Pesticide licence in Michigan: certification, business licence and fees

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The sources are Part 83 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (Act 451 of 1994) on the Michigan Legislature site, and the Michigan Administrative Code rules R 285.633 and R 285.636 made under it. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development runs the programme, but its own pages refused automated access on October 9, 2026, so nothing here comes from them. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the law says
Who applies	The Act (MCL 324.8314) says applying a pesticide commercially or as part of a job needs certification or registration; a commercial certified or registered applicator has to be at least 18
Category for trees and turf	Rule R 285.636.3 has a category for turf grass, ornamental plants and shade tree pest management, with a turf grass subcategory and an ornamental plants and shade tree subcategory
Exam pass mark	70% or above on any written exam; under 70% on the general standards exam means certification is denied
Certification fee	US$75.00 for commercial applicator certification; US$45.00 for a commercial registered applicator
Business licence	Commercial applicator licence, US$100.00, expires annually on December 31
Credential life	Valid until December 31 of the third year after the year of issue
Records	Three years of restricted use pesticide records; county summary due before March 1

Certified, registered and licensed are three different things

Section 8314 of the Act says anyone applying a pesticide commercially or as part of a job must be either a certified applicator or a registered applicator. A commercial applicator may only apply in the category the person is certified or registered for. The same section says a person who is not subject to the business licence rule may apply a general use ready-to-use pesticide without certification or registration. The Michigan Legislature text of section 8314 also says a registered applicator completes an approved training programme and passes a test, and must complete training every three years to renew.

Section 8311 says certification for commercial applicators includes written exams set by the director, and a person may not use a restricted use pesticide without meeting the certification rules. A certified commercial applicator keeps restricted use pesticide records for three years. Those records hold the registration number, product name, formulated amount and place of application. A summary by county for the previous calendar year goes to the director before March 1. The section also makes a commercial applicator responsible for applications by people under their supervision.

The business licence is a separate step in section 8313. It says a commercial applicator who holds themselves out to the public as being in the pesticide business needs a licence for each place of business. To qualify the person must be certified and have either at least two application seasons working for a commercial applicator, or comparable education and experience as the director decides, or a bachelor degree in a discipline on pests and pest control plus one application season as an employee. The application needs proof of sufficient financial responsibility as set by rule. The section bars representing that an application has qualities it lacks, or that it is needed when the pest is not present or likely to occur. A business run from outside Michigan keeps either a registered office and resident agent in the state, or makes its records available and pays the department's audit costs.

Category for trees and turf

The rule R 285.636.3 as published by Cornell Law School lists the commercial categories. Besides the turf grass and ornamental and shade tree category, it covers agricultural pest management, forest pest management, seed treatment, aquatic pest management, right-of-way pest management, and industrial, institutional, structural and health-related pest management. The ornamental subcategory is described as applicators who use pesticides on ornamental plants in exterior areas, such as evergreens, shrubs and shade trees. The federal list in 40 CFR 171.101 on the eCFR site describes the matching ornamental and turf category for applicators who use restricted use pesticides on ornamental plants and turf.

Exam, credential and renewal

Rule R 285.636.4 says commercial applicators show practical knowledge by written exam of pest management, label comprehension and safe use, including the general standards and the standards for each category chosen. R 285.636.6 sets the 70% pass mark. A failed category exam means denial for that category only. A re-exam may be requested and must be given within the one-year application period. The application and fee become void six months after the application is received (R 285.636.2).

Under R 285.636.7, credentials run to December 31 of the third year after the year of issue unless suspended or revoked. A renewal uses the director's form and the fee in the Act. The director may require verifiable attendance at training meetings, an exam on changes in application technology, or both. Renewal by seminar needs all credits earned before the credential expires. Adding a category needs that category's exam or training and surrender of the old credential for a replacement. The licence itself is annual: section 8317 puts the licence expiry at December 31 each year.

Fees in section 8317

Application	Fee
Commercial applicator certification	US$75.00
Private agricultural applicator certification	US$50.00
Commercial registered applicator	US$45.00
Commercial applicator licence	US$100.00, expires annually on December 31

The section calls application fees non-refundable. It waives the private applicator fees for an honorably discharged US veteran who provides proof. The text read, section 8317 on the Michigan Legislature site, was marked complete through Public Act 103 of 2026.

The director may refuse to issue or renew a commercial applicator licence for insufficient knowledge, unsatisfied judgments under the Part, or unsafe or inadequate equipment, and may deny, revoke or suspend for violations. The director must tell a denied applicant the reasons. The pages read did not state a reciprocity rule.