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2nd Edition

By Dick M. Carpenter II, Ph.D., Lisa Knepper, Kyle Sweetland and Jennifer McDonald

Pest Control Applicator

License required by 51 states

50th most burdensome licensing requirements.

7th most widely and onerously licensed occupation.

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.

All 50 states and D.C. license pest control applicators. On average, these laws cost aspiring pest control applicators $260 in fees and 274 days in education and experience and require them to pass about two exams—the 50th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. However, because pest control applicators are licensed everywhere, the occupation ranks as the seventh most widely and onerously licensed.

License requirements vary widely. For example, while Louisiana requires four years (1,460 days) of education and another 11 states require two or more years of education or experience, 22 states require no education or experience. Similarly, while Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire and New York require four exams, six states require only one. Fees also vary greatly, from $0 in Mississippi to $2,200 in New York.

States With Licenses

Burden Rank State States Licensed Fees Estimated Calendar Days Lost Education Experience Exams Minimum Grade Minimum Age
1 Louisiana 51 $210 1460 4 years 1 0 0
2 California 51 $716 742 16 clock hours 40 clock hours and 2 years 2 0 18
3 Hawaii 51 $355 730 2 years 3 0 18
4 North Carolina 51 $318 731 8 clock hours 2 years 3 0 18
5 Massachusetts 51 $450 730 2 years 2 0 18
6 South Carolina 51 $300 730 2 years 2 0 18
7 Tennessee 51 $175 730 2 years 2 0 18
8 Missouri 51 $150 730 2 years 2 0 18
9 Colorado 51 $513 728 24 months 2 0 0
10 Minnesota 51 $400 730 2 years 2 0 0
11 Kentucky 51 $95 730 2 years 1 0 18
12 Delaware 51 $55 730 2 years 2 0 0
13 Florida 51 $760 533 24 credit hours 1 years 1 12 18
14 New York 51 $2,200 375 42 clock hours 1 years 4 0 17
15 Arizona 51 $645 449 12 credit hours 1 years 4 0 18
16 Arkansas 51 $350 365 1 years 2 0 18
17 Texas 51 $678 379 28 clock hours 1 years and 40 clock hours 2 0 0
18 Maryland 51 $225 365 1 years 2 0 18
19 Virginia 51 $120 365 1 years 2 0 18
20 Nevada 51 $450 294 16 credit hours 6 months 3 0 18
21 D C 51 $135 365 1 years 2 0 0
22 West Virginia 51 $90 365 1 years 2 0 0
23 Alabama 51 $295 365 1 years 1 0 0
24 Illinois 51 $325 112 16 credit hours 2 12 0
25 Mississippi 51 $0 105 15 credit hours 2 0 18
26 New Hampshire 51 $40 1 8 clock hours 4 0 18
27 Connecticut 51 $400 0 3 0 18
28 Maine 51 $280 0 4 0 0
29 New Jersey 51 $230 10 4 clock hours 40 clock hours 2 0 18
30 Oregon 51 $206 0 2 0 18
31 Pennsylvania 51 $135 0 2 0 18
32 Kansas 51 $90 0 2 0 18
33 Michigan 51 $75 0 2 0 18
34 North Dakota 51 $65 0 2 0 18
35 Utah 51 $140 0 2 0 16
36 Rhode Island 51 $45 0 2 0 18
37 New Mexico 51 $185 28 4 credit hours 2 0 0
38 Alaska 51 $25 0 2 0 18
39 Nebraska 51 $90 0 2 0 16
40 Wyoming 51 $25 0 2 0 16
41 Oklahoma 51 $150 0 3 0 0
42 Wisconsin 51 $152 1 1 days 1 0 16
43 Idaho 51 $70 0 1 0 18
44 Washington 51 $240 0 2 0 0
45 Georgia 51 $185 0 2 0 0
46 Vermont 51 $105 0 2 0 0
47 Indiana 51 $90 0 2 0 0
48 Iowa 51 $75 0 2 0 0
49 Ohio 51 $70 0 2 0 0
50 Montana 51 $55 0 2 0 0
51 South Dakota 51 $25 0 2 0 0

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