Pesticide licence in Arkansas: 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 Arkansas Department of Agriculture. Two of its units license pesticide work, and the one that applies to a tree and turf job depends on the kind of work. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the department says
Agency	Arkansas Department of Agriculture: Pest Control Program (Regulatory Services) and Pesticide Section (Plant Industries)
Tree and turf classification	Classification 4 Ornamental Tree and Turf Pest Control for commercial work; classification 9 for non-commercial work
Licences	Commercial license for the business, licensed operator, agent registration; non-commercial certificate
Exam	EPA Basic Core (free) plus classification exam at US$100; pass marks 70% core, 75% for classification 4/9; agent exam US$30, 80%
Fees	Business US$100 to US$500 by employee count; operator US$150 first classification, US$100 second, capped at US$300; agent US$30; non-commercial certificate US$70
Renewal	Licenses run July to June and renew annually before July 1
Tree injection	Tree Injector Applicator Permit, US$50 per location, for firms injecting class E or F products such as 2,4-D

The Pest Control Program

The department's Pest Control Program page says the program regulates pest control under the Arkansas Pest Control Law and that anyone doing pest control for pay must be licensed or certified. It gives treating lawns and turf for insect and weed pests as an example of pest control work. The program has ten classifications. Structural pest control is classifications 1 to 3, 7 and 8, and ornamental pest control is 4 to 6, 9 and 10. Classification 4/9 is Ornamental Tree and Turf Pest Control, 5 is Weed Control only, and 6/10 is Golf Course Pest Control. No license is required for property owners or for employees working on the employer's property unless restricted use products are involved.

The roles are the license holder, which is the business, the licensed operator, a certified person who supervises the work, and the agent, a trained employee under supervision. A non-commercial applicator works only for an employer, and the page notes that the non-commercial certificate is not a license.

Exams and pass marks

The program page says an applicant passes the Basic Core exam and a classification exam. The classification exam is US$100 per classification, the Basic Core is given at no charge to those who have not taken it, and the agent exam is US$30. The page lists pass marks of 70% for the Basic Core, 75% for classification 4/9, 70% for classifications 5 and 6/10, and 80% for the agent exam. Exams are offered in person on a schedule the page calls bi-monthly, or online year round with an added proctor fee. The exam application must arrive at least five working days before an on-site exam, and results are held until the invoice is paid.

Fees and renewal

The same page lists the license holder fee as US$100 for 0 to 30 agents, US$250 for 31 to 60 and US$500 for 61 or more. The operator fee is US$150 for the first classification and US$100 for the second, never more than US$300. Each agent registered costs US$30, and the non-commercial certificate is US$70. All licenses and certificates run from July to June and are renewed before July 1 through an online invoice. They are issued as digital PDF files and not printed. The page says bond and insurance documents are uploaded to the department, and it does not state coverage amounts.

The page also lists recertification courses approved by the department for specific classifications, from university online courses to state association meetings. The number of credits needed is not given there.

The Pesticide Section and tree injection

The department's licensing and permits page covers the Pesticide Section, which tests and licenses applicators of restricted use products and certain ag, forest, aquatic and right-of-way work. It says the individual license is US$35 per category and the firm license US$100 plus US$20 for each piece of application equipment, and that certification lasts three years for commercial and non-commercial applicators. The page for the firm commercial applicator license says its list of categories includes forest pest control and sends structural, household, turf and ornamental work to the Regulatory Section. It describes a Tree Injector Permit for firms that apply class E or F pesticides, including 2,4-D, by tree injection, with each applicator passing a Tree Injector Exam. The fee schedule lists the tree injector permit at US$50 per location and US$50 per operator in charge, and the firm proof of financial responsibility on the firm page is at least US$100,000 insurance with a deductible of no more than US$5,000, or a bond, letter of credit or escrow account.

Reciprocity

None of the Arkansas pages read states its own reciprocity terms. Missouri's department lists Arkansas as a reciprocal state, as the Missouri guide reports.