New procedure for pesticide license renewal and new licenses to comply with federal law 

This notice is relevant for late-in-the-year test takers.

Pesticide Licenseholders:

We hope that this finds you well. We are reaching out to notify you of a change ODA is making to comply with new federal regulations. ODA can no longer award a certification period that extends beyond 5-years. This change, as well as others, have been discussed at recertification courses over the last few years. Learning about changes in laws and advances in science is one of the many values of attending recertification courses.

If you are one of the many individuals that plans to retake pesticide exams, rather than earn pesticide credits to renew your certification (i.e. qualify for a license), the ODA Pesticide Program is adopting a new procedure, outlined below.

New procedure

From Nov. 17 through Dec. 31, 2020 (the last 45 days of this year), if you pass the minimum number of exams to qualify for a license, the default procedure will be that you will be issued a new certification period which will start Jan. 1, 2021 and go through Dec. 31, 2025. The certification period will no longer start the day after you pass the exam(s). This will allow you to take advantage of a full five-year certification period, similar to those who recertified via pesticide credits.

Examples:

• A currently certified and licensed private applicator takes and passes the private applicator exam on Nov. 30, 2020 and then promptly submits an application to ODA to renew their license for 2021. ODA will issue a qualifying applicant a private applicator license that is valid from Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2025. The new certification period will mirror the 5-year license period.
• A currently certified and licensed commercial pesticide applicator takes and passes the required exams on November 30, 2020 and then promptly submits an application to ODA to renew their license for 2021. ODA will issue a qualifying applicant a license for 2021 and they will qualify to renew their license annually for the 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 calendar years. There will be a full five-year certification period.

IMPORTANT ALERT: Because your next certification period will begin Jan. 1, any pesticide credits earned after passing exams but before Dec. 31 will not count toward your next certification period (which starts Jan. 1, 2021).

QUESTION ABOUT FLEXIBILITY: What if I have never had a license, just passed my exam(s) and need to apply pesticides between Nov. 1 -Dec. 31, 2020? I want my certification period to begin now so I can get a 2020 license, not wait until Jan 1, 2021.

It sounds like ODA's default of trying to give late-in-the-year test takers a 5-year certification period does not work for you. ODA will accommodate you and give you slightly over a 4-year certification period, and issue you a 2020 license.

What is not changing?

As in the past, if you pass exams from Jan. 1 through Nov. 16, 2020, you will be issued a certification period that begins the day after you passed the minimum number of exams to qualify for a license. Note: This will result in a certification that is less than five years. There is no change in procedures or process for people who are not late-in-the-year test takers.

Definitions

Certified: Certification is the process where an individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to apply pesticides safely and without causing harm or damage to themselves, others, or the environment. A person typically initially becomes “certified” after passing exams for a period of up to 5 years. Certification is a prerequisite for obtaining a Commercial, Public, Private, Aerial, or Consultant license. Note: While Pesticide Apprentices are required to pass the Laws & Safety exam, they are not certified because they have not met federal certification standards.

Recertified: To renew your Commercial, Public, Private, Aerial, or Consultant license after your initial certification period you need to become certified again (i.e. recertified). This is accomplished by earning pesticide credits at ODA-accredited Continuing Education events (i.e. CEUs), or retaking and passing each required exam. These pesticide credits can be awarded anytime during a certification period, even if a license has not yet been issued or is expired.

Licensed: Licensing permits you to perform certain pesticide-related tasks (e.g. purchase or apply restricted use pesticides) that would otherwise be prohibited by law. To become licensed as a Commercial, Public, Private, Aerial, or Consultant you must be certified. You are officially licensed when your license is listed in the ODA active license database: http://oda.direct/PestLicenseStatus

Questions/Comments?

Please contact us at pestx@oda.state.or.us (preferred), or 503-986-4635