The pest management professionals responsible for safely and effectively managing pests fulfill more education and training requirements toward their licenses than the public may realize. And figuring out which license to get can be confusing because of the range of pests, sites (locations), licenses, and license-issuing agencies. For example, some applicator licenses allow someone to apply pesticides to the outdoor landscape while others allow people to apply to indoor spaces. It can be confusing when there is overlap, such as applying a pesticide to the inside of a school and then moving outside to apply a pesticide to the perimeter of that building. Pest management professionals need an easy way to know if applying a pesticide to the building perimeter requires a different license.

To make it easier for people to choose the appropriate license and get working, Area IPM Advisor Siavash Taravati, based in Riverside County, created a simple online tool: the Key to California Individual Pest Control Licenses.

“The exact license you need depends on the site (…park, home, airplane, golf course, food processing facility) and sometimes the type of pest (termites, mosquitoes, gophers, and rats) you are trying to control,” writes Taravati. With three distinct state agencies issuing licenses for different target sites and pests, overlaps happen. This complexity inspired him to write this new key, which “combines all the individual pest control licenses issued by all three California agencies.”

Taravati breaks down the focus of each license-issuing agency:

• The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) “issues various licenses to control pests in the landscape, on farms and farm animals, around roads and railroads, and on golf courses, sewer systems, water bodies, and forests, as well as a structural pest control license for public agencies or in-house pest control,” says Taravati. “And here’s an example of overlap getting confusing: that license excludes commercial structural pest control.”
• The California Structural Pest Control Board (SPCB) “issues licenses for commercial pest control in structures such as residential buildings, offices, ships, airplanes, and theaters.”
• And the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) “issues licenses for controlling pests of public health importance such as mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, etc.”

The Key to California Individual Pest Control Licenses poses a series of questions about someone’s work goals that narrow down the choices toward the required license and agency. For example, “I want to apply pesticides in California. Go to #2.” Then, “I want to apply pesticides to a property not owned by my employer or me. Go to #5.” And so on until the user arrives at the answer, #8, Qualified Applicator License (QAL): “Supervise the pesticide applications made by a licensed pest control business and be responsible for its safe and legal operation” specifically for landscape maintenance (QAL B) with a summary and a link to the Department of Pesticide Regulation application packet. Easy.

The types of licenses in California are:

• Those issued by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR):
• Pest Control Advisor (PCA)
• Dealer Designated Agent (DDA)
• Private Applicator Certification (PAC)
• Qualified Applicator License (QAL)
• Subcategory A: Public agency or in-house structural pest control
• Subcategories B to P
• Qualified Applicator Certification (QAC)
• Subcategory A: Public agency or in-house structural pest control
• Subcategories B to P
• [manned] Pest Control Aircraft Pilot Certificate
• [unmanned] Pest Control Aircraft Pilot Certificate
• Those issued by the Structural Pest Control Board (SPCB):
• Structural Pest Control—Branch I
• Structural Pest Control—Branch II
• Structural Pest Control—Branch III
• That issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH):
• Vector Control Technician (VCT)

Now pest management professionals or pesticide applicators seeking licenses can clearly and quickly determine which license they need and from which agency, along with the links to get started. And simply googling “Which California pest control license do I need?” yields this new UC IPM key on page one.

Check out Taravati’s pest control licensing key: Key to California Individual Pest Control Licenses

Long-Term Impacts

• Increased workforce retention and competency: Developing a qualified workforce in California
• Increased ecological sustainability of agriculture, landscapes, and forestry: Protecting California’s natural resources
• Improved health for all: Promoting healthy people and communities