Vermont Pest Control Regulations

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets
116 State Street
Montpelier, Vt 05620-2901
802.828.2430

Pesticide Applicator Certification

Types of Applicator Certification in Vermont

• Private Applicators - Farmers of all kinds: dairy, vegetables, berries, apples, grapes, nursery stock, Christmas trees, and more. To be certified to use Class A pesticides in Vermont, private applicators only need to take and pass the CORE exam. A private certificate is valid for 5 years and costs $25. 
• Commercial Applicators - Employees of companies that perform (but not limited to) the following services:  pest control, mosquito control, landscape, lawn care, tree care, agricultural custom application, forest pest control including invasive plant control, vegetation control (right-of-way), aquatic weed control, wood preservation, aerial application. To use any pesticides on the property of others you must be a commercial applicator and be affiliated with a licensed pesticide applicator company. 
• Non-commercial Applicators - Golf course superintendents, groundskeepers, those that perform in-house cooling tower maintenance, and others that may use certain classes of pesticides only on their employer's property as part of their work. It may also include those that sell pesticides from a location outside of Vermont as a travelling salesperson. 
• Government Applicators - Employees of federal, state, or municipal departments or agencies that use (including the recommendation of) pesticides as part of their job. 

Forms for applicator and company licenses

To be certified as a commercial, non-commercial or government applicator, you must take the CORE exam and at least one other category exam. Pesticide applicator exam schedule information. 

Categories are $30.00 per year, renewed annually, with a maximum of $120 per applicator. Federal governemnt applicators are exempt from fees. Questions about reciprocity?

Purchasing Applicator Certification Manuals

Although you are taking exams and getting certified in Vermont, the manuals from Cornell University in New York are the study materials for almost all Vermont certification categories.  Please take care to order the correct manual as the state of New York sometimes uses different category names and numbers than Vermont. It is a good idea to call or email the Certification & Training Coordinator if you have any questions.  You are ultimately responsible for purchasing the correct manual and knowing which exam or exams you need to take to get certified in Vermont.