Checking a Michigan pest control license: what to ask and where to look

Three things to check, not one

Asking whether a pest control company is “licensed” gets you a yes from nearly everyone. Michigan has three separate things to look at, and a company can have one without the others. The person who applies the product holds a credential from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), as a certified commercial applicator or a registered applicator. The business holds a Pesticide Application Business License. And the work itself falls into a category, so the credential has to match the job.

MCL 324.8314 says a person shall not apply a pesticide for a commercial purpose or in the course of employment unless they are a certified or registered applicator, that commercial applicators must be at least 18 and that an applicator may apply only in the category for which they are certified or registered. MDARD’s page for the business license says a certification or registration does not allow anyone to operate a business that applies pesticides for hire. This site does not check licenses, and “licensed pros” is common language on referral sites, so the check is yours to make.

What the credentials mean

A certified commercial applicator is at least 18, has passed the commercial core exam plus at least one category exam with a minimum of 70 percent, and has paid a $75 fee. A registered applicator, the technician credential, passes the core exam and completes an MDARD-approved company training program, pays $45, and may apply general-use pesticides only, never restricted use products. Credentials expire every third year on December 31, and renewal is by accruing recertification credits or retaking exams. After expiry there is a one-year renewal window, then the person starts again. How many credits renewal takes is a question for MDARD. Michigan has reciprocal agreements with Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Employees of a licensed firm who apply pesticides must be certified or registered, and for schools, public buildings and health care facilities the applicator must have verifiable integrated pest management training. MDARD lets an applicator in training use pesticides for two weeks under direct supervision of a certified applicator, if the employer has an approved program and notifies MDARD first. So a person at your door may be a trainee. Ask who is supervising.

Categories you will hear about

MDARD’s category list defines 7A general pest management, which covers food-handling establishments, human dwellings, schools and hospitals. It defines 7B wood destroying pest management for termites, powder post beetles, carpenter ants and wood-destroying fungi, and 7D vertebrate pest management for birds, rats and mice. 7F is mosquito management outdoors and FUM is a fumigation standard on top of a category. MDARD also offers a combined exam, 7J, covering 7A and 7B. Category 8, public health, is for government employees and excludes mosquitoes. There is no category 7C on MDARD’s list; a 2017 MSU bulletin that we have only in part labels one, which is not a basis to use it. If a company says it holds a 7C, ask for the credential number and the category name.

The business license

A Pesticide Application Business License costs $100 to apply or renew and expires every December 31. A new firm needs a notarized letter of experience and proof of financial responsibility in the form of liability insurance: not less than $100,000 bodily injury per occurrence and $25,000 property damage per occurrence for most categories, including 7A, 7B and 7D, with fumigation, aerial and right-of-way work carrying an additional $300,000 combined single limit. MDARD says to allow four to six weeks for business license processing after the credentials arrive.

How to check, in order

1. Ask for the company’s business license number and the applicator’s name and credential number. Write them down.
2. Look the company up. MDARD links a list titled “Pesticide Application Businesses Currently Licensed to do Business in Michigan”, which is an interactive dashboard, and the state license search. We have not run either tool, only noted the link text and addresses, so we cannot tell you what it shows.
3. Compare the category to the job: termites with 7B, a mouse job with 7D or 7A, a mosquito yard job with 7F.
4. Check the vehicle. Regulation 637 requires vehicles transporting pesticides to show the firm’s name plus an address, phone or DOT number, in text at least three inches tall.
5. At the visit, ask for the paperwork the rules require, listed in the paperwork guide.
6. For wildlife, ask for the DNR permit number as well; our wildlife rules guide explains.

What the license does not tell you

A license is permission, not a quality mark. It says nothing about a fair price, a needed plan or a return visit for a problem, and it does not name the method. On need, the statute helps: MCL 324.8313(12) bars calling a treatment necessary for a pest that is not present or likely, and the honesty rule guide explains what to ask. A license also does not replace the paperwork at each visit, which is where the pest, the product and the date are written down.

Cities do not add their own pest-applicator licenses, because MCL 324.8328 preempts local ordinances that duplicate, extend or revise Part 83. Cities may regulate posting and notification, and may impose other business requirements we did not check, so ask your city if you want to know whether it has a registration of its own.

If something is wrong

A homeowner treating their own home with a general-use product is not shown to need a license in anything we can cite, because the requirement attaches to commercial application or employment. A company that applies for hire without credentials has a problem. MDARD takes pesticide complaints at 800-292-3939, and Part 83 violations carry administrative fines of up to $1,000 each and are misdemeanors. A contract dispute goes to the Attorney General’s consumer protection team, which mediates informally at 877-765-8388. Our emergency page shows what to do while you wait for an appointment.