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QUALIFIED APPLICATOR
CERTIFICATE
LICENSING REQUIREMENTS
Do
you need this license?
If you are a person who uses or supervises the use of federally restricted use pesticides or State
restricted materials for any purpose or on any property other than that provided by the definition
of "private applicator", you must possess a valid qualified applicator certificate (QAC).
This certificate is also required by anyone who is in the business of maintenance gardening and
performs pest control that is incidental to such business. In this situation, the QAC holder would
have to possess the Maintenance Gardener Category (Q) or the Landscape Maintenance Pest Control Category
(B) on their certificate, and obtain a Maintenance Gardener Pest Control Business License.
Basic licensing requirements
Examinations
A QAC is obtained by passing the Laws, Regulations and Basic Principles examination and at least one
pest control category examination (3CCR section 6504). The pest control categories available under
this certificate are as follows:
| A. Residential, industrial, and institutional |
H. Seed treatment |
| B. Landscape maintenance |
I. Animal agriculture |
| C. Right-of-way |
J. Demonstration and research |
| D. Plant agriculture |
K. Health Related |
| E. Forest |
L. Wood preservative (subcategories
of A and/or C) |
| F. Aquatic |
M. Antifouling tributyltin
(subcategory of A) |
| G. Regulatory |
N. Sewer line root control
(subcategory of A) |
| |
Q. Maintenance gardener
(subcategory of B) |
The scope of the categories are provided on DPR’s website at
www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/license/cat_qac.pdf,
(PDF, 36 kb) and the specific Federal Standards for Certification of Commercial Applicators are at
www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/license/fedstds_qac-qal.pdf, (PDF, 51 kb).
Study material
You can view a suggested Study Material List at
www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/license/study_mat_qac.pdf, (PDF, 44 kb) to help you prepare for the examinations.
Laws and regulations that apply to this license, may be viewed at
www.cdpr.ca.gov:
Once you’ve become licensed or certified
A list of valid licenses may be viewed at
www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/license/currlic.htm.
Continuing education
Once you have obtained your certificate, you must:
- Accumulate at least 20 hours of approved continuing education every two (2) years
before license renewal. A minimum of four (4) of the 20 hours must include the topic of
pesticide laws and regulations (3CCR section 6511).
- QAC holders who have only the Landscape Maintenance Pest Control Category
(Category Q) and who currently possess a valid Maintenance Gardener Pest Control Business
license, only need eight (8) hours of approved continuing education. At least two (2) of the
eight (8) hours must cover the topic of pesticides and pest control laws and regulations.
- Your renewal notice from PR will include the number and general topic areas of approved
continuing education hours required to renew your license or certificate.
DPR-approved CE courses can be viewed at
www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/license/liccert.htm.
Licensing, renewal, and other fees
Application fee
If you are applying for a QAC certificate for the first time, the application fee is $40.00 (3CCR
section 6502). This fee does not include any examinations required to obtain a QAC certificate.
Examination fees
An examination fee of $50.00 is required (3CCR section 6505) for each initial examination and each
reexamination (due to rescheduling or failure to pass) including:
- Laws, regulations, and basic principles
- Each pest control category
2nd year fee notice
If your examination results indicate you have passed the required examinations to receive a valid license, you may receive a 2nd Year Fee Notice. The notice will inform you that you are in the first year of
a two-year license cycle; an additional 2nd-year fee of $30 will be required in order to issue your
license. The license/certificate two-year cycles are as follows:
- The license of individuals with last names beginning with A through
L expire on December 31 of even-numbered years (i.e., 2004, 2006, 2008, etc.)
>
- The license of individuals with last names beginning with M through
Z expire on December 31 of odd-numbered years (i.e., 2005, 2007, 2009, etc.)
>
Annual renewal fee
The license renewal fee is $30 per calendar year, to be paid to DPR every two (2) years for a total cost
of $60 (3CCR section 6502). The two-year certificate renewal fee is not prorated if the certificate is
renewed late.
Late renewal fee
A late fee of 50 percent (50%) of the total renewal fee will be assessed for each license and/or
certificate postmarked after December 31 of the expiration year.
Name/address change and duplicate/replacement fees
A fee of $20 is required for name changes. It is also required for any requests for a duplicate or
replacement license or certificate (3CCR section 6508). DPR will not issue a new license (card) when an
address change is received unless requested by the licensee or certificate holder 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 or certificate is issued must notify the Licensing and Certification Office in writing of any name and/or address change
- Legal documents and a fee of $20 are required in order to make a name change.
A new license will be automatically issued for all name changes.
- The change of address 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.
The $20 fee is waived when a license is printed to add a pest control category
after successfully passing the examination.
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 Title 3CCR section 301. Under certain circumstances, the Agency Secretary may order that the
applicant receive a reimbursement of filing fees.
Timelines for applications/examinations
DPR schedules examinations
beginning with February, in various locations throughout the state. The examination code schedule is located on DPR’s website at
www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/license/liccert.htm. Your application must be postmarked by
the final filing date in order to process your application for the month, location and examination(s)
you request.
License duration
A new license may be issued for less than one year, one year, less than two years or two years. 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, missing the final filing date, and not
specifying the month and location where you want to take the examination. You can avoid these errors by
reading the application instructions carefully, marking filing dates on a calendar, and mailing your
application to DPR on or before the final filing date. 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) 445-4054
Email: licensing-qac@cdpr.ca.gov
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