Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Pennsylvania Pest Control Licensing
Choose your courses:
Looking to renew your license? We’ve got you covered!
Browse the state-approved bundles and individual courses below.
Individual Courses
General Pest Control (Pennsylvania) - Up to 8 Credits
Integrated Pest Management (Pennsylvania) - Up to 3 Credits
Pest Application and Use (Pennsylvania) - 6 Credits
Rules and Regulations (Pennsylvania) - 6 Credits
Technical Branch #1: Fumigation (Pennsylvania) - Up to 8 Credits
Technical Branch #2: General Pest (Pennsylvania) - 8 Credits
Technical Branch #3: Wood-Destroying Organisms (Pennsylvania) - 8 Credits
Pest control licensing in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania certifies pesticide applicators through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the certification runs on two clocks at once: the commercial applicator certificate is paid for every year and expires September 30, while the recertification credits behind it are counted over a three-year cycle. Credits are additive — every applicator needs 6 core credits plus the category credits for each category they hold, so a structural technician certified in both Household and Health Related (11) and Wood Destroying Pests (12) needs 26 credits per cycle, not one flat number. LearnPest offers state-approved Pennsylvania continuing education and tracks which credits you still owe.
How to renew your Pennsylvania pest control license
Renewal deadline · Commercial applicator certificates expire September 30 each year; recertification credits are counted over a 3-year cycle
Earn every credit your categories require before your three-year cycle ends: 6 core credits, plus the category credits for each category you hold.
Find approved courses through the Department of Agriculture's Recertification Course Locator on PaPlants — a course number counts toward your credits only once in your career.
Log in to your applicator account at paplants.pa.gov and open the Online Shopping Cart.
Select the licenses to renew, add them to the cart, then use Verification Needed to check your details before accepting and continuing.
Proceed to checkout, submit the order and pay the $40 annual commercial applicator fee — or mail a check payable to “Commonwealth of PA” to the Bureau of Plant Industry, Division of Health and Safety, 2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9408.
If a certification lapses you have one year to reinstate it by earning the missing credits and paying the fee; after a year you have to sit the examinations again.
Continuing education requirements
Pennsylvania requires continuing education hours by license type. Our bundles above are sized to satisfy these in a single sitting.
| License type | Required CEUs | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core — every certified commercial or public applicator | 6 core credits | Required of every Pennsylvania applicator in every category, once per 3-year certification cycle, on top of the category credits below. |
| Category 11 — Household and Health Related | 10 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. Category credits are additive across every category you hold. |
| Category 12 — Wood Destroying Pests | 10 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. |
| Category 13 — Structural Fumigation | 6 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. |
| Category 15 — Public Health Vertebrate Pest Control | 8 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. |
| Category 16 — Public Health Invertebrate Pest Control | 8 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. |
| Category 19 — Wood Preservation | 4 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. |
| Category 20 — Commodity and Space Fumigation | 6 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. |
| Category 23 — Park or School Pest Control | 10 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. |
| Category 26 — Sewer Root Control | 4 category credits | Per 3-year cycle, in addition to the 6 core credits. |
| Private applicator | 6 core + 6 category credits | Private applicator permits run on their own 3-year cycle; category credits may come from categories 1–9 and 22. |
Pennsylvania licensing fees
Direct from the state agency's published fee schedule. Use these to budget renewals and certification.
PDA certification and license fees
- Commercial applicator certificate$40 per year
- Public applicator certificate$10 every 3 years
- Commercial pesticide application technician registration$30 per year
- Public pesticide application technician registration$20 per year
- Pesticide application business license$35 per year
- Private applicator permit$10 every 3 years
PDA examination fees
- Core examination, proctored by PDA$50
- Each category examination, proctored by PDA$10
- Core examination at a Metro computer testing center$110
- Each category examination at a Metro testing center$70
- Private applicator examinationNo charge
Source: www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/plants-land-water/plant-industry/pesticide-programs/recertification, www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/007/chapter128/chap128toc.html
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Don’t just take our word for it:
Gold Crest Exterminators
“LearnPest continuing education courses are the BEST! This year I had to explore other companies who offer the required courses per the SPCB. I found LearnPest. I have been in business for 48+ years, and I have to say this was the least stressful of all. I would vouch for them 1000%. Thank you again, Caleb, you were so helpful.”
Mission Pest Control
“LearnPest has been a super useful tool for making license renewal a breeze. I love being able to just select the bundle for my license type with 1 click and always be sure I'm getting all the needed CEU's for my renewals! Super Easy!”
Moxie Pest Control
“So grateful I found LearnPest for my CEU hours. Not only for me but for my team. I've gone through multiple sites and this one by far has been the best and most convenient for me and my pest control company. Easy to use and great quiz questions. I will definitely be using them from now on.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How many recertification credits does a Pennsylvania commercial pesticide applicator need?
Pennsylvania does not publish one flat number. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) requires every certified commercial or public applicator to earn 6 core credits per 3-year certification cycle, plus the category credits for each category they hold — 10 for Category 11 (Household and Health Related), 10 for Category 12 (Wood Destroying Pests), 6 for Category 13 (Structural Fumigation), 8 for Categories 15 and 16 (public health), and so on. Credits are additive, so a structural technician certified in both 11 and 12 needs 26 credits per cycle. LearnPest's state-approved Pennsylvania courses carry PDA-approved credits and we track which ones you still owe.
When does a Pennsylvania pesticide applicator certification expire?
A Pennsylvania commercial applicator certificate issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) expires September 30 and carries a $40 fee every year, while the recertification credits behind it are counted over a three-year cycle. Public applicator certificates also run to September 30 but are paid every three years, private applicator permits expire March 31, registered technician registrations expire February 28, and pesticide application business licenses expire December 31. LearnPest tracks the Pennsylvania deadline that applies to you and stores every CEU certificate you earn.
What happens if my Pennsylvania pesticide certification lapses?
If a Pennsylvania applicator certification expires you must stop applying pesticides, but the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) gives you one year to reinstate it by earning the outstanding recertification credits and paying the fee. Past one year you have to sit the core and category examinations again. Pennsylvania publishes no late fee — the penalty is the lost year and the re-examination. LearnPest sends renewal reminders before the September 30 Pennsylvania deadline so it does not get that far.
Which Pennsylvania pesticide categories cover structural pest control?
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) splits structural work across several categories rather than one: Category 11 covers Household and Health Related pest control in dwellings, schools, hospitals, food handling establishments and warehouses; Category 12 covers Wood Destroying Pests such as termites; Category 13 covers Structural Fumigation; Categories 15 and 16 cover public health vertebrate and invertebrate pests; and Category 23 covers park or school pest control. Pennsylvania has no single “structural” category. LearnPest carries state-approved Pennsylvania CEU courses for the categories a structural technician actually holds.
Can a Pennsylvania pest control company register technicians instead of certifying them?
Yes. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) lets a pesticide application business run its own 30-day training program and register employees as pesticide application technicians instead of sending them through the certification exams. The business must employ a certified applicator who has held certification for at least a year, the technician must work under a certified applicator who can reach the site within five hours, and registrations must be renewed with update training every year at $30 per technician. Registered technicians may not make applications where the pesticide label requires a certified applicator. LearnPest's Pennsylvania plan covers renewal training for certified applicators and technicians on the same account.