Washington Pesticide Use, Records and Notification
About 5 of every 50 questions on a Washington Laws and Safety practice exam come from this topic.
Sources checked
What to know
Under WAC 16-228-1225, a use is not inconsistent with the labeling when the rate is lower than the label states (unless the label forbids it) or when an unlisted pest is treated on a labeled site, but chemigation is allowed only when the label has chemigation directions. Certified applicators and anyone treating more than one acre of agricultural land in a year must record each application the same day and keep the record seven years; the pests controlled are recorded for PCO work only, and wind direction and speed are not needed for bait stations or applications inside structures. Treating health care personnel who need a record for treatment get copies immediately, and most other requesters, such as Labor and Industries, within seventy-two hours. Landscape applications are marked at the usual point of entry of a home, though not for a fenced backyard; golf courses are marked at the first and tenth tees or on a central message board; markers are at least four by five inches, headed THIS LANDSCAPE HAS BEEN TREATED BY, and stay up at least 24 hours or as long as a longer label restricted entry interval. People on the pesticide-sensitive list, certified by a Washington-licensed physician, get notice at least two hours before a scheduled application in their notification area, or a written notice left at the home if they can't be reached. Right-of-way apparatus displays VEGETATION MANAGEMENT APPLICATION. Schools notify interested parents and staff at least forty-eight hours before an application, and signs stay at least 24 hours after it is completed. No one may apply when drift or volatilization may damage adjacent land, apply by aircraft or airblast next to schools in session when contamination may result, or fill tanks without working backsiphoning protection. Unattended DANGER/POISON pesticides go in a locked enclosure such as a fence at least six feet high, storage signs must be legible at thirty feet, and highly toxic pesticides never share a vehicle compartment with food or clothing. A report of loss is filed within thirty days after damage becomes known and before half of a damaged crop is harvested; not filing is not a violation, but the director may decline to act when the non-filer is the only one harmed. Since 2026, supervisors of noncertified applicators using federal restricted use pesticides must give them labeling access at all times, use only workers trained within the last 12 months and at least 18 (16 only under a family member who is a certified private applicator), and keep supervision records two years. Applying a restricted use pesticide without a certified applicator in direct supervision is a violation under RCW 17.21.150.
Where it comes from
- WAC 16-228-1225
- WAC 16-228-1320; RCW 17.21.100
- RCW 17.21.400, 17.21.410, 17.21.415, 17.21.420, 17.21.430; WAC 16-228-1322
- WAC 16-228-1200, 16-228-1220
- RCW 17.21.190
- WAC 16-228-1548 (new, WSR 25-22-065, eff. 1/1/2026)
- RCW 17.21.150
Try a practice question
To save product, an applicator sprays a herbicide at a rate below the labeled rate. The label does not forbid changing the rate. How does WAC 16-228-1225 treat this?
- AIt is lawful only for private applicators on their land
- BIt is lawful only with written WSDA approval first
- CIt is not a use inconsistent with the labeling
- DIt is unlawful, because any rate change breaks the label
Show the answer
It is not a use inconsistent with the labeling. Applying a pesticide at a dosage, concentration or frequency lower than the labeling specifies is excluded from "inconsistent with its labeling", unless the labeling specifically prohibits the deviation.
WAC 16-228-1225(1)