How to Earn a Private Pesticide Applicator License

Do you need to apply restricted use pesticides to you or your employer’s farm or business? Do you produce an agricultural commodity such as food crops, or nursery and greenhouse plant materials, etc.? If you or your employer owns or leases the land in which restricted use pesticides need to be applied and agricultural commodities are grown, you need a Private Applicator’s license. The Private Applicator’s license requires applicants to take and pass 2 exams, the General Standards Core Exam and the Private Applicator’s Exam.

To earn the Private Applicator’s license, follow these steps.

1) Study

Read and study the CORE and the Private Agriculture Applicator manuals. Spend time answering the questions at the end of each chapter.
CORE study guide – http://ifasbooks.ifas.ufl.edu/p-104-applying-pesticides-correctly-a-guide-for-pesticide-applicators-core.aspx
Private Agriculture Applicator study guide – http://ifasbooks.ifas.ufl.edu/p-118-private-applicator-agricultural-pest-control.aspx

2) Apply to Take the Exam

Visit https://aesecomm.fdacs.gov to apply for a voucher to take the test: Choose Agriculture/RUP 487 license when prompted. Be sure to choose the correct exam/license for Private Applicator.
There is no fee to take the exam, once you pass the exam the license fee is $100.

3) Schedule and Take the Exam

Visit Florida Pesticide Certification Exams — Scheduling Florida Pesticide Certification Exams (ufl.edu) to schedule pesticide exams at your local UF/IFAS Extension Office.

4) Apply for License

Once you pass the exam visit https://aesecomm.fdacs.gov to pay for and apply for the Private Applicator License.

Many Extension Offices offer an Exam Review session with exams immediately following the class. The reviews do not substitute for studying ahead of time and are not mandatory to attend. Reviews are meant to be a recap of the information in the manuals.

Please note that these exam reviews occur only a couple times of year locally. Extension Agents offer reviews for multiple different pesticide exams scheduled though out the year. If one is not offered in your area in your needed time frame, contact your local County Extension Agent https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/find-your-local-office/. The Agent may be able to help you locate an online class or possibly an in-person class in a surrounding county.

Best wishes on your exam!