A new pesticide must be registered and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.). If a pesticide has already been federally approved, states may require specific licenses relating to its use and distribution. Many states have different ways of categorizing and licensing pesticide use. A commonly regulated activity is pesticide application on someone else’s property.
There are different grades of licenses based on the role of the applicant including consultant, dealer, private applicator, etc. Many states have mandatory training and examinations for each type of pesticide license.
Fertilizer sales, distribution, and application are also subject to regulation by each state. Fertilizer product registrations usually require a chemical analysis of the product. It is common for a state to regulate any person who applies fertilizer for hire.
Businesses functioning without the proper license are generally penalized based on the size of the operation and the gravity of the offense.