Pest Control Licensing in Pennsylvania: What the Law Requires and How to Check a Company

Pennsylvania licenses the business, not only the person

Pennsylvania regulates commercial pesticide use at two levels. The people who apply pesticides must be certified or trained, and the company that sends them out must hold its own pesticide application business license from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Under 7 Pa. Code § 128.31, a business that applies pesticides for hire cannot operate without that license.

To get the business license, a company must have at least one certified applicator, meet the state's financial responsibility requirement, which means carrying insurance with the Department of Agriculture listed as the certificate holder, and pay an application fee when it first applies and again every year.

Section 128.31 sets the license period to end on December 31 each year, so a licensed business renews annually.

Certified applicators and registered technicians

Two kinds of people can do the application work. A certified applicator has passed the state's certification exams for the categories of work involved. A registered technician works for a licensed business and is trained under the state's technician rules.

Section 128.31 says a pesticide application business may not apply a pesticide without a certified applicator physically present at the site, unless all application personnel on site are registered technicians. In practice that means everyone treating your home should be either certified or a registered technician.

How technicians must be trained

7 Pa. Code § 128.51 sets the training rules for technicians. For a homeowner, they describe what the person at your door is supposed to know.

• Technicians must be trained in the proper use and handling of pesticides, including pest identification, correct use of pesticides and equipment, protective equipment, transport and disposal, regulations, spill handling, and health and environmental effects.
• Training must include enough on-the-job instruction for the technician to do the work competently.
• Technicians must take training every year to keep their knowledge current.
• The training program must be run by a certified applicator with at least one year of experience in the categories the technician is being trained in.
• A technician may not use techniques, pesticides or equipment that were not part of his or her training.

The license number on application vehicles

Under § 128.31, a pesticide application business must also display the license number the Department assigned on every vehicle used in the application part of its business. The number must be in figures at least 3 inches high, in a contrasting color, on both sides of the vehicle where it is easy to read.

When a pest control vehicle pulls into your driveway, the number on the side should belong to a business licensed with the Department of Agriculture. You can also ask any company for its license number and look it up in the public report described below.

What Categories 11 and 12 cover

Commercial pesticide work in Pennsylvania is divided into categories under 7 Pa. Code § 128.42, and a business should hold the category that matches the work it does. The two categories that cover most home pest control are:

• Category 11, Household and Health Related: pesticide use in, on or around a food handling establishment, a human or nonagricultural animal dwelling, or an institution such as a school or hospital. In practice it is the category for most household pest work in and around buildings.
• Category 12, Wood Destroying Pests: control of termites, powderpost beetles and other wood-destroying pests infesting a residence.

How to look up a pest control company

The Department of Agriculture publishes a public Pesticide Application Businesses report online. The link is in the sources at the bottom of this page. You can search the report by business name, category, county or region, and each listing shows the categories the business holds.

State records use the legal corporate name, which is often abbreviated or longer than the name on the truck, so search a distinctive word from the name rather than the full brand. Check that the categories listed match the work you are hiring for: Category 12 for termites, Category 11 for most household pests. If you cannot find a company, ask it for its license number and the exact name it is licensed under.

C.R. Davis III & Sons licensing and insurance

C.R. Davis III & Sons Pest Control is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture as a pesticide application business in two categories: Household and Health Related and Wood Destroying Pests. The company is insured. Our state record is listed under the corporation's legal name, so search for Davis when you use the public report.

Our pesticide application business license number is BU0210, issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and current through December 31, 2026. You can check it yourself in the Department’s public Pesticide Application Businesses report, linked in the sources below. State records list the business under its registered name, C.R. Davis III And Sons Pest Control.