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PEST CONTROL BUSINESS LICENSE
LICENSING REQUIREMENTS
Do
you need this license?
If you are a person or business who performs pest
control for hire including, but not limited to, advertising,
soliciting or operating as a pest control business,
you must possess a pest control business license.
This includes both principle and branch locations.
Pest control business types include:
- Ground, aquatic and/or aerial pest control applications
businesses
- Farm management or golf course management companies
when their service includes pest control
- Packing houses, shippers, storage facilities,
and other processors who treat agricultural commodities
owned by another person or firm (does not include
cooperatives)
- Companies who perform pest control on rights-of-way.
Basic licensing
requirements
A pest control business license is obtained by submitting
an application, the following supporting business
information and documents, and the appropriate fee.
The following criteria must be met prior to issuance
of a license:
- Qualified Person: You must have at least one person
in a supervisory position who holds a valid qualified
applicator license (QAL) with the appropriate categories
[Food and Agricultural Code (FAC) section 11701.5]
at each principle and branch location.
- Financial Responsibility Requirement [FAC section
11701(c)(2) and 3 California Code of Regulations
(3CCR) section 6524]: The requirement can be met
by any of the options listed below. See Financial
Responsibility Options Chart for more detailed information.
- Certificate of Insurance Requirement,
PR-PML-0173
- Certificate of Insurance, PR-PML-052
- Acord Certificate of Liability Insurance
form from your insurance company stating that
it meets and complies with 3CCR section 6524
requirements.
- Documents are required to verify the name and
type of business [FAC section 11702(a)]:
- "Fictitious Business Name Statement"
from the County Clerk's or County Recorder's
Office. This applies to any business operating
under a fictitious name. DPR requires a copy
of the fictitious business name statement that
was filed with the County Clerk's or County
Recorder's Office.
- "Certificate of Good Standing"
document from the California Secretary of State's
Office [FAC section 11702(a)]. This applies
to any domestic or foreign corporation operating
in California. The corporation must be registered
with the California Secretary of State's Office.
DPR requires a copy of the certificate. See
the Secretary of State's web site at: www.ss.ca.gov/business/business.htm
for registration information.
- Worker's Compensation Insurance: Each applicant,
who is an employer as defined in Section 3300 of the Labor Code,
is required to carry worker's compensation insurance. Please state
the carrier's name, policy number, and the expiration date of policy
on the application where indicated. If your business has no employees,
write "note applicable".
Once you've
become licensed
You must:
- Retain pest control application notification records
for two years
- Retain records of pesticide use for two years
- Submit pesticide use reports to the county agricultural
commissioner's office in the county where the application
was made
- Have valid permits for restricted materials used
- Retain agricultural pest control adviser written
recommendations for one year
- Have a person who holds a valid journeyman pest
control aircraft certificate if the business performs
pest control using an aircraft and a Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) operating certificate required
to operate as a commercial agricultural aircraft
operator
County registration
Before you conduct any work, you
must register the pest control business license with
the county agricultural commissioner's office in each
county in which your business intends to perform pest
control. Most counties require a fee for registration.
Registration is required annually and covers one calendar
year.
To register the business license, the individual
who possesses the QAL card must present the following
items to the county agricultural commissioner's office
for processing:
- Pest Control Business License
- QAL card with appropriate pest control category(ies)
- Inventory of pest control equipment including number
and kind of equipment.
Licensing,
renewal, and other fees
Application fee
If you are applying for a pest control business license,
the fee is $160.00 per calendar year (3CCR section
6502), plus $80.00 per branch office location. The
license fee is based on the licensing cycle provided
below. For example, if the business applied for a
license under the name "Plum Corporation"
in January 2004, it would expire on December 31, 2005
and the fee for the license would be $320.00. "Cools
Pest Control" would expire on December 31, 2004
and the fee for the license would be $160.00. Note:
The pest control business license will not be issued
unless the business has a qualified person and meets
the business and the financial responsibility requirements
as indicated in the "Basic Licensing Requirements".
- The license of businesses with names beginning
with A through L expire on December
31 of even-numbered years (i.e., 2004, 2006, 2008,
etc.)
- The license of businesses with names beginning
with M through Z expire on December
31 of odd-numbered years (i.e., 2005, 2007, 2009,
etc.)
License renewal fees
The license renewal fee is $160 per calendar year, to
be paid to DPR every two (2) years for a total cost
of $320 (3CCR section 6502). The branch fee per calendar
year is $80.00, to be paid every two years for a total
of $160.00. The two-year license renewal fee is not
prorated if the license is renewed late. Note:
The pest control business license will not be issued
unless the business has a qualified person and meets
the business and the financial responsibility requirements
as indicated in the "Basic Licensing Requirements".
Late renewal fee
A late fee of fifty percent (50%) of the total renewal
fee will be assessed for each license postmarked after
December 31 of the expiration year.
Name/address change and
duplicate/replacement fees
A fee of $20 is required for
name changes, as well as requests for a duplicate or
replacement license. DPR will not issue a new business
license when an address change is received unless requested
by the qualified person and accompanied by the $20 fee.
A maximum fee of $20 is required for all name and/or
address changes or requests for a duplicate or replacement
license when submitted on a single application form.
Every person to whom a license
is issued must immediately notify the Licensing and
Certification Office in writing of any name and/or
address change (3CCR section 6508).
- Legal documents certifying the name change are
required in order to make a name change. A new license
will be automatically issued for all name changes..
- The change of name and/or address requirement
form is available on DPR's website at www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/license/lcforms.htm
or by calling (916) 445-4038. A $20 fee for an address
change is only required when the licensee requests
a new license.
General
information
Timelines for processing
applications
DPR has established time periods for processing permit
applications, in compliance with Government Code sections
15374-15378. DPR may take up to 100 days to complete
the processing of this application. Failure to comply
with these time periods may be appealed to the Agency
Secretary, California Environmental Protection Agency,
P.O. Box 2815, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California
95814, pursuant to regulations set forth in 3CCR section
301. Under certain circumstances, the Agency Secretary
may order that the applicant receive a reimbursement
of filing fees.
License duration
A new license may be issued for a maximum of two years.
The license duration is dependent on the date the license
was issued and the renewal cycle. Each renewed license
is valid for two (2) years unless renewed late.
The most common mistakes
and how to avoid them
The most common application errors
made are incorrect fees, no insurance documents or the
insurance documents submitted do not meet our requirements,
business type information is not provided, or a qualified
person is not listed. You can avoid these errors by
reading the application instructions carefully and mailing
your application to DPR on or before the expiration
date of the license. If you have questions regarding
any information, call for assistance.
DPR Licensing and Certification
location
Department of Pesticide Regulation
Pest Management and Licensing Branch
Licensing and Certification Program
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-2828
Questions
Call: (916) 445-4028
Email: licensing-business@cdpr.ca.gov
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