Pesticide licence in California: 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 California Department of Pesticide Regulation, which calls itself DPR. Its licensing page and its application packets are the pages used here. National background is on the parent page, pesticide licences by country.

At a glance

Item	What DPR says
Agency	California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Licensing and Certification Program
Individual documents	Qualified Applicator License (QAL) and Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC)
Category named for trees and turf	B, Landscape Maintenance, on both documents
Business documents	Pest Control Business license; Maintenance Gardener Pest Control Business license
Minimum age for the exam	18
Exam fee	US$115 for each exam, rescheduling and retakes included
Pass mark	70 percent
Renewal cycle	Two years

The two individual documents

DPR says the state requires a license or certification for many categories of professional pesticide applicators, and for businesses that sell or apply pesticides for hire. The qualified applicator license packet says the license is for a person who applies or supervises federally restricted use pesticides or state restricted materials outside the private applicator definition. It is also for a person who supervises the applications of a licensed pest control business and is responsible for its safe and legal operation. The packet adds that a license holder may also act as a designated agent at a pest control dealer.

The qualified applicator certificate packet starts from the same test: a person who applies or supervises restricted materials outside the private applicator definition. The certificate has one extra subcategory, Q, Maintenance Gardener, which has its own exam.

Categories and the exam

Both packets say an applicant passes the Laws, Regulations, and Basic Principles exam and at least one pest control category exam, each with 70 percent or higher. The category list is A Residential, Industrial, and Institutional; B Landscape Maintenance; C Right-of-Way; D Plant Agriculture; E Forest; F Aquatic; G Regulatory; H Seed Treatment; I Animal Agriculture; J Demonstration and Research; K Health Related; L Soil Fumigation; and M Non-Soil Fumigation. The license also lists Q as a certificate-only subcategory.

The DPR exam information sheet says all individual exams are computer-based. The application is mailed to DPR with the fee and a copy of government-issued proof of age. DPR then emails the applicant a referral, and the applicant books a date and place with PSI, the testing company, at one of its sites across the state. The sheet lists 25 such sites, from Agoura Hills to Walnut Creek.

Fees

The DPR fee table, effective August 5, 2024, lists these amounts for individuals.

Item	QAL	QAC
New application	US$180	US$90
Second year	US$135	US$70
Renewal	US$270	US$140
Late renewal	US$135	US$70
Each exam	US$115	US$115

The same table lists a US$360 main-office pest control business license and a US$180 maintenance gardener business license, each with a US$20 duplicate fee.

Renewal and continuing education

Both packets say licenses and certificates run on two-year cycles tied to the first letter of the holder's last name: A through L expire on December 31 of even-numbered years, M through Z on December 31 of odd-numbered years. After the first renewal, the packets say at least 20 hours of approved continuing education are needed every two years, with four of them on pesticide laws and regulations. A certificate with only the Q subcategory needs eight hours, and holders of category H alone need four. Late renewals carry a fee of 50 percent of the renewal fee.

Business license and insurance

The pest control business packet says a business that does pest control for hire needs a business license. The maintenance gardener packet describes a separate license for gardeners who occasionally do pest control in support of mowing and care of plants and turf. It says the business needs a qualified person holding a QAC or QAL in category B, Landscape Maintenance, or the Q subcategory, and that if pest control is the main purpose of the business the full pest control business license applies.

The packets list the financial responsibility choices: liability insurance, a certificate of deposit, a surety bond or, for maintenance gardeners only, self-insurance. A ground pest control business shows bodily injury of US$100,000 per person and US$300,000 per occurrence plus property damage of US$50,000, or US$75,000 in a deposit or bond. A maintenance gardener business shows US$5,000 per person, US$10,000 per occurrence and US$5,000 property damage. The packet also asks for workers' compensation insurance when the business has employees.

Reciprocity

The packets and fee table read for this page do not describe reciprocity with other states.