Pesticides include any material that repels, controls, limits, or eliminates a pest. Pests include any living organism such as weeds, insects, disease organisms, and rodents. Both general and restricted-use pesticides require a license when applied in the situations above, even if retail garden center products or minimum-risk products, such as cedar oil, garlic oil, or corn gluten meal, are used.
| Pest control operators |
| Lawncare applicators |
| Landscapers and arborists |
| Utility and highway rights of way |
| Agricultural custom applicators |
| Schools, colleges, and universities |
| Townships, cities, and villages |
| Apartment complexes (four or more units) |
| Restaurants and food service |
| Day care centers |
| Hospitals and medical buildings |
| Golf courses |
To become a licensed commercial pesticide applicator, you must pass the Ohio commercial pesticide exams. You will need to take the commercial core exam and at least one category exam.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is the agency in charge of pesticide licensing and testing. Follow the steps below to become a licensed commercial applicator:
You are required to hold “core” and at least one other commercial category on your license. Core covers pesticide laws and regulations, reading the label, best practices for handling and storage, pesticide calculations, human toxicity, applicator safety, and environmental protection.
There are 26 commercial pesticide applicator categories. Each category is specific to a pesticide application site and is sometimes specific to the type of pest. Some applicators may need multiple categories on their license to cover the types of application they make. For example, to make pesticide applications to weeds and insects in both agronomic and horticultural crops, categories 2a, 2b, and 2c are required. For detailed descriptions of each category, visit agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/pesticides/commercial-applicator.
| Category 1 — Aerial Pest Control | |
| Agricultural Pest Control | |
| Category 2A — Agronomic Pest Control | Category 2b — Horticultural Pest Control |
| Category 2c — Agricultural Weed Control | Category 2d — Seed Treatment |
| Category 2e — Tobacco Sucker Control | Category 2f — Soil Fumigation |
| Aquatic Pest Control | |
| Category 3a — General Aquatic Pest Control | Category 3b — Boat Antifoulant |
| Category 3c — Sewer Root Control | |
| Forest Pest Control | |
| Category 4a — General Forest Pest Control | Category 4b — Wood Preservation |
| Category 5 - Industrial Vegetation | |
| Ornamental Plant and Shade Tree Pest Control | |
| Category 6a — General Ornamental Pest Control | Category 6b — Interior Plantscape Pest Control |
| Category 6c — Ornamental Weed Control | Category 6d — Greenhouse Pest Control |
| Category 7 - Vertebrate Animal Control | |
| Category 8 - Turf Pest Control | |
| Category 9 - Livestock Animal Pest Control | |
| Domestic, Institutional, Structural, and Health-Related Pest Control | |
| Category 10a — General Pest Control | Category 10b — Termite Control |
| Category 10C — Fumigation | Category 10d — Mosquito, House Fly, and Other Vector Control |
| Category 11 - Specialized Pest Control (USDA only) | |
| Category 12 - Wood Destroying Insect Diagnostic Inspection | |
The commercial pesticide exams are multiple choice. Each exam has 25 to 150 questions, depending on the category. Most exams include questions about a pesticide label that is included with the exam.
You must pass both the core exam and at least one category exam to obtain a license. Seventy percent is the passing score. Exams can be taken as many times as needed in order to pass, but you must wait at least five business days before retaking an exam. Scores are posted online 2–3 weeks after examination at agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/pesticides/exam-results.
New commercial applicator workshops are offered by Ohio State University Extension as in-person training classes and webinars. These programs provide additional training to help prepare for the core, category 5, 6c, and 8 exams. The core class also fulfills the training requirement for trained servicepersons. More information is available at pested.osu.edu.
Online self-paced study courses are also available for core and category 10a at pested.osu.edu/OnlineTraining.
The commercial pesticide license expires each year on Sept. 30. ODA mails a renewal letter to licensed applicators in July. The letter contains a renewal application and a statement of the applicator’s recertification status. Licensed applicators may mail in the renewal application and $35 fee or renew online.
In addition to submitting a license renewal application and fee, licensed applicators also must recertify their license every three years.
To recertify a commercial applicator license, applicators need to obtain a minimum of five hours of commercial recertification credit by attending educational programs. The recertification credits must include 1 hour of core and at least 30 minutes of credit in each of your pesticide categories. You also have the option to retake the core and category tests instead of attending educational programs for credit. You may view your recertification status at any time online at agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/pesticides/recert-search.
In summary, to maintain your license, you will need to:
Recertification training is available through the Pesticide Safety Education Program as well as many trade associations. For a listing of programs, visit pested.osu.edu/commercialrecert. You may accumulate the 5 hours in half-hour increments over the three-year cycle.
If you hold a commercial pesticide license in another state, you may be able to receive a reciprocal license in Ohio without taking the Ohio exam. Some recertification credits also may be reciprocal. Contact ODA for more information and for a list of states with reciprocal arrangements with Ohio.
While not all are listed here, some key responsibilities include:
For more information on the license and insurance requirements for pesticide businesses, see
agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/licenses/pesticide-licenses.
Records are required for every application and must be recorded in English on the day of the application. All records must be submitted to a business’s central pesticide business/registered location within 10 days of an application and must be kept for three years.
Recordkeeping requirements for commercial categories 7 and 10 have a few differences from the recordkeeping requirements for all other categories, which are shown in the following tables. Example recordkeeping forms appear below, but applicators may keep electronic or hard-copy records in any format.
total amount of each pesticide product used
date of application
if diluted, total volume
type and size of area treated
time of day during application, including start and stop times
type of equipment used
wind speed and direction, and air temperature
location/field ID number, if different from address above
| Ohio Commercial Pesticide Application Records | |
| Category 7 and 10 a –d, only | |
| name of responsible commercial applicator and names of any trained service persons applying pesticides under direct supervision | trade name (brand name) and EPA registration number of pesticides used |
| name and address of person contracting for service | total amount of each pesticide product used |
| date of application | application concentration or dilution used of each pesticide and total volume applied |
| locations and methods of treatment for each pesticide used | |
Ohio law allows unlicensed applicators (trained servicepersons), to make applications if they are under the direct supervision of a licensed commercial pesticide applicator.
Trained serviceperson requirements:
To supervise a trained serviceperson, the licensed commercial applicator must:
The “Safety Training Guide for Trained Servicepersons” is available at extensionpubs.osu.edu.
For questions about study guides, recertification, and training opportunities, contact:
Pesticide Safety Education Program
Ohio State University Extension
Phone: 614-292-4070
Email: pested@osu.edu
Website: pested.osu.edu
For questions about licensing and exams, contact:
Ohio Department of Agriculture
Phone: 614-728-6987
Email: pesticides@agri.ohio.gov
Website: agri.ohio.gov
Interested in information on how to obtain an Ohio Commercial Pesticide Applicator License? Check out Ohio State University Extension study guides:
Ohio Commercial Pesticide Applicator License Study Guides
