Pesticide licence in Connecticut: 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 Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Pesticide Management Program. In Connecticut the license for tree care for hire is written into the same certification system as pesticide use. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the department says
Agency	Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Pesticide Management Program
Arborist license	Required for advertising, soliciting or contracting to do arboriculture; category 3D under the commercial supervisor certification
Other categories for trees and turf	3A Ornamental and Turf; 6 Right of Way
Exam fee	US$200 for up to 3 supervisor categories, plus an online proctoring fee
Written exam	Multiple choice, 75% to pass, up to 3 hours; arborists then sit an oral exam
License fee	US$285, good for 5 years
Renewal	Every 5 years, expiring January 31, with 12 continuing education credits per category

The arborist license

The department's page on the commercial arborist license says the license is required for people advertising, soliciting or contracting to do arboriculture in Connecticut. It quotes the arborist law's definition of arboriculture as work for hire to improve fruit, shade or ornamental trees by feeding, fertilizing, pruning, trimming, bracing, treating cavities or protecting trees from insects and disease by spraying or other methods. The page states that the licensed arborist is a supervisory pesticide applicator for pesticide use, and that the arborist license is category 3D under the commercial pesticide supervisor certification. It authorizes fungicides, insecticides, miticides and tree growth regulators on fruit, shade and ornamental trees only. Turf, ornamental shrubs or other sites need other certification: the page says category 3A is required for tick applications, category 6 for brush and weeds along roadsides and rights of way, and category 5 for vegetation in water. A related page, pesticide certification and licensing, describes the junior operator as a commercial applicator who works under a certified supervisor with written instructions for each application.

Written and oral exams

The department's page on supervisor certification says an applicant is at least 18, the exam must be taken within 90 days of paying the US$200 exam fee, and the fee covers up to 3 categories. The written exam is online through a proctoring company at a separate fee (the page lists US$21 and says it is expected to rise to US$29). A minimum score of 75% passes, with up to 3 hours, and a 30 day wait between attempts in the same category. The arborist page says a failed written exam brings a US$200 retest fee, and the written exam is to be passed at least 3 weeks before the desired oral exam date.

The oral exam takes place at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven or at Lockwood Farm in Hamden, on dates the page lists from June 10, 2026 to December 8, 2027. It starts with tree identification, passed at 80%, then a practical exam of 10 conversational questions, one from each of ten areas: licensing and records, safety, general tree work, cabling and bracing, tree physiology, insects, diseases, abiotic disorders, nutrient management and pesticides. The practical exam needs a total of at least 70% and a score of at least 7 out of 10 in at least seven of the ten areas. A failed oral exam gets one more attempt before the written exam must be retaken. The page says applicants should know electrical hazards and safe working distances, the types of insurance that protect tree workers and the public, and the state laws on arboriculture and commercial pesticide application.

License fee, business registration and renewal

The supervisor page lists a licensing fee of US$285, paid after the exams are passed, good for 5 years and payable again at renewal. Certifications expire on January 31 of the renewal year, with notices by email about 90 days ahead. Renewal needs 12 continuing education credits per category, all annual pesticide use summary reports, and the fee. The department may refuse to renew for failure to submit those reports. The arborist page adds that since October 1, 2013 arborists must register their business, and the pesticide application business registration covers arborist businesses. The pages read give no insurance amount.

Junior operator

A person who applies pesticides for a commercial company in a non-supervisory role holds a junior operator certificate. The department's junior operator page lists an age of 18, a 60-question multiple choice exam in English with at least 80% to pass, an exam fee of US$200 and a renewal fee of US$80 every 5 years. It says the operator certificate does not allow buying restricted pesticides or running a pesticide business.

Reciprocity

The pages read do not mention reciprocity with other states, so none is described here.