Massachusetts Pesticide Licensing and Certification

About 5 of every 50 questions on a Massachusetts Core practice exam come from this topic.

Sources checked November 10, 2026

What to know

Massachusetts certifies and licenses pesticide applicators through the Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) under M.G.L. c. 132B and 333 CMR 10.00; the Pesticide Board Subcommittee registers pesticides, and the Pesticide Board hears appeals requested within 21 days. The classifications are certified commercial, certified private, permitted catch basin and licensed applicator, and MDAR must credential applicators in places of human occupation except homes with three or fewer units. A non-certified person applying general use pesticides for hire on others' land needs a license, showing at least the general standards, which include the Pesticide Control Act. Restricted or state limited use work needs certification in each category; farmers using those products on owned or rented land need private certification, tested on their commodity area. Applicants must be 18 on the exam date, commercial certification needs two years of relevant experience, and the core exam comes first. Exams are closed book; two failures mean a three-month wait, three a one-year wait. Credentials expire December 31, and every three years applicators recertify by exam or training (six hours for a license, twelve per certification category, 50-minute hours). Supervisors oversee at most 12 non-certified applicators, answer within 30 minutes, keep guidance sheets in each vehicle and review records within 72 hours. Applicants prove liability insurance by a broker's attestation; MDAR may suspend for ten days pending inquiry and bar reapplication up to two years, and each day of violation is a separate offense.

Where it comes from

• M.G.L. c. 132B, §§ 3A, 10, 14
• 333 CMR 10.02, 10.03, 10.04
• 333 CMR 10.05, 10.06, 10.08
• 333 CMR 10.07
• 333 CMR 10.09 to 10.13, 10.15
• MDAR Pesticide Examination and License Information Bulletin (2026)

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