Pesticide Certification and Registration
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is the agency in New York State designated to regulate pesticides. The Division of Solid & Hazardous Materials regulates the application of pesticides in New York State and is responsible for compliance assistance and public outreach activities to ensure enforcement of State pesticide laws, Article 33 and parts of Article 15 of the Environmental Conservation Law and Title 6 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York Parts 320-329.
Business/Agency Registration:
Businesses must register with this Department if offering the commercial application of pesticides for hire. Agencies must also register with the Department if applying pesticides. A definition of agency and other business registration requirements are contained in 6 NYCRR Part 325. Business registrations are issued from the Albany Office, call (518) 402-8748 for additional information. You may view the list of New York State registered pesticide application businesses in PDF (836 KB) or in Excel (1250 KB), sorted by zip code - this file is updated regularly.
Commercial Permits:
The Division of Solid & Hazardous Materials issues commercial permits. A commercial permit is required for the sale of restricted use pesticides in New York State. 6 NYCRR Part 326 contains the commercial permit requirements. Commercial permits are issued from the Albany Office, call (518) 402-8748 for additional information.
Certification:
The Division of Solid & Hazardous Materials develops standards and criteria for pesticide applicator certification and certification renewal; designs and administers applicator examinations; and recommends/develops standards for applicator training courses.
Individuals are certified as commercial pesticide applicators, commercial pesticide technicians and private pesticide applicators. The type of applications that a person may perform is dependent on the applicator's certification. The pesticide applicator requirements are explained in detail in Title 6 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York Part 325 Application of Pesticides. You may view the list of New York State certified pesticide applicators, technicians and aquatic anti-fouling paint applicators (PDF - 922 KB), sorted by the applicators' last name - this file is updated regularly. You may view a list of certified pesticide applicator and aquatic anti-fouling paint applicator recertification dates in PDF (1019 KB) or in Excel (3323 KB).
Pesticide applicator examinations are conducted through our Regional Offices. Examination schedules can be obtained by contacting the Regional Office where you may take the pesticide applicator examination. Applicator ID cards and recertification courses are processed by the Albany Office, telephone number (518) 402-8748. Certification and recertification courses are posted on the Pest Management Education Program at Cornell University web site.
Enforcement:
You may contact the Department's Regional Office that serves your county to file a complaint concerning the misapplication of a pesticide.
More about Pesticide Certification and Registration:
- Application Instructions for Commercial Permits - General Instructions to Complete the Commercial Permit Application
- Application Instructions for the Pesticide Business/Agency Registration - General Instructions for New & Renewal Applications
- Certification Categories and Credit Requirements - Listing of categories and credits required for pesticide recertification.
- Course Sponsor Information - General information for those individuals interested in conducting pesticide certification and/or recertification courses.
- Statewide Pesticide Exam Calendar - Dates, times and contact information regarding upcoming pesticide exam sessions.
