Expired Pesticide License?
A failed trip to your chemical dealer or a *Delinquent Notice* letter, sent out in April after renewals were due, from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) may have led you here. The following outlines steps you can take to reinstate your Pesticide License on short notice.
Lapsed vs. Expired
When a license is lapsed, further use of restricted pesticides under the license is prohibited. Once a license lapses, a one-year grace period begins during which you cannot make those applications for which the license is required. During this grace period, you can work to renew your license by earning all overdue credits and sending in the renewal application and payment to PDA. After the one-year period, the license will expire, and the only way to get it back is to retest.
Renew Your Pesticide License Fast!
- If you missed the March 31 deadline, but think you have completed enough credits, first confirm you have enough Credits Acquired on your renewal application. If you are missing your renewal application, you must log in to your PDA Account. For assistance, contact PDA in Harrisburg via email pesticides@pa.gov or by phone at 717-772-5231.
- Earn Credits online. A list of Penn State Recertification online, in-person, or workbook courses can be found on the Extension Website. A more comprehensive list of all industry and other meetings can be found at PaPlants Course Locator.
- Pay your renewal online. Paying by mail will significantly delay your renewal, especially if you lack the renewal application, and to proceed you will need to contact PDA in Harrisburg at pesticides@pa.gov or by phone at 717-772-5231.
Avoid Getting Behind on Credits
Penn State Extension Pesticide Education Team reminds us to keep extra track of credits after a license lapse period, as the time may be shortened for the next renewal:
From PDA: "The applicator has up to one year to reinstate the license by obtaining the necessary recertification credits and paying the appropriate fees. However, this year also marks the first year of the next three-year interval. If the certification has expired longer than a one-year period, reexamination is required to become certified again."
In other words, you are responsible for credits in the following three-year interval (the first year of which your license is lapsed) as well as past-due credits. Check regularly for accumulation of credits on your PaPlants account and follow up with PDA if the meetings you attend are not showing up on your account. Ultimately, to avoid retesting, credits must be completed during the one-year grace period. Keep a lookout for a second reminder, when another *Delinquent Notice* renewal application is sent from PDA in January preceding license expiration.
How to Pay for a Pesticide License Online
(Instructions below provided by PDA)
- Go to paplants.pa.gov
- Log in to your Applicator License Account with your username and password
- Click Online Shopping Cart
- Select the licenses you want to renew and click Add Selected Item to Cart
- Click the Verification Needed button to verify the details for the license
- In the Verification Page, double-check to make sure everything is correct. If changes need to be made, do so. Click Accept and Continue to proceed.
- Click Proceed to Checkout
- Verify your checkout information and click Submit Order
- You will be prompted to fill out your credit card information to pay for license order
- Once payment is made, you will receive a confirmation email, and your license on your PaPlants page will update. Your certification card will be sent to the mailing address on file with the PDA.
