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California has the following Pesticide Applicator Categories:

DoD Category	California State Equivalent and Number
2 Forest	Forest (E)
3 Ornamental and Turf	Landscape Maintenance (B)
3a Soil Fumigation	Plant Agriculture (D)
5 Aquatic Plant and Animal	Aquatic (F)
6 Right-of-Way	Right-of-Way (C)
6a Grassland and Non-Crop Agricultural Land	Plant Agriculture (D)
7 Industrial, Institutional, Structural and Health-Related	Residential, Industrial and Institutional (A), Health Related (K), and SPCB Branch 2 and Branch 3
7a Stored Product Fumigation	Residential, Industrial and Institutional (A), SPCB Branch 1
8 Public Health	Health Related (K), Vector Control Technician
10 Demonstration and Research	Demonstration and Research (J)
11 Aerial	Aircraft Pilot Certification

SPCB - Structural Pest Control Board: Issues Structural Pest Control operator and field representative licenses
DPR - Department of Pesticide Regulation: Issues Qualified Applicator licenses and certificates, pest control aircraft certificates
DPH - Department of Public Health: Issues Vector Control Technicians

SPCB Contractor's license is required.
SPCB Subcontractor's company license is required.
DPR Pest Control Business license is required.
DPR Maintenance Gardener Pest Control Business license is required.

Mary-Ann Warmerdam, Director
Department of Pesticide Regulation
916-445-4000
mwarmerdam@cdpr.ca.gov

Directory of Pesticide Control Officials

A. Residential, Industrial and Institutional. This category allows a person involved in the business of pest control for hire, under a pest control business license issued by DPR, to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide or certain substances, methods, or devices to control pests in the following situations:

• Post-harvest treatment of agricultural commodities.
• Treatment of stored agricultural commodities.
• Treatment of non-landscaped outdoor areas directly related to the operation of buildings or facilities(e.g., storage yards, tank farms, electrical substations).
• Sanitizing institutional potable lines, dairy milk lines, and other similar areas.
• Bird control on structures. When birds are damaging ornamental and turf plantings adjacent to structure.
• Treatment of cooling towers and evaporative condensers.There may be other situations that fall under this limited scope; contact DPR with questions.

NOTE: Structural pest control for hire is not allowed under this pest control category. Structural pest control involves the control of pests that may invade houses or other structures. A business involved in structural pest control for hire is licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Structural Pest Control Board. For more information, write to the Structural Pest Control Board, 1422 Howe Avenue, Suite 3, Sacramento, California 95825-3280; or call (916) 263-2544.

A person who is not in the business of pest control or structural pest control for hire may utilize this pest control category to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide to control pests in the following situations at their employer's establishment or property.

• Human dwellings (e.g., homeowner).
• Industrial establishments (e.g., packing plants, food manufacturing and processing plants, warehouses, grain elevators, and factories).
• Institutions (e.g., schools, hospitals, and office buildings).
• Nonlandscaped outdoor areas directly related to the operation of the buildings or facilities (e.g., storage yards, tank farms, electrical substations).

This category does not cover the use of pesticides for landscape maintenance.

B. Landscape Maintenance. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices, to control pests in natural or planted ornamental and turf landscaped areas and other outside areas around buildings. Typical areas included in this category are residential yards (including home gardens and orchards), recreation areas, schoolyards, vacant lots, storage yards, cemeteries, greenbelts, and other similar sites. It also includeslandscaped street medians and sidewalk areas, and areas such as walkways and parking lots directly related to landscaped areas. In addition, this category covers landscaped areas in enclosed shopping malls and indoor plants. This category does not include direct application to running or standing water.

NOTE: Maintenance Gardeners who apply any pesticide (restricted use and/or general use) incidental to their gardening business must obtain a Maintenance Gardener Pest Control Business License (PR-PML-004) (Rev. 10/03). To qualify for this business license, the gardener needs a Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC) or QAL with the Landscape Maintenance Pest Control Category (B) or Maintenance Gardener Category (Q). This business license limits the gardener to incidental pest control in ornamental and turf planting indoors and outdoors, in commercial parks, or surrounding structures. The Department considers "commercial parks" and 'surrounding structures" to mean:

• A "commercial park" is a tract of land where several commercial establishments (e.g., stores, offices, restaurants, warehouses, factories) are located. Business parks, industrial parks, office parks, and shopping centers or malls are considered commercial parks.
• Plantings "surrounding structures" are ornamental and turf plantings that are incidental to and placed near or close to structures such as buildings, brick walls, fountains, fences, statutes, etc.

