Pesticide licence in Minnesota: 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 Minnesota Department of Agriculture, which licenses commercial, noncommercial and structural pest control applicators under Minnesota's pesticide control law. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the department says
Agency	Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Pesticide and Fertilizer Management
Licence for work for hire	Commercial Pesticide Applicator license, renewed every year; all licenses expire on December 31
Categories for trees and turf	Category E Turf and Ornamentals; category J Forestry, Rights-of-Way and Natural Areas; category A Core is required for everyone
Exam	Closed book, 70% or better, mostly multiple choice, in English or Spanish; Core plus at least one other category
Annual fee	US$76 for a commercial applicator: US$50 license, US$21 surcharge, US$5 processing
Recertification	MDA-approved workshop or retest; the cycle for category E is 2 years
Financial responsibility	Net assets statement of US$50,000, liability insurance, or a bond
Reciprocity	Agreements with 4 neighboring states and 14 others, based on state of residence

Licence types and categories

The department's applicator licensing page says it issues licenses to commercial and noncommercial pesticide applicators and to structural pest control applicators. Commercial means the applicator makes applications for hire, with customers billed or invoiced. Noncommercial covers restricted use applications on property the employer owns or controls. The page says pesticides include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant regulators, and that fertilizer applications need a separate fertilizer license.

The page of license types and categories lists the categories. Category E Turf and Ornamentals covers non-agricultural areas and ornamental propagation, including lawns, parks, athletic fields, golf courses, nurseries and greenhouses. Category J Forestry, Rights-of-Way and Natural Areas covers forested areas and plantations, roads, utilities and ditch banks, and natural areas such as prairie restoration and buckthorn removal. Category L covers mosquito, black fly and tick control. The list does not name shade trees by themselves, so which category fits a tree job is a question for the department.

Exam

The department's testing page says a license goes to an applicator who passes the Core exam (category A) and at least one more category. Application and renewal fees are paid before testing and are not transferable or refundable. Exams are closed book, 70% or better passes, and questions are mostly multiple choice. A calculator is provided and phones are surrendered at check-in. Exams are offered in English or Spanish, with a request for Spanish due seven days before, and Spanish is not available at every location. Study materials are ordered from the University of Minnesota Extension pesticide manual store. Electronic exams are scored at once; paper answer sheets are mailed to St. Paul. A person may take the exam three times within the licensure period. Some testing locations charge their own administrative fee.

Fees and renewal

The department's fee page lists the commercial applicator license at US$50, an Agricultural Chemical Response Reimbursement Account surcharge of US$21 and a US$5 processing fee, US$76 in total for the first license and each annual renewal. A late fee of US$25 applies from March 1. A duplicate card is US$10. The renewal requirements page says renewal forms are mailed to the employer in November and December, and commercial licenses may be renewed up to 12 months after the valid date on the card.

Recertification

The department's recertification page says an applicator keeps the license by paying the annual renewal and either attending an MDA-approved workshop in the year shown on the card or retesting in each category. An applicator attends a workshop the year after passing the exams, and then the cycle starts. The cycle for category E and category J is 2 years, and the Core category varies. The page notes that approved workshops give credit for category A. The retest fee is US$75 per category for most categories. Workshops are sponsored by the University of Minnesota Extension, the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and others, and the page lists category E workshops in St. Paul, Bemidji, Bloomington and Detroit Lakes, with virtual options.

Financial responsibility

The department's financial responsibility page says commercial applicators may meet the rule with a net assets statement of US$50,000 or more, a certificate of liability insurance, or a performance or surety bond. The insurance minimums for commercial applicators are US$50,000 for bodily injury or death for each person and each occurrence, and US$25,000 for property damage for each occurrence. If the employer carries the insurance or bond, licensed employees need not. The policy may carry a deductible of no more than US$500, and the insurer must give the department at least ten days' notice of cancellation.

Reciprocity

The department's reciprocity page lists North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin as adjacent states with agreements, and Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming as other states. Reciprocity depends on the state of residence, needs a copy of the home-state license, and a signed acknowledgment of Minnesota's pesticide law. Someone licensed this way who moves to Minnesota must complete a Minnesota workshop before renewing.