Pesticide Training, Licensing and Education
Obtaining a Private Pesticide Applicator License for Applying Restricted
Use Pesticides
Types of Pesticide Applicators •
Private Pesticide Applicators
• Emergency Certification & Licensing
for First Timers
• Emergency Recertification for Private Pesticide Applicators
The following information applies to the Private Pesticide Applicator
Category (farmers, ranchers, and growers). For licensing information
regarding other categories, contact the Arkansas State Plant Board
(501-225-1598).
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. 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/ranchers/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 sections explain the steps required to obtain and
maintain a Private Pesticide Applicator License.
Private Pesticide Applicators
Step One - You must be certified i.e., trained, by attending a
Private Pesticide Applicator Training session (also known as
Certification or Recertification sessions) conducted by county Extension
agents. These sessions are normally conducted in the fall and winter
each year. There is a $10/person charge for the training. Contact your
county Extension office for more information on these meetings. Note:
you may attend any private applicator training session conducted in
Arkansas as long as it is provided by the Cooperative Extension Service.
If you have never had a private applicator license and for some reason
you cannot attend a scheduled training session, there is another
option - see the Emergency Licensing Procedures section below.
Step Two - After attending the full 2-3 hour
training session, you must fill out the half-page triplicate form (proof
of certification) provided by the county Extension agent. Once the form
is filled out and then signed by the Extension agent, you remove the
back copy for your records and the Extension agent keeps the other two
copies. The Extension office will send one copy of the form to the
Arkansas State Plant Board. You may obtain a current Application for a
License form from the Extension office or download the form from the
Plant Board’s website:
http://www.plantboard.org/pesticides_licensing6.html - forms
(form DP-25). You can get either a 1-year ($10) or 5-year license ($45).
It is the applicant’s responsibility to fill out form DP-25 and mail it
to the Plant Board with the licensing fee. The Plant Board will then
process your application and send you a license by mail. Note:
Applications must be filled out completely. Failure to include the
required information will result in license issuance delays. The license
will list the expiration date for the license and the recertification
required by date.
Step Three - Keep your certification and license current.
Remember that certification refers to the required training sessions
conducted by the Extension service. The Arkansas State Plant Board
requires that private applicators must be retrained at least every 5
years. Your license has a "Recertification Required by:" date on
the front. You must attend a pesticide applicator training session by
this date to ensure that you receive your license for the following
year. The Plant Board will notify you by mail, usually in October, when
it is time for you to recertify. In addition, many county Extension
offices send reminders to those individuals in their county that will
need to be recertified in a given year. Always read all
correspondence from the Plant Board very carefully.
The notice of your license expiration is handled differently than the
notice of recertification requirement outlined above. Approximately one
month before your license expiration date you will receive a license
renewal form from the Plant Board. Simply fill out the form and send it
back to the Plant Board with the required fees. Remember that you must
be current with your certification and training requirements in order to
get your license. That is why it is very important that you pay
attention to the Plant Board’s correspondence (i.e., the October letter)
detailing your recertification requirements.
Emergency Certification & Licensing for First
Timers
If you have never had a private applicator license and are unable to
attend a county Extension conducted training session, there is an
emergency procedure to obtain your certification. To obtain your
certification and license in an emergency situation you can watch a 2-3
hour pesticide applicator training video in the county Extension office.
You must be aware that this emergency procedure will certify you for
the current year only (instead of the five years provided by a regular
recertification session) and may be used only once per individual.
Even using this emergency procedure it may still take a few days to
obtain your license because of the processing time required by the
Arkansas State Plant Board. Please be aware that the Extension office
will do everything possible to help you obtain your license in an
emergency session, but the actual issuance of the license is the
responsibility of the state plant board. If you have questions,
comments, complaints, etc. about the pesticide licensing procedure,
please call the Director of the Pesticide Division or the Assistant
Director in charge of Certification and Training at the State Plant
Board (501-225-1598).
Emergency Recertification for Private Pesticide Applicators
If for some reason you are unable to attend a Cooperative Extension
Service-sponsored recertification session in your county by the required
date there are two options for private applicators:
1) Attend a recertification session in another county. Your local
county office can help you find another training session or you can go
to the following Extension website to find other meetings:
http://www.aragriculture.org/pesticides/ (make sure and look for
“County Private Pesticide Applicator Training Sessions”)
OR
2) Take the private applicator exam administered by the State
Plant Board. Contact your county Extension office for more
information and study materials.
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
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