CFAES Give Today
Pesticide Safety Education Program

Ohio State University Extension

CFAES

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Choosing study materials or categories
Who needs a license?
Am I private or commercial?

 

Choosing study material or categories

What study materials do I need?  The study materials are associated with the categories that you will be putting on your license. Each category is an exam.

How do I choose the categories?  The categories depend on the site of where you are applying the pesticides. For example, if you are applying to lawns, athletic fields, or mowed picnic areas the category would be turf (category 8). The site is the area, or purpose, you are applying the pesticides.

A complete listing of the categories and explanations of the sites is available by clicking here.

 

Who needs a license?

What if I'm only applying weed killer?  It's still considered a pesticide. Federal law definition for a pesticide includes herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and rodenticides.

Does everyone who applies a pesticide need to be licensed?  If an applicator is working under the direct supervision of a licensed applicator, they may be a trained serviceperson. However, each agency or business that is applying pesticides needs to have at least one employee who is licensed.

What if we are only using general-use products like bug spray or weed killer from the hardware store?  Businesses who apply pesticides for hire, governmental agencies, and publicly accessible sites are required to have a licensed commercial applicator regardless if the pesticide is general- or restricted-use.

 

Am I private or commercial?

Am I a private or commercial applicator?  Private applicators are applying restricted-use pesticides to produce an agriculture commodity. The private applicators are farmers. If you are not farming, or producing an agricultural commodity, then you are a commercial applicator.  Public agencies are considered commercial applicators including K-12 schools, colleges, universities, villages, townships, cities, etc.

What if we are only using general-use products like bug spray or weed killer from the hardware store?  Businesses who apply pesticides for hire, governmental agencies, and publicly accessible sites are required to have a licensed commercial applicator regardless if the pesticide is general- or restricted-use.