Commercial and Noncommercial Applicator Training and Certification

Commercial Applicator: A licensed applicator who uses any restricted-use pesticides (RUPs) on a contractual or for-hire basis. Also includes any person using restricted- or general-use pesticides for hire or compensation for lawn care, structural pest control, or community-wide outdoor vector control (e.g., mosquito control).

Noncommercial Applicator: A licensed applicator who applies RUPs only on lands owned or controlled by their employer or for a governmental agency or subdivision of the state. Also includes any person using restricted- or general-use pesticides for community-wide outdoor vector control (e.g., mosquito control) on behalf of a political subdivision of the state.

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Initial Certification

How does it work?

If you are seeking a commercial/noncommercial applicator license for the first time, or if your license has expired, you must pass the Nebraska Dept. of Agriculture-administered General Standards exam (category 00), plus the exam for each applicator category you need.

If you wish to add an applicator category to your existing license, you must pass that category's exam.

A list of applicator categories is located at the bottom of this page.

Study materials

Before attempting your certification exam(s), we strongly recommend that you prepare with our study materials. These materials are available for every applicator category (including General Standards) in two formats:

  • Print study manuals: These hardcopy manual can be ordered online with a credit card and are mailed to you.
An assortment of printed study manuals
  • Digital FlipBooks: Our FlipBooks are enhanced digital versions of our traditional print manuals. Most have video training embedded to accomodate multiple learning styles. This is the same video training presented at our initial in-person training sessions. Purchase of a FlipBook gives you a one-year subscription to the product. Internet access is required to use FlipBooks.

FlipBooks offer significant cost savings over traditional pesticide training.

Training sessions

2025 in-person initial training sessions (with exam opportunities)

In-person training sessions for initial certification consist of video reviews of our study manuals, plus an opportunity to take your certification exams.

 

Other exam opportunities

You can also take certification exam(s) by:

Exam processing

Exams are mailed to the NDA's offices for grading. During the months of February through April, please allow up to 3 weeks for results as NDA processes exam from across the state.

To check on the status of a pesticide applicator exam, please email agr.pesticide@nebraska.gov and include:

  • Your full name
  • Your date of birth
  • Date exam was taken
  • Location exam was taken

Once all exams are successfully completed, a billing statement for the license will be issued. An applicator is not considered licensed until all necessary exams are completed and the license fee has been collected and processed.

Recertification

How does it work?

Commercial/noncommercial applicator licenses are valid for 3 years. If you wish to renew your license, you must recertify before it expires. If your license has expired, you will need to retake and pass your certification exams (see Initial Certification above).

You must recertify in General Standards (category 00) and each applicator category in which you wish to maintain certification/licensure. You cannot recertify in a category which does not currently appear on your license. To add a category to an existing license, you must pass that category's exam.

A list of applicator categories is located at the bottom of this page.

Recertification options

The following options are available for commercial/noncommercial recertification:

*If you need to recertify in a category for which no recertification training sessions are available, you will need to retake and pass the category's exam AND either a) attend the General Standards portion of a recertification training session, or b) retake/pass the General Standards exam. Exams are not offered at recertification sessions.

Additional Applicator Resources

Other Pesticide-Related Training: Information on product-specific training requirements and Worker Protection Standard (WPS) worker and handler training.

Drones and the Nebraska Pesticide Act factsheet (PDF 170 KB): Everything you need to know about the regulations surrounding drone pesticide applications in Nebraska.

Reciprocal Certification with Nebraska: Persons who live outside of Nebraska may obtain a license from the NDA if they hold valid credentials from a state, agency, or tribe with which the NDA has a reciprocal agreement.

Applicator Certification Plan in Indian Country: The EPA certifies private and commercial applicators to legally apply restricted-use pesticides in Indian Country.

Math for Pesticide Applicators: It's never a bad time to brush up on your pesticide math, especially if you are preparing for an applicator certification exam. These resources are meant to help.

Pesticide Product Search: Database of pesticide products registered by the NDA for use in Nebraska. Search by product name, EPA Reg. No., active ingredient, approved site, pest controlled, etc.

