Structural Pest Control BoardHOW TO BECOME LICENSED - NONCOMMERCIAL On This Page: CertifiedNoncommercial Applicator | NoncommercialTechnician | Apprentice
Certified Noncommercial ApplicatorA Certified Noncommercial Applicator is defined as the person who, as anemployee, is responsible for providing pest control services to a governmentalentity, apartment building, day-care center, hospital, nursing home, hotel,motel, lodge, warehouse, food-processing establishment, school or educationalinstitution. In order to qualify to sit for the certified applicator series of exams theapplicant must meet one of the following qualifications:
In order to obtain a certified applicator license in the categories regulatedby the Structural Pest Control Board you must submit a completed Application forExam and Certified Applicator License to the Board and pass the writtenexamination for each category of certification requested. The categories of licensure are as follows: Pest control - Inspection and/or control of pests in and around homes,businesses, and industries. This category shall include persons engaged in theinspection and/or control of insect pests or pest animals which may invadehomes, restaurants, stores, and other buildings, attacking their contents orfurnishings or being a general nuisance, but do not normally attack the buildingitself, as for example, roaches, silverfish, ants, flies, mosquitoes, rats,mice, etc. Termite control - Inspection and/or control of termites and otherwood-destroying organisms. This category includes persons engaged in theinspection and/or control of termites, beetles, or other wood destroyingorganisms by means other than fumigation in buildings, including homes,warehouses, stores, docks, or any other structures. Lawn and ornamental - Inspection and/or control of pests of ornamentalplants, shade trees, and lawns. This category includes persons engaged in theinspection and/or control of pests or diseases of trees, shrubs, or otherplantings in a park or adjacent to a residence, business establishment,industrial plant, institutional building, or street. Structural fumigation - This category includes persons engaged in pestinspection and/or control through fumigation of structures not primarilyintended to contain food, feed or grains. Commodity fumigation - This category includes persons engaged in pestinspection and/or control through fumigation of commodities and/or structuresnormally used to contain them. Persons in this category may be licensed by theTexas Department of Agriculture for fumigation of raw agricultural products. Weed Control - This category includes persons engaged in the inspectionand/or control of weeds around homes and industrial environs. Wood Preservation - That phase of pest control that involves the additionof preservatives to wood to extend the life of wood products by protecting themfrom damage caused by insects, fungi, and marine borers. Such wood products willinclude, but not be limited to, crossties, poles, and posts. This category isintended only for use by those persons using wood preservatives that may beclassified as restricted use. The certified applicator license fee of $72.00 does not need to be pre-paid,however the $40.00 exam fee for each exam taken including the General Standardsexam must be submitted with your completed exam application.Failure to do so will delay processing. Upon receipt of your completed examapplication (indicating categories requested and date/location requested) andreceipt of the proper examination fees the SPCB office will send you aconfirmation notice. If you cannot attend the examination period assigned toyou, you may either reschedule or receive a refund if you notify theBoard, in writing, 10 days prior to the scheduled exam date.If you do not notify the board in time, the testing fees will be forfeited. If a medical emergency arises or a death in the family occurs you will needto notify the Board, in writing, with the proper documentation. Thisdocumentation will need to be submitted to our office, postmarked no laterthan 10 working days after your scheduled examination date. For a medicalemergency, a doctor's excuse will be needed. For a death in the family, anotarized letter will be needed. BUSINESS OR WORK SCHEDULES ARE NOTCONSIDERED EMERGENCIES. If you fail an exam in a category, you must skip one test date beforeretaking that specific category exam. You may take the general exam each time itis offered, provided you register by the exam registration deadline. A list containing the exam dates, exam registration deadline dates and examcity locations is attached. The deadline dates are final and noexceptions will be made. Faxed applications will not beaccepted, period. Employers of individuals applying for a Noncommercial certified applicatorlicense must file with the board a policy or Certificate of insurance approvedas sufficient by the board in an amount of not less than $200,000 bodily injuryand property damage coverage with a minimum total aggregate of $300,000 for alloccurrences, insuring the employer against liability for damage to persons orproperty under the care, custody, and control of the certified noncommercialapplicator. Certified noncommercial applicators employed by governmentalentities are exempt from this provision. Licensed Noncommercial TechnicianA Noncommercial Technician is defined as the person who, under the directsupervision of a certified applicator, performs pest control