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Recertification categories
We offer education and recertification workshops for commercial and noncommercial pesticide applicators. Find workshops in the categories you are licensed in.
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial pesticide applications using an aircraft.
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every year.
Category B upcoming workshops
There are no upcoming workshops at this time.
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial pesticide applicators applying herbicides, fungicides and/or insecticides to agricultural crops.
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 3 years.
Category C upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
- Audience: Pesticides to non-agricultural areas or for ornamental propagation including lawns, parks, athletic fields, golf courses, nurseries, greenhouses. Note that fertilizer applications are licensed separately.
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category E upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
Park Event Center
Chaska Event Center
Black Woods Event Center
Doubletree Hotel
Holiday Inn Event Center
Best Western Empire Event Center
Country Inn & Suites
Bunker Lake Regional Park Event Center
Mendakota Country Club
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial applications to surface water or areas where water is present to control aquatic organism, plants.
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category F upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial applications of insecticides and fungicides to seed.
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 3 years.
Category H upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial applications to HVAC ventilation systems, cooling towers and for indoor mold mitigation & remediation.
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category I upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial applications to forestry (forested areas and forest plantations), rights-of-way (including roads, utilities, and ditch banks), and natural areas (prairie restoration, buckthorn removal).
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category J upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial applications for mosquito, black fly and tick control.
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category L upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
- Audience: Noncommercial pesticide applications to food processing areas (not for-hire).
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category M upcoming workshops
This category will be offered as an online course as part of 2021 Minnesota Structural Pest Management workshops, March 8 through June 1, 2021. See the Structural Pest Management page for information on how to register.
There are no upcoming workshops at this time.
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial application of fumigants and other pesticides to stored grain, processed grain, other commodities and facilities (fumigation endorsement for structural applicator or private pesticide certification).
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category N upcoming workshops
This category will be offered as an online course as part of the 2021 Minnesota Structural Pest Management workshops, March 8 through June 1, 2021. See the Structural Pest Management page for information on how to register.
There are no upcoming workshops at this time.
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial applications for soil fumigation.
- Workshops: Include credit for Category A (core).
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category O upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
- Audience: Commercial and noncommercial applications for vertebrate pest control, including repellents.
- Workshops: Most Category P workshops are held in conjunction with A and E (Turf & Ornamentals) workshops.
- License renewal: Required every year.
- Recertification: Required every 2 years.
Category P upcoming workshops
Self-guided, online course
Doubletree Hotel
Certification resources
To check your certification status, go to the MDA licensing search page.
Learn more about pesticide applicator workshop and retesting recertification requirements from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), including license types, certification categories, deadlines and fees.
Certification exams are one of the requirements to get an initial license. Learn more about exams from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
What you need to know when purchasing study manuals
- All applicators are required to take the National Pesticide Core Exam and at least one additional category to get a license.
- Categories are based on the sites you work on. To determine the category you need, visit the MDA webpage to determine your license type.
- You need to purchase both the A-1 and A-2 manuals to prepare for the Core Exam, and the manuals for the specific categories needed.
- (A-1) National Pesticide Applicator Core Manual, 2nd edition, 2014
- (A-2) Core Minnesota Supplement, 2nd edition (green cover), December 2012 (commercial, noncommercial and structural)
Be sure you have the most current edition of the manual
These are the most recent editions of commercial, noncommercial and structural manuals:
- Category B: Aerial
- Category C: Agricultural Field Crops, March 2016
- Category E: Turf and Ornamentals, 4th edition, June 2014
- Category F: Aquatics, March 2016
- Category H: Seed Treatment
- Category I: Antimicrobial
- Category J: Natural Areas, Forestry and Rights-of-Way, 2nd edition, November 2016
- Category K: Livestock Pesticide Applicator Training Manual (1996)
- NEW Category L: Mosquito, Black fly, and Tick Pest Control, 2nd edition, July 2020
- NEW Category M: Food Processing Pest Management and Category S: Structural Pest Control Applicator (SPCA), January 2020
- Category N: Stored Grain and Fumigation, January 2013 (commercial, noncommercial, structural and private applicators)
- Category O: Soil Fumigation, December 2012 (commercial, noncommercial and private applicators)
- Category P: Vertebrate Pests, 2nd edition, November 2016
- Category Q: Wood Preservatives
- Category R: Sewer Root Control
- NEW Category S: NonCommercial Structural
- NEW Category SPCA: Structural Pest Control Applicator For Master & Journeyman Applicators, January 2020
Where to purchase printed manuals
Study manuals are available at University of Minnesota Bookstores.
- To purchase in-store, please call ahead to the Coffman Memorial Union Bookstore or St. Paul Student Center Bookstore to be sure the study manuals you want are in stock.
- Order online with a credit card.
- Call 612-624-4910 to place your order and pay by check.
- Download an order form to mail your order.
Contact us
Contact
Commercial/noncommercial pesticide program
Jolene C. Hendrix, Extension educator and program manager
jhendrix@umn.edu
763-767-3842 or 904-294-2497
Structural, stored grain and fumigation, and food processing certification
Stephen Kells, co-coordinator and Extension entomologist
kells002@umn.edu
612-625-4798
Minnesota licensing
Contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, 651-201-6615 or pesticide.licensing@state.mn.us (email is preferred).