Pesticide applicators must comply with certification rules, and some applicators must pay certification fees.
1. A commercial or public applicator shall not apply any pesticide and a person shall not apply any restricted use pesticide without first complying with the certification requirements of this chapter and such other restrictions as determined by the secretary. 2. a. A commercial applicator shall pay a seventy-five dollar fee for a three-year certification. A public applicator or a private applicator shall pay a fifteen dollar fee for a three-year certification. b. To be initially certified as a commercial, public, or private applicator, a person must complete an educational program which shall consist of an examination required to be passed by the person. After initial certification the commercial, public, or private applicator must renew the certification by completing the educational program which shall consist of either an examination or continuing instructional courses. The commercial, public, or private applicator must pass the examination each third year following initial certification or may elect to attend two hours of continuing instructional courses each year. 3. A commercial, public, or private applicator is not required to be certified to apply pesticides for a period of twenty-one days from the date of initial employment if the commercial, public, or private applicator is under the direct supervision of a certified applicator. For the purposes of this section, “under the direct supervision of” means that the application of a pesticide is made by a competent person acting under the instructions and control of a certified applicator who is physically present, by being in sight or hearing distance of the supervised person. 4. A commercial applicator who applies pesticides to agricultural land may, in lieu of the requirement of direct supervision, elect to be exempt from the certification requirements for a commercial applicator for a period of twenty-one days, if the applicator meets the requirements of a private applicator. 5. A person employed by a farmer not solely as a pesticide applicator who applies restricted use pesticides as an incidental part of the person’s general duties or a person who applies restricted use pesticides as an incidental part of a custom farming operation is required to meet the certification requirements of a private applicator. 6. An employee of a food processing and distribution establishment is exempt from the certification requirements of this section provided that at least one person holding a supervisory position is certified and provided that the employer provides a program, approved by the department, for training, testing, and certification of personnel who apply, as an incidental part of their duties, any pesticide on property owned or rented by the employer. However, an employee exempt from the certification requirements of this section shall not apply restricted use pesticides. The secretary shall adopt rules to administer the provisions of this subsection. 7. a. The secretary shall adopt, by rule, requirements for the examination, reexamination, and certification of applicants. b. The department shall adopt rules providing for the program requirements which may include the safe handling, application, and storage of pesticides, the correct calibration of equipment used for the application of pesticides, and the effects of pesticides upon the groundwater. (1) The department may adopt by rule criteria for allowing a person required to be certified to complete either a written or oral examination. (2) The department shall administer the instructional courses, by either teaching the courses or selecting persons to teach the courses, according to criteria as provided by rules adopted by the department. The department shall, to the extent possible, select persons to teach the courses in each county. The department is not required to compensate persons selected to teach the courses. In selecting persons, the department shall rely upon organizations interested in the application of pesticides, including associations representing pesticide applicators and associations representing agricultural producers. (3) The Iowa cooperative extension service in agriculture and home economics of Iowa state university of science and technology shall cooperate with the department in administering the instructional courses. The Iowa cooperative extension service may teach courses, train persons selected to teach courses, or distribute informational materials to persons teaching the courses. c. The secretary shall also adopt rules which allow for an exemption from certification for a person who uses certain services and is not solely a pesticide applicator, but who uses the services as an incidental part of the person’s duties. [C75, 77, 79, 81, §206.5] 87 Acts, ch 225, §214; 88 Acts, ch 1169, §2; 88 Acts, ch 1197, §2; 89 Acts, ch 296, §20; 92 Acts, ch 1112, §2; 93 Acts, ch 176, §35, 36; 95 Acts, ch 172, §2; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §83; 2012 Acts, ch 1095, §121 – 123; 2021 Acts, ch 28, §1; 2025 Acts, ch 134, §28 Referred to in §206.6, 206.10 Subsection 7, paragraph b, subparagraph (1) amended