Pesticide licence in Georgia: 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 Georgia Department of Agriculture, whose Pesticide Program licenses applicators and contractors under the Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act of 1976. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the department says
Agency	Georgia Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Program
Licenses	Commercial Pesticide Applicator License (the person) and Pesticide Contractor License (the business)
Category for trees and turf	24 Ornamental and Turf; the contractor page lists a tree surgeon as an example
Exam	Computerized, run by the Georgia Technical Colleges: general standards plus at least one category, pass mark 70%, US$45 per attempt
Applicator license	US$90, valid 5 years
Contractor license	US$55 new or renewal, one year, expiring at the end of the calendar year
Recertification	10 credit hours for category 24 over the 5 years, or the exam again

Who needs which license

The department's pest control FAQ says an applicator license is needed to buy, use or supervise a restricted use pesticide, or to apply any general use or restricted use pesticide for a fee. Without an agricultural commodity in the picture, a Commercial Applicator License in the appropriate category is the one named. To apply any type of pesticide to another person's property and collect a fee, both a Commercial Applicator License and a Pesticide Contractor License are required. The page on pesticide contractors lists a tree surgeon, a landscape contractor and a lawn care or maintenance company among its examples, and says work done as part of a maintenance contract is also covered.

Exam and fees

The FAQ says the commercial exam is a computerized test provided by the Georgia Technical Colleges at several locations through the year, registered on a separate exam site. Study materials come from the University of Georgia, with pricing that varies. Applicants pass the general standards exam and at least one major category exam with 70%. The technical colleges charge US$45 each time the exam is taken. After passing, the applicant mails US$90 to the department and the license arrives within 2 weeks once documents and fees are in. A failed exam can be retaken the following month, no exam more than twice in any 6 months, and both parts must be passed within one year of the first exam or the scores are discarded.

Contractor license, financial responsibility and renewal

The contractors page says the business needs at least one full-time certified commercial applicator licensed in its categories and must satisfy financial responsibility requirements. The page does not give the amounts. It also says the license is applied for and renewed annually. The contractor license page says licenses run one year, expire at the end of the calendar year of issue, cost US$55 for a new application or renewal, and carry a 50% penalty added for a late renewal. Applicants must provide proof of citizenship or legal residency, and an applicant located outside Georgia is asked for a notarized consent to service of process. The contractors page adds a penalty of up to US$1,000 per violation for working without the license.

Renewal of the applicator license

The FAQ says applicator licenses last 5 years, and renewal needs recertification: retaking the exam, or collecting credit hours during the period. Credit hours must reach the department at least 90 days before expiry. Commercial applicators need either 6 or 10 hours per licensed category, and a renewal notice goes out about 90 days before expiry. The department's agricultural pest control page names approved online trainers and says course sponsors must submit approvals 30 days before a course.

Reciprocity

The agricultural pest control page says an applicant licensed in another state with substantially the same standards as Georgia may have all or part of the exam requirements waived, using a downloadable reciprocal license application with a fee of US$90.