services for agovernmental entity, apartment building, day-care center, hospital, nursinghome, hotel, motel, lodge, warehouse, food-processing establishment, school oreducation institution. Prior to registering to take the exam for a technician license, the applicantmust first be registered as an apprentice and complete all apprentice trainingrequirements. In order to be registered as an apprentice, the applicant must complete andsubmit to the Board, within 10 days of employment or within 10 days of beginningpest control services an Application for Technician License. The applicationmust be accompanied by a fee of $45.00. Pest control service is defined in the Structural Pest Control Board Law& Regulations as, identifying infestations, making inspection reports,recommendations, estimates, or bids, whether oral or written, making contracts,submitting bids or performing services designed to prevent, control or eliminateinfestations. Upon receipt of a correctly completed application the Board will perform areview of files and background review, if necessary. An Apprentice card willthen be issued for twelve (12) months from date of hire. The apprentice shallnot perform any pest control work without the physical presence of a licensedtechnician or certified applicator. As an apprentice the individual shall receive the following classroom andon-the-job training: 1. Twenty-two (20) hours classroom training in the General Standards with at least two hours of classroom training in each of the following subjects:
3. Sixty (40) hours of on the job training in each category seeking licensure. Verification of training must be kept at all times in the personnel file ofthe apprentice. All training records are subject to review by Board personnelupon demand. Upon completion of all required classroom and on-the-job training anapprentice may provide pest control services in the categories that all traininghas been completed. Pest control services shall be provided under the directsupervision of a certified applicator. This means that a certified applicatorshall have personal contact at least three (3) days per week. Next, the Apprentice must attend and participate in a Board approvedTechnician Training Course and then must apply and complete an examination ofcompetency in each category desired to receive a technician license. The technician level examinations must be passed within 12 months ofregistration as an apprentice or retraining is required. The apprentice mayretest as many times as needed prior to the expiration date of the apprenticecard. If the apprentice card expires before the individual can receive a passinggrade in any one category examination, then the individual will need to bere-registered as an apprentice and receive all required training as set outabove. Once one technician category examination has been passed the individual willbe issued a technician license. Once the individual becomes licensed as aNoncommercial Technician they may provide pest control services under directsupervision of, and receive instructions at least three (3) days per week from,a Certified Noncommercial Applicator or licensed noncommercial Technician. In order for the technician to add categories to their license, theindividual must receive 40 hours of on the job training and 8 hours ofclassroom training in the additional category. Until all training is receivedthe individual must have direct on site supervision at all times by a certifiedapplicator or technician license in that specific category. Upon completion ofthe required training the individual may apply to sit for that category exam. Ifa passing grade is received the category will be added to the license. No newlicense will be printed showing the additional category (ies) unless a reprintingfee is submitted. If a passing grade is not received within one year ofbeginning training in the additional category, retraining is required. After the individual has received at least twelve (12) months of pest controlexperience with at least six (6) months as a licensed technician, the technicianmay apply to sit for the certified applicators seriesof exams. BeginningSeptember 1, 2000, all licensed technicians shall complete eight (8) hours ofverifiable training for the preceding twelve (12) months of the renewal date. The verifiable training shall be reported on a board prescribedverifiable training record form, and must be verified upon each annual renewalof the technician's license. The eight(8) hours should follow the subject areas listed below; however, please makenote that there is no specific amount for each subject required.
Two (2) hours ofthe eight (8) hours of training may be on the job training or hands ontraining. Internet trainingor videotape training may be used if the certified applicator certifies that thetraining is the appropriate training. Hour for hourcredit will be given if a Board approved Continuing Education Unit course iscompleted. No courses may berepeated for credit per year. All verifiabletraining records forms will be made available to the Board upon request. Theseverifiable training records form shall be kept on a format prescribed by theBoard in the business file for at least two (2) years after termination ofemployment. The verifiabletraining records forms will be made available to the technician upon writtenrequest. Return to Licensing Index Page NeedA Form? - Go to Forms Page |
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