The Maintenance Gardener Pest Control Business License does not include pest control work in areas such as on golf courses, parks, cemeteries, or similar areas.

C. Right-of-Way. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices to control pests in the maintenance of landscaped right-of-way areas, roads, highways, power lines, telephone lines, pipelines, canals, railroads or other similar sites. This category does not include direct application to running or standing water.

D. Plant Agriculture. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices to control pests in the production of food, feed, fiber or ornamental crops as well as on grasslands and noncrop agricultural areas. It also includes applications to rice and similar crops grown in wet or flooded fields. This category does not cover applications to running or standing water.

E. Forest. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices to control pests in forest, forest nurseries and forest seed-producing areas. This category does not include direct applications to running or standing water.

F. Aquatic. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices to control pests in or on standing or running water. This category does not include the use of restricted use pesticides for Health Related, Regulatory, Demonstration and Research, Sewer Line Root pest control purposes or applications to rice and similar crops grown in wet or flooded fields.

G. Regulatory. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices in official government programs for the control of regulated pests.

H. Seed Treatment. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices to protect seed for planting.

I. Animal Agriculture. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices to control pests on animals and the facilities in which the animals are confined.

J. Demonstration and Research. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of a restricted use pesticide and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices when demonstrating proper application techniques or conducting field research. This category is not required for applicators who demonstrate proper techniques.

K. Health Related. This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices in official programs for the management and control of pests having medical and public health importance.

L. Wood Preservation (Subcategory of A and C). This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or other pesticide, or certain substances, methods, or devices to control pests that damage wood. This category includes wood preservation application within the scope of Residential, Industrial and Institutional, and Right-of-Way pest control categories.

M. Antifouling Paints or Coatings Containing Tributyltin (Subcategory of A). This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of antifouling paints or coatings containing tributyltin to control the growth of aquatic organisms on the hulls of ships.

NOTE: California law allows the use of this pesticide only on aluminum vessel hulls, commercial or recreational vessel hulls 82 feet or more in length, and on outboard motors and lower drive units.

N. Sewer Line Root Control (Subcategory of A). This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticides, or certain substances, methods, or devices to control roots in the sewer lines.

Q. Maintenance Gardener (Subcategory of B). This category allows a person to use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides and/or any other pesticides, or certain substances, methods, or devices to controlpests in landscape for hire only under the scope of a maintenance gardener pest control business license. It does not include pest control work in areas such as golf courses, parks, cemeteries, or similar areas. This category does not include direct application to running or standing water.

NOTE: The Q category designation is granted to any QAL or QAC with only category B-Landscape Maintenance who wish to downgrade to a Maintenance Gardener classification. This individual is working under a valid maintenance gardener pest control business license. The "Authorization to downgrade from category (B) Landscape Maintenance to subcategory (Q) Maintenance Gardener" form must be completed and submitted to DPR. This allows the QAL or QAC to obtain only eight (8) hours of continuing education (includes two (2) hours of laws and regulations) within a two-year period. Otherwise the possession of Category B requires meeting the 20 hours continuing education requirement (includes four hours of laws and regulations) within a two-year period.

Structural Pest Control Board additional requirements

BRANCH 1: Fumigation License/Registration Companies or individuals with this classification can perform fumigation of structures. Tarps are put over the entire building and a lethal gas is released inside the structure to eradicate wood-destroying pests.

BRANCH 2: General Household Pest License/Registration Branch 2 covers identification and treatment of household pests such as spiders, rodents, cockroaches, weevils, ants and bees, carpenter ants, and carpenter bees, etc.

BRANCH 3: Wood-Destroying Pest and Organisms License/Registration Individuals or companies within this category are licensed to perform inspections for wood-destroying pests and organisms, issue the inspection report and completion notices, conduct treatments, and perform any repairs recommended on the inspection report.