as using or supervising pesticides, restricted use or otherwise, against pests while ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers and turf are kept or grown. The professional services rules, chapter 80-10-9, define Tree Surgery as cavity filling or repairing, bracing, cabling and wound treatment of shrubs and trees. They also list Landscape Horticulturist and Landscape Planter, the second covering the setting of landscape plants with the knowledge to do pruning and other practices needed to establish them. For an applicant seeking certification as supervisor in ornamental and turf pest control, landscape horticultural work and tree surgery, the rules ask for a written statement of training and experience. A custodial version of the category, OTPC, appears on the permit renewal form.

Fees and exam

The permit renewal form and the sale and use rule both set a commercial permit fee of US$45 for each category being certified or recertified. The professional services rules set an exam fee of US$75 per examination, paid when the exam is given, with the same fee again for a retake at the next sitting. Those rules state exams on the third Tuesday of March, June, September and December, with applications due at least 30 days ahead. Exam scores under the sale and use rule stay valid for 12 months. The department's page also links a computer-based testing option for commercial applicators through a testing company and says it no longer provides printed study material. The business license fee is US$175 for each main office location, with a US$50 late penalty added if unpaid by November 1 or within 31 days of the due date.

Renewal

The rule on renewal says commercial permits are renewable three years from the issue date, on a point system where the holder must collect 30 points in the three years. Attendance at a department-approved training session in every category held counts, and so does passing a re-examination in the categories previously certified, which is worth 30 points. A permit can be renewed for up to one year after expiry, and the re-exam must be passed within 12 months of expiry. A permit expired for more than a year cannot be renewed and a new one is applied for. The commissioner can subtract up to 15 points a year for proven negligent pesticide application. The department lists a recertification meeting locator for commercial applicators.

Insurance

Under rule 80-10-9-.28, insurance is required before a permit is issued for wood-destroying organisms, industrial, institutional and household pest control, and fumigation, with a minimum of US$150,000 and an extra US$100,000 for errors and omissions for wood-destroying organisms. The rule does not list the horticulture categories. The rule texts the department posts carry supplement dates of 2012, so the current amounts are best confirmed with the office.

Reciprocity

The commercial applicators page lists an application for reciprocal commercial pesticide applicator certification and names a staff contact for reciprocity to and from Alabama. The terms and the list of states are not on the pages read for this page.