What New York's Commercial Pesticide Certification Means for a Utica Caller

Who issues the certification, and why it matters

The Department of Environmental Conservation's Bureau of Pesticides Management. The certification is the state's way of making sure pesticides are applied by people who have been trained and tested.

Pesticides are regulated because they can harm people, pets, food and the environment when they are used carelessly. New York requires a commercial certification for pest work done for pay, so that the person applying the product understands the label, the risks and the methods the job needs. The Department of Environmental Conservation issues and administers that certification through its Bureau of Pesticides Management.

For a caller in Utica, the importance is practical. A certified technician has been tested on the rules and the methods, and the company that employs them is responsible for making sure the work is done within those rules. That responsibility is the reason a caller should always ask for the paperwork.

The two tiers

A Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator and a Certified Commercial Pesticide Technician. The applicator tier can supervise others. The technician tier applies general-use products but cannot supervise.

The applicator tier is the higher one. An applicator can supervise other workers, and it is the tier a company usually needs to have on its staff to direct the work. The technician tier allows a person to apply general-use pesticides commercially, under the supervision of a certified applicator.

A caller does not need to know the details of each tier. What matters is whether the technician who arrives holds the tier that the job requires, and whether the company has a certified applicator to oversee the work.

• Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator: may supervise others
• Certified Commercial Pesticide Technician: may apply general-use pesticides commercially, may not supervise
• Both tiers require certification in the categories the job calls for

How a technician qualifies

Through one of three routes: a 30-hour DEC-approved course, a relevant degree or supervised experience within the last five years. Each route is followed by core and category exams, except where reciprocity applies.

The first route is a 30-hour course approved by the Department of Environmental Conservation. The second is a relevant degree, and the third is supervised experience within the last five years. Whichever route is taken, the technician must pass the core exam and the exam for each category the job covers.

Reciprocity can apply to a technician who is already certified in another state. The DEC decides the terms of reciprocity, and the technician's certificate shows which categories have been approved.

Categories: why the job's category matters

Certification is given by category as well as by tier. A technician certified in one category is not automatically qualified for another, so the caller should check that the category matches the job.

The categories are the areas of work the certification covers, such as structural pest control, public health pest control or termite control. A job that needs a particular category must be done by a technician who holds it. On termite work this matters a great deal, and the termite guide on this site explains that category in more detail.

The caller can ask which category applies to the job, and the technician should be able to explain it clearly on the visit.

How to ask for the paperwork

Ask the company for the certification of the technician who will do the work, and for the category that covers the job. You can check the details with the Department of Environmental Conservation.

A caller can ask on the phone or at the visit. The request is ordinary and should be answered plainly. The caller should note the technician's name and the certificate details, and can check them against the public list of certified applicators that DEC publishes.

If the company cannot show the certification for the work, the caller should ask for a different technician or a different company. The obligation to hold the certificate sits with the company that does the work, and this site does not verify the certificate on the company's behalf.

• Ask for the technician's name and certificate details
• Ask which category covers the job
• Check the details with DEC
• Ask for a different technician if the details cannot be shown

What the certification does not cover

It does not cover the structure of the building, the repair of a leak or the insurance of the work. Those are separate matters with their own professionals.

The pesticide certification is about applying products safely and effectively. It does not make the technician a builder, a roofer or a plumber, and it does not decide whether a building is safe. Repairs that the pest work reveals, such as a rotten sill or a leaking pipe, need the appropriate tradesperson.

Insurance for the work is also separate. The company that performs the work is expected to hold its own insurance, and the caller can ask about it, but the certificate is a different document.

Reading a certificate: what to look for

The holder's name, the tier, the categories and the dates. A certificate that does not show the category for the job is not enough for that job.

A certificate should show the name of the certified person, the tier held and the categories covered. Check whether the category that matches the job appears on the certificate, and whether the certificate is current. A certificate that is out of date, or one that covers only other categories, does not qualify the technician for the work.

If the document is unclear, ask the company to explain it. The caller can also check the details with the Department of Environmental Conservation, since the state keeps the official record of certified applicators.

Why a valid certificate may still not cover the job

Because certification is by category as well as by tier. A technician can be correctly certified for one kind of work and not for another.

A technician who holds a certificate in one category is not automatically qualified for every kind of pest work. The job decides the category, and the company should be able to say which category applies. A caller who is told that any certified technician can do any job should ask for the category to be stated in writing.

This matters most for termite work and for commercial premises, where the category and the treatment method are closely linked. The termite guide on this site explains the category in more detail.

Questions to ask on the phone

Who will do the work, what category applies, whether the technician holds it and how the caller can check it with the state.

Start by asking for the name of the technician who will attend, and the category the job falls under. Ask whether the technician holds that category and whether a copy of the certificate can be shown on arrival. Ask how the caller can check the details with the state, and note the answer.

A company that answers these questions plainly is giving the caller what they need to decide. A company that avoids them is not, and the caller is entitled to choose another.

Records a business should keep

The certificate of the company that did the work, the visit log, the monitoring results and the actions taken. Those records are what an inspector or a landlord is likely to ask for.

A business should keep a copy of the certificate on file, along with each visit's date, the places treated, the products used and the findings. The monitoring results and the actions taken should follow from the findings, so that the history is clear.

The records should be kept with the business's other operating records, and a manager should know where they are. A record that cannot be found quickly is of little use in an inspection.

What happens when a certificate has lapsed

A technician whose certificate has lapsed should not be doing pesticide work for pay until it is current. The company should be able to show that the certificate is in force.

Certification is a condition of doing the work, not a formality, and it is the company's responsibility to keep its technicians certified for the work they do. A caller who is told that a certificate is being renewed should ask when it will be in force and should check the details with the Department of Environmental Conservation.

If the company cannot show a current certificate, the caller should decline the work and ask for a company that can. The caller does not need to explain the decision, and the phone team should be able to help with another technician.

Commercial work and the business's own duties

A business that hires a pest service is still responsible for its premises, its staff and its records. The certification sits with the company, but the business has duties too.

A business that hires a certified company should keep its own records and make sure staff do not apply pesticides themselves. The business is responsible for keeping food, stock and waste areas ready for the visit, and for responding to the technician's findings.

The certification does not remove the business's duties. It gives the business a qualified company to work with, and the business should use that relationship to keep the premises in good order between visits.