Commercial and Noncommercial Applicator Categories

00 General Standards: The one category that all applicators have in common. EVERYONE who receives a license must pass a test over the General Standards and must renew the General Standards every time he/she recertifies.
01 Agricultural Pest Control-Plant: Restricted-use pesticide applications to protect agricultural crops, vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits and nuts; as well as pastures, grasslands, and noncrop agricultural land. Does NOT include the control of vertebrate pests such as prairie dogs (See Category 14).
01A Soil Fumigation*: Soil fumigant applications to protect agricultural commodities from soil-borne pests. Does NOT include fumigant applications to rodent burrows for the control of rodent pests (See Category 11).
02 Agricultural Pest Control-Animal: Restricted-use pesticide applications to protect beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, horses, goats, poultry, livestock, and other animals, and places on or in which animals are confined. Includes doctors of veterinary medicine engaged in the business of applying restricted-use pesticides. Does NOT include the control of predators such as coyotes in pastures or holding pens (See Category 14).
03 Forest Pest Control: Restricted-use pesticide applications to protect forests, forest nurseries, forest seed-producing areas and large tracts of trees that may be considered marketable. Does NOT include the protection of ornamental trees (See Category 04).
04 Ornamental and Turf Pest Control: Includes control of pests to protect ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers, and turf in and around structures, greenhouses, plant nurseries, golf courses, athletic fields, parks, and public or private grounds. Does NOT include control of vertebrate pests such as moles and ground squirrels in turf areas (See Category 14).
05 Aquatic Pest Control: Restricted-use pesticide applications to protect standing or running water (irrigation canals, farm ponds, golf course lakes and streams, and fish breeding ponds) from weeds, insects, or animal pests. Excludes applications in the Public Health Control (09) category for the control of disease vectors.
05S Sewer Root Control: Applications using Metam Sodium in sewer lines.
06 Seed Treatment: Restricted-use pesticide applications to protect seeds. Includes application of seed treatments prior to packaging. Does NOT include planter-box seed treatments added at planting time.
07 Right-of-Way Pest Control: Restricted-use pesticide applications to protect roadsides, electric power line rights-of-way, pipelines, railway rights-of-way, fence lines, structural perimeters, and similar areas. Does NOT include control of vertebrate pests such as moles and prairie dogs in right-of-way areas (See Category 14).
08 Structural and Health-Related Pest Control: Includes control of insects (excluding structural wood-destroying pests), pest birds, and vertebrate pests (those invading structures) in, on, or around human dwellings; institutions; food handling, manufacturing, processing, packaging, and dining facilities; schools and hospitals; warehouses; and any other structures and adjacent areas, public or private. Does NOT include fumigation of structures (See Category 11).
08W Wood-Destroying Organisms: Includes control of wood-destroying pests such as termites and carpenter ants in the same areas as Category 08. Does NOT include fumigation of structures (See Category 11).
09 Public Health Pest Control: Includes control of disease vectors and pests of medical or public health importance such as mosquitoes, rodents, and flies in public landfills, in or on medical and veterinary instruments, hospitals, nursing homes, swimming pools, food-processing areas, and cooling towers. 
10 Wood Preservation: Restricted-use pesticide applications to protect wood or wood products. Includes preservative treatment by pressure or nonpressure methods to protect wood that will be exposed to weather, including utility poles, fence posts, and railroad ties.
11 Non-Soil and Structural Fumigation*: Restricted-use pesticide applications made using fumigants in gaseous or solid form, within enclosed gas-tight spaces such as tents, stacks, structures, vehicles, or vessels for a variety of conditions and commodities, including raw agricultural products. Includes fumigant applications to rodent burrows for the control of pests such as prairie dogs.
12 Aerial Pest Control**: Restricted-use pesticide applications made by fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft. This category includes those aspects in the Agricultural Pest Control-Plant (01) category that are specific to aerial pesticide applications. Applications by air to nonagricultural sites would require testing in additional categories.
14 Wildlife Damage Control: Restricted-use pesticide applications to control vertebrate pests that do not invade structures. Includes the use of toxicants to control coyotes, foxes, prairie dogs, moles, ground squirrels, tree squirrels, pocket gophers, voles, jackrabbits, muskrats, white-footed mice, skunks, and nuisance birds. Special permits may also be required from local, state, and/or federal agencies. Does NOT include control of structure-invading vertebrates such as birds, bats, rodents, and snakes (See Category 08). Does NOT include fumigant applications to rodent burrows (See Category 11).
REG Regulatory Pest Control: Restricted-use pesticide applications made for federal, state, or other governmental units to control regulated pests.
D/R Demonstration/Research: Includes applicators who demonstrate to the pubic or conduct research about the use of pesticides when exceeding label provisions.

*A certified/licensed private applicator who wishes to apply RUP fumigants must also be certified in category 01A and/or category 11, depending on the type of fumigation they intend to perform. These additional certifications appear on the private license.

**A private applicator who wishes to apply pesticides aerially must acquire a commercial/noncommercial applicator license with a category 12 endorsement.