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United States · Certification exam

Pennsylvania pesticide applicator license

You pass exams set by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), in person, on paper at a PDA session or on a computer at a Metro Institute center. A Pennsylvania pesticide applicator license for commercial or public work also needs an employer with a pesticide business license. Penn State Extension sells the study materials and runs the update training that keeps your license.

  • 35 of 50To pass the core or a category exam
  • 53 of 75To pass the private applicator exam
  • UnlimitedExam retakes allowed
Find an exam session

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

Which Pennsylvania license do you need?

  • Private applicator: you farm, and use restricted use pesticides to produce an agricultural commodity.
  • Commercial applicator: a non-government employee who applies on someone else’s property, uses restricted use pesticides for a non-farm purpose, or works sites such as golf courses, parks, schools, housing with 4 or more units and pools, even with general use products.
  • Public applicator: the same work as a government agency or school district employee.
  • Registered technician: instead of passing the exams, an employee can be trained and registered by an employer whose certified applicator has held certification for at least a year.

How do you get a Pennsylvania pesticide applicator license?

  1. Order the study materials from Penn State Extension. Its Commercial/Public Applicator Packet (Core) is $35.
  2. Choose a session. PDA paper sessions, usually at a PDA regional office or county extension office, last 3 hours and you can take as many exams as you like in that time; preregister online. Metro Institute centers give computer exams graded on the spot, but only for closed-book categories.
  3. Pass. Core and category exams have 50 multiple-choice questions and the private exam has 75. There are no prerequisites.
  4. Pay for the license. Commercial and public applicators must work for a company with a pesticide business license.

Penn State says all category exams are moving to a closed-book format, and it lists Agronomic Crops, Demonstration and Research, Regulatory and Fruit and Nuts as the next categories to change. Penn State lists Category 4, Agricultural Animals, as closed book since June 1, 2026, but PDA’s list of Metro categories still marks it “Coming August 2026”, so check with PDA before you book it at Metro.

Pennsylvania exam and license fees

ItemFee
Private applicator examFree
Private applicator license$10
Core exam, PDA paper session$50
Category exam, PDA paper session$10
Core exam at Metro, extra$110
Category exam at Metro, extra$70
Commercial license, each year$40
Public license, every 3 years$10
Pesticide business license, each year$35

Registered technicians pay $30 a year (commercial) or $20 a year (public).

Keeping a PA license

Penn State says a commercial, public or private license is valid for three years. Private licenses expire March 31, and you renew with $10 after update training every 3 years: six core and six category credits. Commercial and public licenses expire September 30; you need six core credits and up to 10 credits for each category. Registered technicians are retrained and re-registered every year.

You have up to a year to reinstate a lapsed license. After more than a year, you take the exams again.

PDA: Recertification course locator ↗Penn State Extension: Certification exam study materials ↗
Sources: PDA · Penn State Extension and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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