Pesticide Training, Licensing and Education
Obtaining a Commercial /Non-Commercial Pesticide Applicator License for
Applying Restricted Use Pesticides
Types of Pesticide Applicators •
Commercial and Non-Commercial Pesticide Applicators
The following information applies to the
Commercial and Non-Commercial agricultural pesticide applicator
categories of Agricultural Plants, Agricultural Animals, Demonstration
and Research, Forestry, Wood Treatment, Right of Way, Public Health,
Aquatic, Seed Treatment, and Regulatory. For licensing information
regarding other categories, contact the State Plant Board.
Federal law requires that a person who purchases or applies a restricted use pesticide must have a current pesticide applicator
license and receive periodic pesticide safety training.
Restricted use pesticides are those that have higher risk potential
for humans, wildlife, and the environment. The Federal government has
determined that the benefits provided by these pesticides outweigh the
risks as long as they are properly handled, applied, and disposed of.
Knowledge and prevention are the keys to avoiding accidents and unwanted
exposures.
In Arkansas, the licensing of pesticide applicators and the
enforcement of pesticide laws and regulations is the responsibility
primarily of the Arkansas State Plant Board. The Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality is responsible for certain pesticide regulations
concerning transportation and disposal. The required safety training,
also known as certification or recertification, is provided by the
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture through the Cooperative
Extension Service.
Types of Pesticide
Applicators
There are three basic types of pesticide applicators: private,
commercial, and non-commercial.
Private applicators are individuals who use restricted use
pesticides to produce agricultural commodities on property owned or
rented by them or their employer. Example: farmers/growers. Restricted
use pesticides are not labeled for home gardens. Therefore, a pesticide
license is not required, nor available, for home gardeners.
Commercial applicators are individuals who use restricted use
pesticides (normally for hire) for any purpose or on property other than
that specified for defining private applicators. Examples: aerial
applicators, custom applicators, etc.
Non-commercial applicators are individuals who use restricted use
pesticides but do not qualify as a private applicator nor require a
commercial applicators license. Examples: researchers, Extension agents,
chemical company representatives, etc.
Note: An individual is not eligible to purchase or apply restricted
use pesticides until a License is actually issued.
The following section explains the steps required to obtain and
maintain a Commercial or Non-Commercial Pesticide Applicator License.
Commercial and Non-Commercial Pesticide Applicators
Step One - You must take and pass the Basic Core Exam and
the category specific exams required for the type license you need.
Training is not required before taking the exams but is available and
recommended. Study kits are also available by contacting the Extension
Service at 501-671-2232. The study kits are $15 a piece. The Extension
Pesticide Education Specialist conducts approximately four training
sessions per year for individuals needing to take the exams. The dates
and locations for these meetings vary from year to year, but they
normally are conducted in March. The dates for any given year will be
set in January and the schedule can be found on the following website:
http://www.aragriculture.org/pesticides/. Look for “Initial
Commercial/Non-Commercial Pesticide Applicator Training.” If you cannot,
or do not want to attend a training session before taking the exams, you
may arrange with the Plant Board to be tested at their headquarters in
Little Rock. A study kit is highly recommended in this situation (see
above).
Step Two - Once you have passed the required exams you are
eligible to obtain your Pesticide Applicator License. The Plant Board
will send eligible individuals an Application for License form (DP-27 or
DP-30). Complete the form and mail it back to the Plant Board with the
appropriate license fees for processing. The license, once issued, will
expire December 31 of the current year.
Step Three - Once you have obtained your license you must attend
a pesticide safety training session (conducted by the Cooperative
Extension Service in most cases) at least once every three years in
order to maintain your certification. These sessions are known as
Recertification sessions. Your pesticide license has the "Certification
Expires:" date printed on the front. You must attend a
recertification session by this date to receive your license for the
next year and the following two years. There are a number of
recertification training sessions conducted each year and the State
Plant Board will notify you by mail about the training schedule when it
is time for you to be recertified. The Plant Board will send you a
letter each October that will contain a license renewal form or the form
and a notification that you need to be recertified. Make sure and read
the Plant Board’s letter closely to ensure that you maintain your
certification and license.
After attending the full 3-4 hour recertification training session,
you must fill out the half-page triplicate form (proof of certification)
provided by the trainers. Once the form is filled out and then signed by
the appropriate Extension personnel, you remove the back copy for your
records and the Extension Service will keep the other two copies. The
Extension Service will send one copy to the Plant Board for their
records. The Plant Board will send an application for a license in
October or November of each year to all currently licensed individuals.
If your certification is current, you just fill out the application form
and send it, along with the appropriate fees, to the Plant Board for
processing. The license, once issued, will expire on December 31 of the
current year.
Step Four - Keep your license and recertification current.
Remember that recertification refers to the required training conducted
by the Cooperative Extension Service. It is critical that you read and
follow all correspondence from the Plant Board related to your licensing
and recertification requirements.
If you let your license lapse for a year or two you do not have to
retake the exams if you maintain your recertification training
requirements (i.e., you attend a recertification session at least once
every three years).
If you let your recertification expire, simply attend another
recertification session and begin the three year cycle again.
If for some reason you are unable to attend a recertification session
by the required date and you must have a license, you have only one
option: You must retake the exams at the State Plant Board in Little
Rock. Therefore it is very important that you attend the training
sessions at least once every three years to maintain your
recertification.
For more information contact:
Ples Spradley
Extension Pesticide Assessment Specialist
Cooperative Extension Service
University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture
2301 South University Ave.
Little Rock, AR 72204
Phone: 501-671-2234
Email: pspradley@uaex.edu Back to
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