Pesticide Training, Licensing and Education
Obtaining a Private Pesticide Applicator License for Applying Restricted
Use Pesticides
Types of Pesticide Applicators •
Private Pesticide Applicators
•
Emergency Licensing for Private Pesticide Applicators
The following information applies to the Private Pesticide Applicator
Category (farmers and growers). 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 Pollution Control and
Ecology is responsible for certain pesticide regulations concerning
transportation and disposal. The required safety training, also known as
Certification or Recertification, is provided by the Cooperative Extension
Service, University of Arkansas.
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 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 only by county
Extension agents. These sessions are normally conducted in the fall and
winter each year. Contact your county Extension office for more information
on these meetings. If for some reason you can not attend a scheduled
training session, there is another option - see the Emergency Licensing
Procedures section below.
Step Two - After attending the full 3-4 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 from the Extension
office or call the Plant Board to have one sent to you. Fill this out,
attach the appropriate fees ($10.00 check) and mail it to the Plant Board.
The Plant Board will then process your application for a license. Note:
Applications must be filled out completely. Failure to include the required
information will result in license issuance delays. The license, once
issued, will expire on December 31 of the current year.
Step Three - Keep your certification and license current. Remember
that certification refers to the required training sessions conducted by the
Extension service. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that
private applicators must be retrained at least every 5 years. Your license
has a "Certification Expires:" 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 and many county
Extension offices usually send reminders to those individuals who will need
to be rectified in a given year.
To keep your license current you must fill out an Application for License
form each year and send it plus the appropriate fees to the Plant Board. The
Plant Board should send you this form each year in October or November.
Emergency Licensing for Private Pesticide Applicators
If for some reason you are unable to attend an Extension Service
sponsored recertification session by the required date there is an emergency
procedure to obtain your License. Note: you may attend any private
applicator training session conducted in Arkansas as long as it is provided
by the Cooperative Extension Service. To obtain your recertification and
license in an emergency situation you can watch a one 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 or license number because of the processing time
required by the 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 or license number
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).
For more information contact:
Ples Spradley
Extension Pesticide Assessment Specialist
Cooperative Extension Service, Univ. of Ark.
P.O. Box 391
Little Rock, AR 72203
Phone: 501-671-2234
FAX: 501-671-2303
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