The Office of Pesticide Services (OPS) certifies pesticide applicators, registers pesticide products and licenses pesticide businesses. OPS also conducts routine inspections to ensure the proper use of pesticides and investigates allegations of pesticide misuse. These activities provide for the safe and effective control of pests that attack our crops, structures and health.
If you have questions regarding applicator certification, pesticide business licensing or pesticide product registration, contact the Office of Pesticide Services at opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov or 804.786.3798.
If you have a pesticide-related complaint, contact the Office of Pesticide Services at ops.enf@vdacs.virginia.gov or 804.371.6560. Information regarding complaint investigations and our enforcement response is available here.
The information included in the lists below is real time data and is the most current information available as of the date and time the list was created. We continually work to refine the data. Should you find an error with any of the information included in the lists below, please send an e-mail to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov. Please include all relevant information in the email including your name and contact information; the certificate, license or registration number of concern; and a brief description of the error.
The Office of Pesticide Services (OPS) has launched a new online certification system for pesticide applicators, pesticide businesses, and pesticide product registrants. Using the online system can potentially reduce the overall processing time, eliminate postage costs, and enable easy online payments of fees. While the current process of sending in paper copies remains an option, we encourage you to use the online system. Access the online portal.
Should you have any questions, please send an email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov.
Commercial Applicators and Registered Technicians
For certified commercial applicators and registered technicians, your certificate expires on June 30 in either an even or odd year. All commercial applicators and registered technicians whose certificates expire in the current year, will be sent a renewal notice prior to the expiration date. Renewal notices are a reminder to applicators of the requirements to obtain recertification credits prior to the expiration date. There is currently no fee to renew. Applicators whose certification expires June 30 in the current year, and who have met the recertification requirements, will have their certificate automatically renewed. Certificates will be issued beginning June 1 of the given year. Applicators who do not take the required recertification course or retest in lieu of taking a recertification course by August 29 of the year in which they expire, must a submit an application and fee and be reexamined.
OPS staff are continually adding recertification credits for courses completed throughout the recertification season. Applicators can monitor the status of their certificate and recertification credit via the online listing of Certified Commercial Applicators and Registered Technicians (see link at top of page). If you have not received your renewed certificate by the expiration date on your existing certificate but you have taken the required recertification course, you are considered currently certified even if you have not received a copy of the certificate.
All commercial applicators and registered technicians can access their pesticide applicator record via our online system utilizing their unique access token which was included in the renewal notification.
Private Applicators
For private applicators, your certificate expires on December 31 in either an even or odd year. Private applicators whose certificates expire in the current year, will have their certificate automatically renewed. Certificates will be issued beginning December 1 of the given year. Applicators who do not take the required recertification course or retest in lieu of taking a recertification course by March 1 (February 29 on Leap years) of the year following expiration of their certificate must be examined.
OPS staff are continually adding recertification credits for courses completed throughout the recertification course season. Applicators can monitor the status of their certificate and recertification credit via the online listing of Certified Private Applicators (see link at top of page). If you have not received your renewed certificate by the expiration date on your existing certificate but you have taken the required recertification course, you are considered currently certified even if you have not received a copy of the certificate.
All applicators can access their pesticide applicator record via our online system. To request access to your pesticide applicator record, please send an email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov. Please include your full name and private applicator certificate number in the email.
Should you have any questions regarding applicator certification, please send an email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov.
Applicators
All authorization letters for prospective applicators to take the exam(s) to become certified expire on the date listed in the letter. There are no extensions to the expiration dates. Prospective applicators who do not take the exam(s) by the expiration date are required to submit a new application with appropriate fees to take the exam(s).
For prospective applicators with current authorization letters to test, testing options include:
- Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - Prospective applicators can take their exams at the DMV customer service centers. Services including pesticide applicator certification testing are now available on select days for walk-in customers and by appointment. Should you need additional information regarding testing at DMV, please contact DMV directly.
- Remote (Online) Testing - Prospective applicators can take their certification exam(s) from their home or office via an online portal. Remote Testing is hosted by Everblue and requires an additional online testing fee that is paid directly to Everblue. This is in addition to the application fee paid to the Office of Pesticide Services. The exam can be taken 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the 90-day authorization period. Computer, webcam, and microphone required. Information regarding the remote testing option will be included on the applicator’s Letter of Authorization. Applicators who provided an email address on their application to become a certified applicator will receive an email from Everblue with additional information regarding testing options. For an introduction to Remote Testing, there is a walk through available at https://vimeo.com/everblueeducation/vdacsdemo.
- Proctored Testing by Pesticide Investigators - The Office of Pesticide Services’ Pesticide Investigators also proctor testing of prospective applicators. Proctored testing is based upon the availability of the Pesticide Investigator. Contact information for Pesticide Investigators is available on our webpage at www.vdacs.virginia.gov/about-division-of-consumer-protection.shtml#pesticides.
Please note that VDACS now offers the Registered Technician Exam in Spanish. The Registered Technician Exam in Spanish is currently available using the Remote (Online) Testing and Proctored Testing by Pesticide Investigators options only. When completing the Registered Technician application, select the appropriate language (English or Spanish). We do intend to make this exam available at DMV in the future.
Should you have any questions regarding testing, please send an email to
opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov.
Should you have any questions regarding pesticide business licenses, please send an email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov.
Should you have any questions regarding product registration, please send an email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov.
VDACS has issued information to assist industrial hemp growers in identifying pesticide products that may be used on hemp crops grown in Virginia.
Information regarding VDACS’s pesticide product registration process and currently registered pesticides is available here.
If your hemp product is intended for human consumption:
On July 15, 2019, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services advised Registered Industrial Hemp Processors that the Northam Administration has directed VDACS to treat hemp-derived extracts intended for human consumption as approved food additives and to place qualifying Registered Industrial Hemp Processors under food safety inspection so that inspected and approved processors may manufacture a hemp-derived extract intended for human consumption. VDACS's Food Safety Program is working on guidelines that will implement this policy directive, and we will post them here as soon as they are available.
If your intended hemp-derived product is not an extract but is intended for human consumption, please contact
VDACS's Food Safety Program for additional information.
Please note that the requirements in Virginia's Food and Drink Law do not pertain to the production or sale of topical products.
Contact
Click here for Office of Pesticide Services contact information.
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