Private Applicators

• Recertification occurs every 5th year.

• You will receive a recertification notice about two months before your card expires.

• You must submit your original recertification credit certificates, along with the stated fee. Recertification credits are earned by attending refresher courses throughout the 5-year period.

• Credits needed for private recertification are:

  1. 8 for Agricultural Animal (Livestock & Poultry) and Aquatics,

  2. and 10 for Agricultural Plant (Field & Forage, Fruit, Vegetable, Greenhouse & Florist and Nursery & Ornamentals).

• Credits must be earned in more than one calendar year and consist of at least 25% category-specific training in each category of certification.

• If the required numbers of credits are not earned by recertification time, you can take an open book recertification exam prior to the expiration date of your card. Contact your Regional Pesticide Office for locations and dates.

Late Recertification

• You may NOT apply restricted use pesticides or supervise others without a valid ID card.

• You have 90 days to remit payment and recertification credits or take the recertification exam.

• If your card has been expired over 90 days, but less than two years, you must submit the original recertification credits, PLUS an additional six credit hours earned after the expiration date of your card.

• If you haven't earned the required recertification credits; you may take an open book recertification exam.

• You will still have to earn the additional six credit hours. If you allow your card to expire, contact your Regional Pesticide Office for information on renewal and/or recertification.                                                  

Commercial applicators

• Certified pesticide applicators must be recertified in each category or subcategory every three years by completing the following requirements no later than 90 days beyond their recertification date:

  1. pay the appropriate annual fee;

  2. have a history of satisfactory performance for each category or subcategory; and

     1. successfully pass a closed book recertification examination; or

     2. accumulate the following continuing education credits. The below mentioned credits must be obtained in more than one calendar year and consist of at least 25 percent category-specific training for each category of certification. Individuals certified in the regulatory and demonstration categories are excluded from 25% category-specific requirement.

     3. Certification Categories and Credit Requirements

  3. A certified pesticide applicator who fails to recertify within 90 days to two years following their certification expiration date shall not be recertified until the applicator has accumulated the recertification training credits listed above or has successfully passed a recertification examination, and acquired an additional six hours of training approved by the department. The six training hours must be accumulated after the certification expiration date of the category or subcategory on the certification identification card.

  4. A certified pesticide applicator or technician who fails to recertify within two years of the certification expiration date shall not be recertified until the applicator or technician has retaken and passed the core and category and/or subcategory examination(s) for the expired categories or sub-categories.

  5. Certified technicians do not have to accumulate continuing education credits.

Compact Disc and On-Line Distance Learning Course Sponsor Requirements

September 2006

Sponsors of an approved NYSDEC pesticide applicator distance learning course must have procedures in place to verify the identification of the individual enrolled in the course. The course application must include a description of the methods used to verify the individual’s identity. Each course must also include a self assessment quiz in order to be assigned NYSDEC credit.

A passing score of 70% is required to earn the credit assigned to the course. Slides and other material within the course must be timed to prevent the student from skipping course material and proceeding directly to the self assessment quiz. NYSDEC will award 1 credit for course material that should take approximately 1 hour of time to complete. Maximum hours of training is 7 per day. Advise your students that NYSDEC will not accept recertification credits for more than 7 hours of training in 1 day.

Students must not be able print their own course certificate upon completion of the course. The course sponsor will issue only 1 original course certificate (following the required certificate format) to the student for each course completed.

The NYSDEC course roster form is not required, but the sponsor must send a list of certified applicators or certification candidates completing any courses on a monthly basis. The list shall include the student’s name, certification number if applicable, current address, and telephone number. A particular course may not be repeated in a recertification cycle.

If you need more information go the the Pesticide Safety Education Web site