Pesticide applicator certification: EPA federal standards
Practice questions and study guides on EPA's federal standards for certifying applicators of restricted use pesticides: definitions, commercial categories and exams, private applicators, recertification and supervising noncertified applicators.
What these pages cover, and what they don't
The real test or credential
Applicators of restricted use pesticides are certified by a certifying authority (EPA, or a State, Tribal or Federal agency with an EPA-approved plan) once they show competency; commercial applicators pass a written exam. A certification expires unless the applicator is recertified.
Our pages
These pages cover the federal standards in 40 CFR Part 171. The exams, manuals and category training your certifying authority uses, and its own added rules, are not covered.
Checked against these official pages on November 6, 2026. Practice here does not replace the official training or test.
Scope and sources
Everything here comes from the current eCFR text of 40 CFR Part 171. The exams, manuals and category training that States, Tribes and Federal agencies use, pesticide labels, and enforcement and penalty provisions are not covered. These pages help you study the rule; they are not a course or exam. States, Tribes and Federal agencies run their own certification programs under EPA-approved plans and may set stricter or additional requirements, so check yours too. goraedu does not train, test or certify pesticide applicators, and our questions are not a State, Tribal or Federal certification exam. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. EPA or any State, Tribal or Federal certifying authority.
Key rules, in the regulation's words
You count as a certified applicator only while you hold a certification issued under an EPA-approved plan that is currently valid where you work.
“A person is a certified applicator for purposes of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq., only if the person holds a certification issued pursuant to a plan approved in accordance with this part and currently valid in the pertinent jurisdiction.”
40 CFR 171.1(b)A commercial applicator must pass a written examination that meets the federal exam standards, plus any performance testing the certifying authority requires.
“a commercial applicator must receive a passing score on a written examination that meets the standards specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section and any related performance testing that is required by the State, Tribe, or Federal agency.”
40 CFR 171.103(a)A private applicator must be at least 18 years old.
“A private applicator must be at least 18 years old.”
40 CFR 171.105(g)A certification expires five years after it is issued unless the applicator is recertified, and the certifying authority may set a shorter period.
“Each commercial and private applicator certification shall expire five years after issuance, unless the applicator is recertified in accordance with this section. A certifying authority may establish a shorter certification period.”
40 CFR 171.107(a)
Sources
- eCFR: 40 CFR Part 171, Certification of Pesticide Applicators (as of Nov 4, 2026)Checked November 6, 2026