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QUALIFIED APPLICATOR LICENSE
LICENSING REQUIREMENTS
Do you need this license?
You must possess a valid qualified applicator license
(QAL) if you are a person who supervises the pesticide
application (restricted use and/or general use) made
by a licensed pest control business and are responsible
for the safe and legal operation of the pest control
business [Food and Agriculture Code (FAC) sections
11701-11709]; Or
You use or supervise 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"
[Title 3 California Code of Regulations (3CCR), section
6000.2(a)(b)(c)].
Basic licensing
requirements
Examinations
A QAL is obtained by passing the Laws, Regulations
and Basic Principles examination and at least one
pest control category examination. The pest control
categories available under this certificate are as
follows:
| A. Residential,
industrial, and institutional |
I. Animal
agriculture |
| B. Landscape
maintenance |
J. Demonstration
and research |
| C. Right-of-way |
K. Health
Related |
| D.
Plant agriculture |
L. Wood preservative
(subcategories of A and/or C) |
| E.
Forest |
M. Antifouling
tributyltin (subcategory of A) |
| F.
Aquatic |
N.
Sewer line root control (subcategory of A) |
| G.
Regulatory |
Q.
Maintenance gardener (subcategory of B) |
| H.
Seed treatment |
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The scope of the categories are provided on DPR's website at
www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/license/cat_qal.pdf, (PDF, 34 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_qal.pdf,
(PDF, 48 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 (CCR 6511).
- QAL holders who have only
the Maintenance Gardener 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
DPR 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/conted.htm.
Licensing,
renewal, and other fees
Application fee
If you are applying for a QAL for the first time,
the application fee is $80.00 (3CCR section 6502).
This fee does not include any examinations required
to obtain the QAL.
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 $60 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 $60 per calendar year, to
be paid to DPR every two (2) years for a total cost
of $120 (3CCR section 6502). The two-year license renewal
fee is not prorated if the license 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 90 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.
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 this
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) 445-4030
Email: licensing-qal@cdpr.ca.gov
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