What a Michigan pest control company must give you: the paperwork rules

Why this list matters

Most pest control disputes start with a conversation nobody wrote down. Michigan’s pesticide rules require a good deal of paperwork, and the paperwork protects you: it says who applied what, for which pest, and what the label told them to watch for. This guide lists what MDARD’s Regulations 636 and 637 and the pesticide statute require, in the order you meet it. We are not a law firm, the regulations are summarized from the MDARD document cited below, and anything that matters to you should be checked against the current rules. MDARD takes questions at 800-292-3939.

Before the first visit: risk and benefit information

Regulation 637, Rule 12(4), says that at the start of a service agreement a firm must give customers specific information on using pesticides, and MDARD has a template for it. If you sign up for recurring service and do not receive it, ask for it. It is a small document, and its job is to put the risks and benefits of the product in front of you before the first application, not after.

At the same stage, the firm should have named the pest. MCL 324.8313(12) bars a licensed applicator from representing that an application is necessary to control a pest that is not present or likely to occur, and (11) bars misrepresenting a treatment’s characteristics, uses or benefits. The honesty rule guide explains how to use that. Also by statute, the products must be registered with the U.S. EPA or otherwise subject to EPA and Michigan law (MCL 324.8313(10)), so the label should carry an EPA registration number.

At each application

Regulation 637, Rule 12.2, says that at the time of application you must receive the firm’s name, address and phone, the applicator’s full name, the target pest, the common name of the active ingredients, the date and time and the label’s precautionary warnings. If you and the firm agree in writing, electronic delivery within 48 hours is allowed. That is a minimum, so also ask for the product name and the area treated.

If the technician cannot say what pest they are treating, that is the one item on the list you can check in the doorway. The target pest on the paper should be a pest, not “general pests”, and it should match what you were told when you booked.

Who is in your house

Any employee of a licensed commercial firm who applies pesticides must be a certified applicator or registered technician. Ask for the applicator’s name and credential number, and compare the name to the paperwork. A trainee may use pesticides for two weeks under direct supervision if the employer has an approved program and has notified MDARD, so ask who is supervising. Vehicles that carry pesticides must show the firm name plus an address, phone or DOT number, in text at least three inches tall, under Rule 4(l). Our license guide covers verifying the credentials.

Outdoors: drift, registry and posting

For applications that may drift, Regulation 637 requires a written drift management plan under Rule 10. Before turf or ornamental applications, a firm must notify people on MDARD’s Notification Registry under Rule 5, and turf and ornamental broadcast or foliar applications are posted for 24 hours under Rule 11. If you are on the registry and receive no notice, tell MDARD. If you are a customer, ask to see the drift plan for a yard service, particularly near a neighbor’s garden, a pond or a play area. A mosquito service falls under category 7F, and the mosquito page covers it.

Indoors in commercial and public buildings

Rule 11 also requires a posted sticker with a house-in-a-cloud symbol and the date for indoor broadcast, foliar or space insecticide applications in commercial buildings, public buildings or health care facilities. Schools, licensed day care centers, health care facilities and public buildings have more. MCL 324.8316 says a pesticide cannot be applied in a school or day care unless the building has an integrated pest management program, and parents get annual notice and 48 hours’ advance notice of applications other than bait or gel formulations. Regulation 637, Rule 14, requires firms in those places to evaluate the pest problem first and write a management plan. These rules cover institutions, not your house, but if your child’s school or day care is being treated, you have a right to the notice.

What the firm keeps

Regulation 636, Rule 15, requires commercial applicators to keep application records for at least one year for general-use pesticides and three years for restricted-use ones, covering the product and EPA number, concentration, amount, target pest, date, address, method and rate. No source we can cite says a customer can demand a copy, so ask politely for the part that concerns your address. If you dispute a treatment, the record is where the answer lies.

If the paperwork is missing

Ask once, in writing, with the date and what you were not given. Keep the dates. Then call MDARD at 800-292-3939 and ask for the local pesticide inspector. Part 83 violations can draw an administrative fine of up to $1,000 per violation, a misdemeanor charge of up to 90 days or a $5,000 fine per offense, and civil fines the Attorney General may seek of up to $5,000 per violation. For a billing dispute, call the Attorney General’s consumer protection team at 877-765-8388; it mediates informally.

How to use the list without a fight

Most technicians are used to handing over a service slip, and many firms print the required items on it. Treat the first visit as a check on the format: if the slip names the pest and the active ingredient, you are most of the way there. If it does not, ask the technician to add it before they leave rather than after, and photograph the label on the container with the product name. A refusal is not a violation you can prove, but it is a fact you can put in a complaint.

A short list for your phone

Name of the pest. Name of the applicator. Active ingredient. Date and time. Label precautions. The firm’s name, address and phone. Risk and benefit information at the start of a plan. The EPA number on the label. A vehicle that shows the firm’s name. That is the whole list, and it fits on a card.