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United States · Certification exam

Wisconsin pesticide applicator license

You get certified by passing an exam with 70%, then, if you apply for hire, buy an Individual Commercial Applicator License (ICAL) from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) each year. A Wisconsin pesticide applicator license for commercial work has three parts: certification in a category, the yearly ICAL and a Pesticide Business License for the company. Private applicators need certification but no license.

  • 70%Score to pass the category exam
  • 5 yearsLength of a certification
  • Free on paperExams at DATCP proctored sites
Schedule a paper exam

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

What do you need for a Wisconsin pesticide applicator license?

  • Certification in a specific category, renewed every five years.
  • An Individual Commercial Applicator License (ICAL), renewed each calendar year: $40 plus a $10 Agricultural Chemical Cleanup Program (ACCP) surcharge, $50 in all.
  • A job with, or your own, Pesticide Business License (PBL): $70 per location plus the ACCP surcharge, which DATCP lists as $90 a location without bulk pesticides and $115 with them.

DATCP says the ACCP surcharge is active because the fund fell below $750,000 on May 1, 2026. New applicators can’t apply online during the renewal season, October to February. A 30-day trainee license is also available.

How do you take the Wisconsin pesticide applicator exam?

  • Paper exam, free, at a DATCP proctored location (private applicators: at a participating county extension office). Book through DATCP’s exam scheduler.
  • Computer exam with Pearson VUE, for a $45 convenience fee, at technical colleges or from home or the office.
  • A University of Wisconsin Pesticide Applicator Training (UW PAT) session followed by the exam, offered only at certain times of year.

You need the PAT number from the manual you bought: DATCP says that without it you can’t take the exam. Private exams are open book, but on the Pearson VUE option you can’t use your printed book. After a first failure you wait 24 hours, after a second 30 days, and after a fourth six months.

Pearson VUE: Wisconsin agriculture exams ↗

Categories and manuals

DATCP lists 20 commercial categories, which UW PAT sorts into 17 base categories, such as Field and Vegetable Crops, Turf and Landscape, Structural and Mixer and Loader, plus 3 subcategories: Aerial, Soil Fumigation and Chemigation. Private applicators have three base categories and three subcategories. Manuals come from the UW PAT Program store.

UW PAT Program store: commercial manuals ↗UW PAT Program ↗

Recertifying every five years

You recertify at the end of the five years by passing the exam again, or by a UW PAT training and exam. When you add categories, they all expire with your first one. DATCP links Kelly Solutions’ search to find a certified applicator.

Kelly Solutions: Wisconsin certified applicator search ↗
Sources: DATCP · UW PAT Program and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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