The Office of Pesticide Services (OPS) certifies pesticide applicators, registers pesticide products and licenses pesticide businesses. OPS also conducts routine inspections to ensure the proper use of pesticides and investigates allegations of pesticide misuse. These activities provide for the safe and effective control of pests that attack our crops, structures and health.
If you have questions regarding applicator certification, pesticide business licensing or pesticide product registration, contact the Office of Pesticide Services at opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov or 804.786.3798.
If you have a pesticide-related complaint, contact the Office of Pesticide Services at ops.enf@vdacs.virginia.gov or 804.371.6560. Information regarding complaint investigations and our enforcement response is available here.
The current lists of certified pesticide applicators are available below. Lists are updated weekly. We continually work to refine the data. Should you find an error with your certification information, please send an email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov. Please include your name, certificate number and a brief description of the error.
The Office of Pesticide Services (OPS) has launched a new online certification system for pesticide applicators, pesticide businesses, and pesticide product registrants. Using the online system can potentially reduce the overall processing time, eliminate postage costs, and enable easy online payments of fees. While the current process of sending in paper copies remains an option, we encourage you to use the online system. Access the online portal.
Should you have any questions, please send an email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), Office of Pesticide Services (OPS), recently mailed renewal notices to all applicators whose certificates are due to expire on June 30, 2023. All applicators whose certificates have an expiration date of June 30, 2023, received the renewal notice; this includes both those who have met the recertification requirements and those who have not met the recertification requirements. Renewal notices were a reminder to pesticide applicators of the requirements to obtain recertification credits prior to the expiration date as well as provided information related to the removal of fees associated with applicators' renewal certification.
It is important to note that applicators whose certification expires June 30, 2023, and who have met the recertification requirements, will have their certificate automatically renewed.
OPS staff are continually adding recertification credits for courses completed in recent months. Applicators can monitor the status of their certificate and recertification credit via the online listing of Certified Commercial Applicators and Registered Technicians on the VDACS website. The list is updated bi-weekly to capture the recertification credits added by OPS staff.
All applicators can access their pesticide applicator record via our online system utilizing their unique access token which was included in the renewal notification.
Should you have any questions, please send an email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov.
All authorization letters for prospective applicators to take the exam(s) to become certified expire on the date listed in the letter. There are no extensions to the expiration dates. Prospective applicators who do not take the exam(s) by the expiration date are required to submit a new application with appropriate fees to take the exam(s).
For prospective applicators with current authorization letters to test, testing options include:
- Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - Prospective applicators can take their exams at the DMV customer service centers. Services including pesticide applicator certification testing are now available on select days for walk-in customers and by appointment. Appointments are not required on days when walk-in service is offered. Appointments can be scheduled on the DMV website. Select “Learner’s Permit/Knowledge Test”. When scheduling an appointment, prospective applicators will select the location where they will be testing. Applicators will next select the knowledge test for "Dealer Operators, Salesperson, Escort or Pesticide Applicator Certification". According to the website, three months of appointment slots are available at any time on the calendar. Each day, a new day of appointments is added to the end of the available period. New appointment slots will be posted multiple times every hour. Cancellations can also create earlier availability in the calendar. If you do not see availability, all the posted appointment slots are currently booked. Individuals wanting to take a certification exam(s) at DMV should check the site frequently for availability and are encouraged to look at DMV locations outside their area. Should you need additional information regarding DMV reopening or services available, please contact DMV directly.
- Remote (Online) Testing - Prospective applicators can take their certification exam(s) from their home or office via an online portal. Remote Testing will be hosted by Everblue and requires an additional online testing fee that is paid directly to Everblue. This is in addition to the application fee paid to the Office of Pesticide Services. The exam can be taken 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the 90-day authorization period. Computer, webcam, and microphone required. Information regarding the remote testing option will be included on the applicator’s Letter of Authorization. Applicators who provided an email address on their application to become a certified applicator will receive an email from Everblue with additional information regarding testing options. For an introduction to Remote Testing, there is a walk through available at https://vimeo.com/everblueeducation/vdacsdemo.
- Proctored Testing by Pesticide Investigators - The Office of Pesticide Services’ Pesticide Investigators also proctor testing of prospective applicators. Proctored testing is based upon the availability of the Pesticide Investigator. Contact information for Pesticide Investigators is available on our webpage at www.vdacs.virginia.gov/about-division-of-consumer-protection.shtml#pesticides.
Please note that VDACS now offers the Registered Technician Exam in Spanish. The Registered Technician Exam in Spanish is currently available using the Remote (Online) Testing and Proctored Testing by Pesticide Investigators options only. We do intend to make this exam available at DMV in the future.
Should you have any questions, please send at email to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov.
VDACS has issued information to assist industrial hemp growers in identifying pesticide products that may be used on hemp crops grown in Virginia.
Information regarding VDACS’s pesticide product registration process and currently registered pesticides is available here.
If your hemp product is intended for human consumption:
On July 15, 2019, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services advised Registered Industrial Hemp Processors that the Northam Administration has directed VDACS to treat hemp-derived extracts intended for human consumption as approved food additives and to place qualifying Registered Industrial Hemp Processors under food safety inspection so that inspected and approved processors may manufacture a hemp-derived extract intended for human consumption. VDACS's Food Safety Program is working on guidelines that will implement this policy directive, and we will post them here as soon as they are available.
If your intended hemp-derived product is not an extract but is intended for human consumption, please contact
VDACS's Food Safety Program for additional information.
Please note that the requirements in Virginia's Food and Drink Law do not pertain to the production or sale of topical products.
Contact
Click here for Office of Pesticide Services contact information.
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