One of the major functions of the Division of Agriculture's Pesticides unit is to certify and license commercial pesticide applicators for all pesticides, and certify private applicators for restricted-use or state limited-use pesticides. For more information on who needs certification, please see our FAQs page or the chart below.
On this webpage you can find information on applying for a new license, recertifying a current license by submitting recertification credits, and online training resources to obtain credits.
For the differences between types of RI Pesticide Licenses, please see Rules and Regulations Relating to Pesticides (RI Secretary of State). To apply for a new pesticide license, you must first past a pesticide exam.
Commercial licensing exams are available online. Commercial licensing exams are closed book exams. All study materials for the commercial licensing exam can be found online, including RI pesticide laws/regulations and the core study book:
There is a $26.13 fee to take the online exam.
There is an optional URI Cooperative Extension pre-exam webinar: URI Pesticide Safety Exam Preparation Class
Commercial Pesticide Certificate exams are given by Rhode Island Department of Agriculture. Exams are held monthly and under RIDOH guidelines. The Categories listed on the online portal (ex. 7A, 7B, etc.) are for certificate exams. All category exams are open book.
*You must pass a Commercial licensing exam before you are able to register for a commercial certificate exam.
There is a convenience fee of $26.13 to take the online category exams. If you are unable to take the online exam, it can be given in person. To schedule an in-person exam, please email Kimberly.lavoie@dem.ri.gov or Harold.puckett@dem.ri.gov.
Private Pesticide License exams are given in-person by Rhode Island Department of Agriculture. Exams are given by registration only. Exams are held bi-monthly and under RIDOH guidelines. All private license exams are open book. There is no prerequisite to take a private exam. A private license allows you to apply Restricted-Use pesticides to specific crops.
We offer Private License exams for the following crop commodities, and the provided links are the open-book study material:
RI DEM Agriculture has limited copies of the open book material for use during the exam as needed.
Applicants should also study and be familiar with:
In order for pesticide Licenses/certifications to be maintained, recertification credits must be submitted to DEM every 5 years with renewal paperwork. DEM does not record or track credits; it is the license holder’s responsibility to maintain credits. You will be informed on your renewal paperwork what year you are due to recertify. Rhode Island accepts credits approved by any New England state.
Below is a listing of online courses approved for pesticide credits.
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