Pesticide licence in Alaska: 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 Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Pesticide Control Program, which certifies applicators under Title 18, Chapter 90 of the Alaska Administrative Code. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the department says
Agency	Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Pesticide Control Program
Credential	Certified Pesticide Applicator card with a certified applicator number
Category for trees and turf	Turf and Ornamental Pest Control, which the department says includes a tree care company that injects trees to control aphids
Exam	Core Exam in three sections plus at least one Category Exam; 70% or higher on every section; Core sections passed in one sitting
Fee	US$25 paid to the department; testing centers charge their own fee, generally between US$30 and US$50 per test
Recertification	At least 12 approved continuing education units (CEUs), valid three years
Insurance	Proof of liability insurance, unless the applicator designates as a Private Applicator (initial) or Personal-Use Applicator (renewal)

Who must be certified

The department's page on becoming a certified applicator cites 18 AAC 90.300 and lists the work that needs certification. It names commercial application, meaning use or supervision of pesticides on property other than the applicator's own, and consultation about commercial pesticide use. It also names use or supervision of pesticides at a school or at a public place, including parks, common areas of apartment buildings and government offices, and any use, purchase or sale of restricted-use pesticides.

The category that covers trees and turf

The department's applicator categories page describes Turf and Ornamental Pest Control as applicators who use pesticides to control outdoor pests on landscaping or lawns. Its examples are groundskeepers who use weed and lawn feed products on a client's lawn, and a tree care company that injects trees to control aphids. Other categories on the same page include Forest Pest Control, Right-of-Way and Industrial Grounds Pest Control, Structural Pest Control, Aquatic Pest Control and Pesticide Technician. The technician category is for people who apply general use pesticides only under the direction of a fully certified applicator.

Requirements and exam

According to the becoming-certified page, initial certification needs the applicator to be at least 18 years old, pass all three sections of the Core Exam with 70% or higher in one sitting, pass at least one Category Exam with 70% or higher, send proof of liability insurance and pay the US$25 fee. Certification is valid for one, two or three years depending on test scores. The page adds that a person is not certified until the department has issued the number and the applicator has received the card.

The department's exam preparation page says the Core Exam covers General Knowledge, State Regulations and Label Comprehension, with a time limit per section and 1 hour 20 minutes allowed for the whole Core Exam. Category Exams have a General Knowledge section and most also have a Calculations section. Exams are offered at online testing centers around the state, and the department says it will try to arrange a proctor for a paper exam if a center is not possible. Applicants must take the exam within 100 days of their approval date. A failed exam can be retaken the next day, but three failures within a year bring a 12 month wait. Paper results come back within four weeks. The study materials page lists the National Applicator Core Manual, the Alaska Core Manual, the pesticide regulations in Title 18, Chapter 90 and an example label for the Core Exam.

Renewal

The department's re-certification page says a certified applicator can renew through continuing education. That takes at least 12 approved CEUs, the online CEU application, the US$25 fee after the department sends an invoice, and proof of liability insurance unless the applicator is a Personal-Use Applicator. The renewed certification is valid for three years from the issue date, and all coursework must be done before the certification expires. An expired certification, or a choice not to use CEUs, means taking the exams again. A certified applicator who fails the Core Exam loses certification.

The same page says adding a category needs only that category's exam if the Core Exam was passed in the previous 12 months, and both exams if it was not. The Cooperative Extension Service holds a certified applicator conference each spring worth up to 6 CEUs, and the page lists online providers whose courses count for one CEU per course. The pages read do not state a reciprocity rule.