Pest Control Applicator Licensing

States Licensed

51

of 50 states and D.C.

×

Burden Rank

36th

for average burdens 1st is worst

=

Combined Rank

7th

for states licensed x average burdens 1st is worst

VT NH MA CT RI NJ DE DC MD
Change from 2017 to 2022, if any:
↑
Burden increased
↓
Burden decreased
↕
Mixed burden change
N
New license
E
Eliminated license
2022 Licensing Burden Rank
Lower Burden Rank
Higher Burden Rank
No state license

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Definition

Pest control applicators apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin, such as mice, termites and roaches, that infest buildings and surrounding areas. This report looks at what is required to run one’s own pest control business only.

2022 Snapshot

  • Days lost range from 0 (21 states) to 1,460 (Louisiana)
  • Fees range from $0 (Mississippi) to $2,000 (New York)
  • 51 states require 1+ exam
  • 34 states set minimum age
  • 2 states set minimum grade

Changes Since 2017

  • No licenses created or removed
  • Fees changed most often and usually increased; Arizona and Utah decreased days lost to education and experience, while Massachusetts raised it
  • Burden rank worsened 6 spots, largely because other occupations improved more; combined rank stayed the same, largely because of similar burden reductions among similarly ranked occupations

2022 Licensing Burden in Detail

N New License
E Eliminated License
Increase
Decrease

Data Notes: 2022 data collected between February 3, 2020, and March 18, 2022. Fees include charges for application review and license issuance; exams; background checks, credit reports and fingerprinting; recovery fund contributions; third-party certification; and certain fees for training courses. Calendar days lost were estimated based on required education and experience; except for amounts smaller than one day, days lost are rounded to whole days and thus may not reflect very small changes between 2017 and 2022. Appendix A details methods for estimating days lost and calculating burden ranks. Complete data, including revised 2017 data, are available at https://ij.org/report/license-to-work-3/ltw3-data/.

Additional Resources