Florida pest control licensing at a glance
Agency
FDACS
Business license
$300/yr
per location
Operator exam
$300 per category
Insurance
BI $250K/$500K
PD $250K/$500K
License types and fees
| License | Who needs it | Key requirements | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest Control Business License | Each business location of a pest control company (each location licensed separately) | Must carry required insurance; must employ full-time a Florida certified operator in charge at each location (one location per certified operator); certified operator endorses the application; state license required before local business tax receipt | $300 initial; $300 annual renewal; $50 late renewal; $300 change of ownership; $25 change of location/name (statutory range $75-$300) |
| Certified Pest Control Operator (Pest Control Operator Certificate) | Individual in charge of pest control activities at a licensed business location, per category | High school graduate or equivalent; one qualification path under s. 482.132, e.g. 3 years as a service employee of a licensee (1 year in Florida immediately before applying), or qualifying degree/coursework (20 semester/30 quarter hours or 24 semester/36 quarter hours in entomology etc.) plus 1 year employment, or 3 years DoD pest control employment; pass written exam per category; FDACS page states applicants must be at least 18 | $300 exam per category; $150 annual certificate renewal; $50 late renewal; $50 30-day emergency certificate |
| Employee Identification Card | Every employee who performs pest control for a licensee (excludes office staff and trenching/digging/tent/debris work) | At least 5 days field training in the category before performing pest control; 4 hours classroom training (pesticide safety, IPM, laws) within 6 months of issuance; 2 hours continuing training by renewal date | $10 initial; $10 annual renewal |
| Special Identification Card (Fumigation) | Any individual who performs fumigation who is not a certified operator in the fumigation category | Pass written fumigation exam; card expires 1 year after issuance; renewal requires 2 hours CE (legislation, safety, labeling) + 2 hours fumigation CE, or passing fumigation exam | $200 exam; $100 annual renewal; $25 late renewal |
| Limited Certifications (Commercial Landscape Maintenance, Governmental or Private Applicator, Urban Commercial Fertilizer Applicator, Commercial Wildlife Management) | Individuals doing restricted scopes of work outside full certified-operator categories | Pass limited certification exam per category | $150 exam per category (licensing page); Lawn Maintenance and Wildlife Management $150 annual, $75 renewal; Governmental/Private $150 (4-year); Urban Fertilizer $25 (4-year) |
License categories
- Fumigation
- General household pest control (General Household Pest and Rodent Control)
- Lawn and ornamental pest control
- Termites and other wood-destroying organisms pest control
Exams
- Vendor format: Electronic exams via Everblue (remote on personal computer 24/7/365 or in-person at testing centers statewide); paper exams administered by FDACS on designated free testing days at FDACS Farm Room Auditorium, 3125 Conner Blvd., Tallahassee (next: Nov 2-3, 2026); apply via AES Licensing Portal
- Exam fee: $300 per category (Certified Operator); $200 Special Identification (Fumigation); $150 per limited certification category
Business license and insurance
Business license
- Requirement: Each business location must be licensed by FDACS, carry required insurance, and employ full-time a Florida certified operator; license automatically expires 60 calendar days after anniversary renewal date unless renewed
- Fee: $300 initial / $300 annual renewal; $10 per employee ID card
Insurance / bond
- Requirement: General liability: bodily injury $250,000 per person / $500,000 per occurrence; property damage $250,000 per occurrence / $500,000 aggregate (FDACS also allows $500,000 combined single limit). Fumigation businesses: bodily injury $1,000,000 per person / $2,000,000 per occurrence; property damage $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate. No bond requirement identified.
Renewal and continuing education
- Business license: Annual
- Certified operator: Annual (certificate expires 1 year after issuance)
- Employee id card: Annual (expires on licensee next anniversary date)
- Special id card: Annual (1 year after issuance)
- Continuing education:
- Certified operator: 2 hours general (legislation, safety, pesticide labeling, IPM) + 2 hours per certified category, annually
- Special id card: 2 hours general + 2 hours fumigation annually, or pass fumigation exam
- Employee id card: 2 hours continuing training by renewal date (plus 4 hours classroom within 6 months of initial issuance)
Application recordkeeping
- Contents: Product brands (names), amounts, uses, dates and places of application of restricted-use pesticides; fumigations must record fumigant cylinder ID numbers (Fumigation Log FDACS-13000). Preconstruction termite treatments: date, property address, total square footage treated, pesticide type, concentration of each substance, total amount applied.
- Retention years: 2 years (general records and fumigation logs); 3 years for preconstruction subterranean termite treatments; records produced within 3 business days of request
Free log with these fields: pesticide application record template.
Worth knowing
- A certified operator may be in charge of only one business location; every licensed location needs its own certified operator in charge.
- Fumigation businesses need 4x the standard insurance: $1M/$2M bodily injury and $1M/$2M property damage vs $250K/$500K.
- Every technician needs a $10 employee ID card plus 5 days of field training before working and 4 classroom hours within 6 months.
- Exams can be taken remotely 24/7 via Everblue, or free on paper at FDACS in Tallahassee on scheduled dates.
Official links
Law: Fla. Stat. ch. 482 (Structural Pest Control Act); Fla. Admin. Code ch. 5E-14
Last verified 2026-09-23 against Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Agricultural Environmental Services, Bureau of Licensing and Enforcement and the official sources listed below. Fees and rules change - confirm with the agency before you apply. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Licensed and running a route?
PestRouteDesk (in development) keeps state-ready chemical application records, recurring routes and billing for 1-5 tech shops. Founding members lock $49/mo.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a pest control license in Florida?
Work under a licensed business with an employee ID card, meet the experience/education requirements, pass the Certified Operator exam in your category through FDACS (via Everblue electronically or on FDACS paper-exam days), then license a business location with insurance.
How much is a Florida pest control business license?
$300 initial and $300 annual renewal per business location, plus $10 per employee ID card.
What continuing education does Florida require?
Certified operators need 2 hours of general CE plus 2 hours per certified category every year.
Where can I verify Florida pest control license requirements?
Directly with Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Agricultural Environmental Services, Bureau of Licensing and Enforcement - see the official links on this page. We last checked on 2026-09-23.
Sources
- FDACS Pest Control Licensing and Certification (accessed 2026-09-23)
- FDACS Pest Control Licensing Fees (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida - 0482.111 (leg.state.fl.us) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- FDACS Pest Control Exam Schedule and Information (accessed 2026-09-23)
- FDACS: How to get a pest control business license (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida - 0482.071 (leg.state.fl.us) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida - 0482.151 (leg.state.fl.us) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida - 0482.091 (leg.state.fl.us) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida - ruleNo.asp (flrules.org) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida - 0482.051 (leg.state.fl.us) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida Statutes Chapter 482 (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida Administrative Code Chapter 5E-14 (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Florida - 0482.132 (leg.state.fl.us) (accessed 2026-09-23)