Pesticides
The El Dorado County Department of Agriculture conducts the Pesticide Use Enforcement and Monitoring Program in cooperation with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Pesticide use is monitored to protect public health, the environment and to ensure worker safety. Department staff enforces state regulations, issue use permits, compile use data, perform outreach with the public and investigate complaints.
"Pesticide" is an umbrella term that includes any material used as a spray adjuvant, any substance or mixture of substances intended to be used for defoliating plants, regulating plant growth, or for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest which may infest or be detrimental to vegetation, man, animals, or households, or be present in any agricultural or nonagricultural environment whatsoever. For example, the term "pesticide" includes, but is not limited to, herbicides, fungicides, antimicrobials, insect lures and animal repellents.
General Questions
Education concerning the safe use of pesticides is an integral part of this program. We welcome questions on pesticide regulatory requirements or just questions on pesticides in general.
For general pesticide related information, or for information on obtaining a pesticide permit, call our main office line at 530-621-5520.
Pesticide Related Complaints
If you would like to report a pesticide-related incident and it is an emergency, please call 911.
For non-emergency situations, please call 530-621-5520. If you call after business hours and on weekends, please leave your name, phone number, and a message and your call will be returned by the next business day.
Quejas Relacionadas con Pesticidas
Si usted quiere reportar un incidente relacionado con pesticidas y es una emergencia, por favor llame al 911.
Para situaciones que no son de emergencia, por favor llame al 530-621-5520. Si usted llama después de horas de oficina o en los fines de semana, por favor deje su nombre, número de teléfono y un mensaje, y su llamada será regresada al siguiente día hábil de trabajo.
Pest Control Businesses & Advisors
All Pest Control Businesses & Advisors planning to conduct business in the county are required to register with the Department of Agriculture on an annual basis. If you need to submit a registration, please see our Forms page for a detailed explanation of forms and fees needed to register. For any further questions, call our main office line at 530-621-5520.
Pesticide Permits
Many pesticides registered for use in California require a property owner/operator or their authorized representative to obtain a Restricted Materials Pesticide Permit or an Operator Identification Number in order to buy, apply, or store certain pesticides.
An Operator Identification Number, or OP ID, is required to use pesticides with a label registered for agricultural use. Agricultural use includes obvious commodities like apples and grapes, but it also includes less obvious, non-production agricultural commodities such as rights-of-way and ditches. An OP ID allows a property owner/operator to purchase, store, and apply any agricultural use pesticide. Most people who apply for a pesticide permit through our office obtain OP IDs.
Restricted Materials Permits are designed specifically for property owner/operators who want to use not only the general agricultural use pesticides they can purchase with an OP ID, but also want to use a class of pesticides called California Restricted Materials. Download the list of pesticide active ingredients(PDF, 34KB) that trigger a California Restricted Material designation. In order to buy, store, and apply Restricted Materials, the permit applicant must either be a certified applicator themselves or have a certified applicator in their employment.
To obtain an Operator Identification Number of Restricted Materials Permit, an applicant should fill out this questionnaire(PDF, 85KB) and then call our office at (530) 621-5520 to schedule an appointment.
CalAgPermits
Applicants who use pesticides as part of their business and/or property owner/operators who use pesticides registered for agricultural use must report all of their usage on a monthly basis. CalAgPermits is a statewide permitting and pesticide use reporting system. A username and password are required to access the site. Usernames and passwords can be obtained by contacting the Agriculture Department.
Below are instructions on how to fill out the different types of pesticide use reports:
Certified Applicators
There are two main reasons for a person to obtain additional certification for pesticides:
- Certification is required when an applicator applies or supervises the application of restricted use pesticides.
- Certification is required to train employees who handle pesticides or work in areas recently treated by pesticides.
If an additional certification is deemed necessary, there are three main types of certifications and resulting licenses:
Private Appliator Certificate (PAC) — This certification is specifically for grower/operator use. Pest Control Businesses cannot use PAC cards as part of their businesses. PAC cards may be obtained by purchasing a study guide online or through UCCE and making an appointment with the Agriculture Department to take the PAC exam. A minimum score of 70% is required in order to pass the exam. If the exam isn't passed, the applicant must wait two weeks before retaking the exam. Once the exam is passed, it is valid for up to three years depending on the applicant's last name (A-H, I-Q, or R-Z) and where they fall in the expiration date cycle. For example, someone with the last name Smith would have their PAC card expire after December 31st in 2020 and then again in 2023. In order to renew a PAC card, the card holder can either retake the exam every three years or they must submit proof to our office that they have attended a minimum of six hours of DPR approved continuing education classes with a minimum of two of those hours being in classes on Laws and Regulations.
Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC) — This certification is for employees who work for a Pest Control Business and/or apply pesticides as part of their non-agricultural setting job duties. A QAC is also necessary in order to operate a Maintenance Gardener Business (MGB). The QAC licensing process is administered through DPR. More information on QAC requirements, study materials and licensing test dates can be found under DPR's licensing website.
Qualified Applicator License (QAL) — This certification is required in order to operate a Pest Control Business. The QAL licensing process is administered through DPR. More information on QAL requirements, study materials and licensing test dates can be found under DPR's licensing website.
Continuing Education Hours
The California Department of Pesticide Regulations (DPR) has a website that lists all approved and pending continuing education classes occurring in the state.
Commonly Used Pesticide Related Forms
Useful Pesticide Links