Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work licencesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

United States · Certification exam

NY State pesticide applicator license

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) certifies applicators, and you need training or experience before it lets you sit the exams. For a NY State pesticide applicator license, you then pass a closed-book core exam and a category exam, and pay a certification fee that lasts three years for commercial work.

  • 35 of 50To pass the core exam
  • 7 of 10Label questions you must also get right
  • 90 minutesTime for each exam
Register for an exam

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

New York certification types

  • Commercial applicator: uses or supervises general and restricted use pesticides commercially, or sells restricted use pesticides. To test for it directly you need 3 years of experience as an apprentice or a private applicator; a commercial technician can upgrade after 2 years, or 1 year plus 12 hours of training.
  • Commercial technician: uses general use pesticides commercially without supervision, or restricted use pesticides under a commercial applicator. You qualify with a DEC-approved 30-hour course, a relevant degree or 2 years of experience.
  • Commercial apprentice: not certified, but trained (8 hours of instruction and 40 hours of supervised experience) to work under supervision. Apprentices must be 16 or older.
  • Private applicator: restricted use pesticides to produce agricultural commodities on land you or your employer own or lease.

Businesses that apply pesticides for hire must also register with DEC’s Bureau of Pesticide Management.

How do you get a NY State pesticide applicator license?

  1. Check you qualify for your type, and that you’re at least 17 for the technician or private exam.
  2. Order the manuals through the Cornell University Bookstore.
  3. Register with DEC’s online form. Choose an exam online at home with a remote proctor, at a testing center in New York State, or on paper at a DEC regional office, which DEC offers on a limited basis. You need a photo on file with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
  4. Pass the closed-book core exam, including its label questions, then a 50-question category exam.
  5. Pay the certification fee.

Category exams are open book on paper only; computer exams build the allowed reference material into the exam. Fail the core twice and you need 8 more hours of training before you retake it.

New York exam and certification fees

ItemFee
Core plus one category exam, same session$100
Each category exam on its own$100
Commercial technician or applicator, one category, 3 years$450
Each extra category, commercial applicator$150
Private applicator, 5 years$25
Second private applicator on the same farm, 5 years$5

Recertifying in New York

Commercial applicators and technicians recertify every three years, and private applicators every five. Applicators earn credits or take a recertification exam; technicians just apply and pay. At least 25% of an applicator’s credits must be specific to each category. Apply 4 to 6 weeks before your card expires, and not more than 6 months before. Once it has been expired for more than 2 years, you can’t recertify.

You can check any applicator or technician in DEC’s New York State Pesticide Administration Database (NYSPAD).

DEC: Certification categories and credit requirements ↗DEC: NYSPAD applicator lookup ↗

What’s changing in New York

Under the Birds and Bees Protection Act, commercial applicators who use clothianidin or dinotefuran against invasive species on woody plants, or in an approved environmental emergency, must take a DEC-approved neonicotinoid course each year. From December 31, 2026 the same rule covers imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and acetamiprid. From January 1, 2029, corn, soybean and wheat seed treated with clothianidin, imidacloprid or thiamethoxam can’t be sold or used in New York unless DEC grants the farm a waiver. The law bases a waiver on a pest risk assessment and integrated pest management training, and DEC’s 2026 stakeholder slides, marked not a final proposal, show a waiver lasting 2 years at most.

DEC’s plan under the 2017 federal rule was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 27, 2022. At an August 27, 2026 stakeholder meeting, DEC showed draft ideas, not a final proposal, including a minimum age of 18 for applicators and technicians. Its timeline has new regulations proposed in March 2029 and the move to the new plan complete by March 2035.

Sources: DEC and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewStudy optionsGet licensedCommercialPrivateFederal rulesRenewalLookup

Manuals and training

Core manualStudy guidesTraining

By state

CaliforniaFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaIowaMarylandMinnesotaNebraskaNew YorkNorth CarolinaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaTexasVirginiaWashingtonWisconsinOther states