Pesticide licence in Nevada: 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 Nevada Department of Agriculture, Pest Control section, which licenses pest control companies and the people who apply pesticides for hire. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the department says
Agency	Nevada Department of Agriculture, Pest Control section
Licence for work for hire	Pest control business licence US$250, with a primary principal, principal or operator licence at US$50 each; all licences expire December 31
Category for trees and turf	C1 Limited landscape (ornamental and turf in urban areas); C6 Weeds covers landscape weed control
Exam	Core, plus the open-book Laws exam for principals, plus one exam per category; US$50 each at first, US$35 for each retake; 70% for principals, 65% for others
Renewal	Six continuing education units (CEUs) each licensing year; principals need at least one in laws
Insurance or bond	Proof of insurance on a Nevada Certificate of Insurance; the amount is not stated on the pages read
Reciprocity	None: the department says everyone must pass the Nevada exams

Licence types

The department's who must have a pest control license page says a licence is needed by anyone who applies pesticides for hire, anyone who sells or advertises pest control services and anyone who does pest inspections for hire. A separate restricted-use pesticide certification, run by the Environmental Services section, does not allow for-hire work. Its getting licensed page says each business must employ a primary principal. The primary principal needs two years of licensed experience in the category, or six months plus at least 16 college credit hours in biological sciences, 8 of them directly about pest control. The principal also passes a fingerprint background check, which the page says takes 6 to 8 weeks, and the business gives proof of insurance and holds a Nevada state business licence. Operators work under the business, and agents take a core exam every year.

The category that covers trees and turf

The department's fields and categories page sets three fields: aerial, agricultural ground, and urban and structural. Under urban and structural, C1 Limited landscape covers insect pests, vertebrate pests and plant diseases and the use of plant regulators on ornamentals and turf in urban areas, including fruit trees in urban areas that are not used commercially. C6 Weeds covers weed control in the maintenance of landscapes, turf and rights-of-way. A government employee applying general-use pesticides sits in a separate government field, with its own plant disease and terrestrial weed categories.

Exam

According to the department, the exam contents page says a principal passes Core, Laws and regulations, and an exam for each category, while an operator passes Core and the category. The pass mark is 70% for principals and 65% for operators, consultants and agents. A failed section can be retaken after 7 days, or 10 days for a principal. The exam fees page lists US$50 for each initial exam and US$35 for each later one. Exams are by appointment only at the department's Las Vegas, Sparks and Elko offices, with a cancellation needed at least 48 hours ahead or the fee is lost. Use of a phone or radio during an exam bars a retest for at least 6 months.

Fees and renewal

The fees page lists US$250 for a business licence, US$375 to renew a business licence that has expired, US$50 for a principal, location principal or operator, US$50 for an inactive licence and US$25 for a replacement card. The department's continuing education page says Nevada law requires at least six CEUs for each licensing year before renewal. A principal needs one of the six in laws and regulations. Operators and consultants need six in pest control topics, and agents have no CEU requirement. A restricted-use certificate holder instead needs 12 CEUs over the valid certification period, two of them in laws.

Insurance and reciprocity

The getting licensed page says the business insurance provider completes a Nevada Certificate of Insurance and points to NRS 555.330 for the requirements. This page does not give amounts, because that statute was not read. On reciprocity, the department's pest control FAQ answers a question about licences from other states with a plain "NO": everyone must pass the Nevada exams. The restricted-use certification FAQ says the same for certificates.