How do I get a pest control business license?

In the State of Florida, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) regulates and licenses the pest control industry under the authority of the Structural Pest Control Act, Chapter 482, Florida Statutes, and the associated rules, Chapter 5E-14, Florida Administrative Code.

A business license must be issued to you BEFORE you begin any pest control services. You will not be able to get a local business tax license (formerly known as an occupational license) until you have been issued a business license by FDACS.

The pest control activities for your company must be under the direction of a certified operator possessing the category or categories that you would like to operate within. The certified operator is required to endorse or sign your business license application.

The law requires a pest control business to maintain a minimum amount of insurance coverage. Presently those limits are set at $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury and $250,000 per occurrence and $500,000 in the aggregate for property damage or a combined single limit coverage of $500,000 in the aggregate.

What is a certified pest control operator?

A certified operator is an individual who has passed an examination administered by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service (FDACS) in any of four certification categories.

The categories that a person can be certified in are:

• General Household and Rodent Control;
• Lawn and Ornamental Pest Control;
• Termite and Other Wood-Destroying Organisms Control; and
• Fumigation.

A person can be certified in just one or all four categories.

A company’s pest control operations are the responsibility of the certified operator in charge and the business operations are limited to the category (or categories) possessed by the certified operator (or operators) in charge at the business location.

How do I become a certified pest control operator?

A person must first meet the qualification requirements to take any of the certification exams. Section 482.132, Florida Statutes, Qualification for Examination and Certification, states the minimum qualification requirements.

How to Qualify to Take the Certification Examination

Pest control operator certificates are issued to individuals who:

• Are over age 18 and
• Must qualify by either Experience or by Education 
• Pass the written examinations administered by FDACS.

Experience

To qualify by experience, you must be able to document:

• A high school education or equivalency and 
• Three years of experience as a service employee of a licensee that performs pest control in any category or categories in which you are seeking certification. At least one of these years must have been under a licensee in Florida and must immediately precede your application for examination. 

Education 

To qualify through education, you must be able to document:

• A degree and 20 semester hours or 30 quarter hours in entomology, botany, agronomy or horticulture from a recognized college or university. (You may also qualify without a degree, provided you have 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours advanced training in entomology, botany, agronomy or horticulture.)
• One year of experience as a service employee of a Florida licensee that performs pest control in any category or categories in which you are seeking certification. 

Note: If your education is in entomology, you are qualified for examination in all categories. If your education is in horticulture, botany or agronomy, you are qualified for examination only in the category of Lawn and Ornamental Pest Control.