If you apply pesticides for hire — pest control, lawn care, agriculture, public health — you need to be certified or licensed by your state. The system is federal at its core and state-run in practice: the U.S. EPA sets the standards under FIFRA, and each state's agency administers its own exams, fees, and credentials. This page is the plain-English map: what's universal everywhere, and where to find your state's specifics.
The pattern is the same nationwide. You must be at least 18 (16 in a narrow family-farm exception for private applicators), pass the CORE exam — the safety, label, law, and environment foundation drawn from the national manual — and, for commercial work, pass at least one category exam for your line of work (structural pest control, turf and ornamental, and so on). You apply to your state agency, pay a certification fee, and recertify on your state's cycle, typically every few years through continuing education, a retest, or both. Fees, exam formats, and category lists are where states differ — that's what each state page below covers.
For most people entering the industry, the path runs: get hired (many companies hire first and certify you during onboarding), study the CORE material, pass CORE plus your category, and get your credential — after which you can legally apply pesticides instead of riding along. The exam is the gate between trainee pay and billable work, which is why passing it the first time matters: a failed attempt means a retake fee and more unlicensed weeks. Study with practice exams that mirror the real format — timed, scored, and grounded in the same official manuals the exams are written from.
Each page below covers that state's credentials, exams, fees, scheduling, and agency — verified against the agency's own materials.
Free National CORE practice exams, flashcards, and study guides — timed and scored like the real thing, with a plain-English rationale on every question.
Start free CORE practice →Independent study tool — not affiliated with any state agency or the U.S. EPA. Requirements change; each state page names its official source, and our verification method explains how we keep facts current.