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2nd Edition

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

Vegetation Pesticide Applicator

License required by 51 states

63rd most burdensome licensing requirements.

10th most widely and onerously licensed occupation.

Vegetation pesticide applicators mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns or botanical crops. This report looks at what is required to run one’s own vegetation pesticide business only.

All 50 states and D.C. license vegetation pesticide applicators. On average, these laws require $259 in fees, 134 days of education and experience, and three exams—the 63rd most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied here. However, because vegetation pesticide applicators are licensed everywhere, the occupation ranks as the 10th most widely and onerously licensed.

License requirements vary across states. For example, while 31 states require no education or experience, four states—Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Tennessee—require two years (730 days) of experience. Maine, New Hampshire and New York require between six and eight exams, while Alabama and Florida require only one each. Fees also vary greatly, from $0 in Mississippi to $3,000 in New York.

States With Licenses

Burden Rank State States Licensed Fees Estimated Calendar Days Lost Education Experience Exams Minimum Grade Minimum Age
1 Hawaii 51 $355 730 2 years 3 0 18
2 Tennessee 51 $325 730 2 years 3 0 18
3 Massachusetts 51 $450 730 2 years 2 0 18
4 Delaware 51 $55 730 2 years 2 0 0
5 Florida 51 $760 533 24 credit hours 1 years 1 12 18
6 New York 51 $3,000 380 66 clock hours 1 years 8 0 17
7 Arizona 51 $645 449 12 credit hours 1 years 4 0 18
8 Maryland 51 $75 365 1 years 4 0 18
9 Virginia 51 $120 365 1 years 3 0 18
10 Texas 51 $678 379 28 clock hours 1 years and 40 clock hours 2 0 0
11 West Virginia 51 $90 365 1 years 3 0 0
12 D C 51 $135 365 1 years 2 0 0
13 Nevada 51 $450 294 16 credit hours 6 months 3 0 18
14 Mississippi 51 $0 210 30 credit hours 3 0 18
15 Colorado 51 $576 121 4 months 4 0 0
16 New Jersey 51 $230 29 4 clock hours 120 clock hours 4 0 18
17 New Hampshire 51 $45 4 24 clock hours 6 0 18
18 Arkansas 51 $700 0 4 0 18
19 Wyoming 51 $25 0 5 0 16
20 Kansas 51 $180 0 4 0 18
21 Pennsylvania 51 $155 0 4 0 18
22 New Mexico 51 $240 28 4 credit hours 3 0 0
23 Connecticut 51 $400 0 3 0 18
24 Maine 51 $195 0 6 0 0
25 Oregon 51 $264 0 3 0 18
26 Idaho 51 $90 0 3 0 18
27 Michigan 51 $75 0 3 0 18
28 North Dakota 51 $65 0 3 0 18
29 Wisconsin 51 $199 2 2 days 2 0 16
30 Ohio 51 $70 0 5 0 0
31 Missouri 51 $150 0 2 0 18
32 North Carolina 51 $145 0 2 0 18
33 South Carolina 51 $100 0 2 0 18
34 Louisiana 51 $45 0 2 0 18
34 Rhode Island 51 $45 0 2 0 18
36 Utah 51 $140 0 2 0 16
37 Alaska 51 $25 0 2 0 18
38 Nebraska 51 $90 0 2 0 16
39 Oklahoma 51 $200 0 4 0 0
40 Illinois 51 $60 0 4 0 0
41 Kentucky 51 $55 0 4 0 0
42 Indiana 51 $90 3 16 clock hours 3 0 0
43 Vermont 51 $105 0 3 0 0
44 Iowa 51 $75 0 3 0 0
45 California 51 $340 0 2 0 0
46 Washington 51 $240 0 2 0 0
47 Georgia 51 $190 0 2 0 0
48 Minnesota 51 $75 0 2 0 0
49 Montana 51 $55 0 2 0 0
50 South Dakota 51 $25 0 2 0 0
51 Alabama 51 $295 0 1 0 0

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