West Virginia Pesticide Licensing and Certification
About 5 of every 50 questions on a West Virginia Core practice exam come from this topic.
Sources checked
What to know
Under the West Virginia Pesticide Control Act and WVDA's Certified Pesticide Applicator Rules (61 CSR 12A, effective April 15, 2024), the commissioner certifies applicators only after a passed exam, apart from reciprocity and federal-employee routes. Most exam applicants show one year of experience, education or training; employees of regulated (not-for-hire) businesses are exempt. Exam candidates need government photo ID, and results come in writing. 70% passes; retakes wait 28 days after a first failure and 56 after a second. Certified applicators must be 18, and the narrow underage exception never covers fumigants. Public applicators' certification covers only official duties; physicians and veterinarians treating patients are excepted. Categories include Storage and Distribution (no application for hire), Aerial (FAA agricultural certification), sewer root control and, for private applicators, General Fumigation. General standards include laws, the Worker Protection Standard and RUP security. Recertification is at most every three years: one CCU per 30 minutes, 20 CCUs per category for commercial, 10 for private, and 4 a year for registered technicians, who train within 30 days of hire and carry an ID card; their termination is reported within 30 days. Application businesses need a license for each suboffice, expiring December 31 or with their bond or insurance; the commissioner gets 45 days' notice before coverage is reduced. Renewing after April 1 means retesting. Farmers helping neighbors with ground equipment are exempt from business licensing, and unlicensed users of retail lawn and pest products have their own exemption. Discipline follows inquiry with a hearing opportunity, violations are misdemeanors, and court review is sought within 30 days.
Where it comes from
- W. Va. Code §§ 19-16A-7, 19-16A-8, 19-16A-13, 19-16A-14
- W. Va. Code §§ 19-16A-12, 19-16A-17, 19-16A-18, 19-16A-20, 19-16A-22
- 61 CSR 12A-3 (certification, exams, age)
- 61 CSR 12A-4, 12A-5, 12A-6 (categories, standards, technicians)
- 61 CSR 12A-7, 12A-10, 12A-11; 61 CSR 12B-3
Try a practice question
An applicant with ten years of spraying experience asks WVDA for certification without testing, and holds no out-of-state or federal credentials. Under 61 CSR 12A-3.1, what must happen first?
- AThe applicant must complete one category's recertification hours
- BThe applicant must pass an examination approved by the commissioner
- CThe applicant must submit letters from three licensed businesses
- DThe applicant must work one season under a registered technician
Show the answer
The applicant must pass an examination approved by the commissioner. The rule bars certifying anyone as an applicator who has not passed an examination; years of experience do not replace it.
61 CSR 12A-3.1