Pesticide Application Recertification

Private Certification is valid for three years, and Commercial Certification is valid for one year. After this period of time, you must demonstrate that you obtained the required Continuing Education Credit hours per applicable category or retake the exam(s).

Hours Needed for Recertification:

Private Applicators need to obtain three (3) Continuing Education Credits every three (3) years.

Commercial Applicator re-certification is required on an annual basis. Commercial re-certification is based on specific category credit requirements for any three year cycle:

Where You Get Hours
Applicators may find programs to obtain the re-certification training necessary to renew their pesticide applicator certification by viewing our online site containing applicator courses. You may also visit the Delaware Cooperative Extension Horticulture Short Courses for additional information on acquiring hours. These sites are updated regularly with the programs, conferences and seminars that have been approved by the Department of Agriculture for pesticide applicator certification.

Attending Programs Not Pre-Approved
If you’ve attended a pesticide re-certification program within the past 60 days that was not pre-approved, you may still be able to get credit. The Department will need a copy of the meetings attended, a “timed” program agenda, biography of each speaker, complete meeting location and date, as well as attendance verification. Please provide your contact information for possible re-certification approval. Re-certification training programs must be at least 50 minutes in length and include specific category related information such as: pesticide safety, pesticides and the environment, pest information, label comprehension, personal protective equipment, methods of control, integrated pest management or other applicable information. No courses will be considered if required information is absent.

Send in a copy of the program and verification of attendance to: