2.3 Examinations, Fees, Renewal, Reinstatement & Reciprocity
Key Takeaways
- Passing is 70% or better, and examination results are valid for one year from the date of the passed exam; failing to complete licensing within that year forces retesting in every applicable category.
- The Metro Institute examination fee is $41.50 per test and every exam must be paid for and scheduled online at least two days before testing — a test cannot be scheduled and taken the same day.
- License fees are separate from examination fees: $100 to license or renew a QS or CO, $75 for a private applicator, and $350 per year for a commercial applicator business license.
- The anniversary date of a QS, CO, or private applicator license is the licensee’s birth date, and C.R.S. § 35-10-116(2) caps individual license duration at three years.
- A lapsed individual license may be reinstated within 180 days of expiration on payment of a reinstatement fee and proof that all renewal requirements were met as of the expiration date; after 180 days the applicator must apply as a new licensee.
2.3 Examinations, Fees, Renewal, Reinstatement & Reciprocity
Quick Answer: Apply to CDA through Metro Institute, get an applicator ID, schedule and pay for each exam at least two days ahead, and score 70% or better. Passing scores are good for one year. Then file a license application and pay the license fee — $100 for a QS or CO, $75 for a private applicator — which is entirely separate from the $41.50 per-exam fee. Individual licenses run on the licensee's birth date anniversary for a term the Commissioner sets, not to exceed three years, and are renewed by re-examination or by continuing education credits.
1. Who Administers the Exam
Since January 1, 2024, federal requirements have obliged every Colorado applicator to test at an approved proctored examination site. CDA partners with Metro Institute and Colorado State University Extension to deliver secure online computer-based examinations at proctored locations across the state.
The process runs in two halves on the Metro site:
- Online exam application. This feeds your information to CDA, which verifies or creates your CDA Pesticide Applicator ID number and e-mails it to you. Write it down; every later step depends on it.
- Schedule and pay. Choose the testing center, date, and time, enter your name, applicator ID, and the password Metro provides, then pay all examination fees. Metro e-mails a receipt and confirmation.
Test-day rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Advance scheduling | Every examination must be paid for and scheduled online at least two days prior to testing. A test may not be scheduled and taken on the same day, and it must be taken at the scheduled location. |
| Identification | A photo ID is required at the time of examination, and a valid e-mail account is mandatory — without one you cannot test. |
| Reference materials | None are allowed in the examination area. The one narrow exception is that the testing center may provide materials for private applicator examinations. |
| What not to bring | CEPEP advises leaving cell phones, calculators, paper and pencil, bags, and study materials behind; bring a driver's license and, if you get cold, a sweater. |
| Order | Exams may be taken in any order, but a QS or CO must pass both the General exam and at least one pest-management category exam before licensure. |
Scoring and score reports
The proctor hands you a printed result page showing your score — 70% or greater to pass — and a summary by content area, listing how many questions fell in each area and how many you answered correctly. That breakdown is the most useful diagnostic you will get if you fail, because it tells you which subject to restudy rather than making you guess.
Examination security (Part 3.08)
No applicant or licensee testing in any QS or CO category may use outside information during a closed-book examination, remove questions or answer sheets from the room, or cause any question or answer to be disseminated to anyone not employed by the Commissioner. The same non-disclosure duty binds private applicator candidates and the persons proctoring private applicator sessions, and no person other than the applicant may complete the private applicator examination form.
2. What Everything Costs
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ COLORADO PESTICIDE FEE MAP │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ EXAMINATION FEES (paid to Metro Institute, separate from all others) │
│ • $41.50 per test — General, each category, each retake. │
│ • Private Applicator exam: $40 plus a small convenience fee. │
│ │
│ INDIVIDUAL LICENSE FEES (paid to CDA) │
│ • Qualified Supervisor or Certified Operator: $100 to license or renew. │
│ • Private Applicator: $75 to license or renew. │
│ • Upgrading CO → QS: no fee. Adding a category: no application fee. │
│ │
│ BUSINESS LICENSE FEE (paid to CDA) │
│ • Commercial applicator: $350.00 annually, per business location. │
│ • Late renewal: 10% penalty added; no renewal at all after day 30. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The Rules are emphatic that these fees are independent. Part 2.39 requires the QS/CO license application fee to be "paid separately from any other fee, including … any fee for examination … or any fee for licensure as a commercial applicator," and Part 3.02 says the same about the examination fee. Failing to send the license fee with the application is itself grounds to deny the application (Part 2.04).
3. The One-Year Score Window
Examination results are valid for one year from the date of the passed exam. The Commissioner keeps an applicant's results on file for that year and the applicant may use them for licensing during that period. Under Part 3.06, if an applicant fails to complete the licensing process within one year of the examination date, that person must take new examinations in every applicable category — not merely the one that expired.
This is why the sequence matters. Passing the General exam in March and a category exam in October leaves only until the following March to file the license application, or both scores die together.
4. Expiration, Renewal, and the 180-Day Reinstatement Window
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Anniversary date | The licensee's birth date (Parts 2.41 and 2.55) |
| Maximum duration | Set by the Commissioner but may not exceed three years (C.R.S. § 35-10-116(2); the same three-year cap applies to a commercial applicator business license under § 35-10-106(5)) |
| How to renew | Either take and pass the general exam and every applicable category exam, or complete the continuing education required by Part 4. Renewal is determined on a category basis |
| Late renewal | A 10% penalty fee is added to the renewal fee if the application is not postmarked on or before the expiration date |
| Hard cutoff | If the application and fee are not received within thirty days after the expiration date, the license is not renewed and the applicator must apply for a new license |
| Reinstatement | A license not renewed by the expiration date may be reinstated within 180 days on (a) application plus a reinstatement fee, and (b) proof that all renewal requirements had been satisfied as of the expiration date |
| After 180 days | Not reinstatable. The applicator starts over as a new applicant |
[!WARNING] Reinstatement is not a grace period to keep working. The 180-day window lets you restore a lapsed credential; it does not authorize applications during the lapse. And the proof required is that you had already met the renewal requirements — earning the missing credits after expiration does not qualify.
5. Reciprocity
Colorado recognizes out-of-state credentials, but narrowly and temporarily:
- Commercial applicators (Part 2.48). An individual certified or licensed by another jurisdiction as a commercial pesticide applicator may obtain a Colorado certified operator license without passing any examination — note, a CO, never a QS. Proof of current licensure in good standing plus the application fee is required. The Colorado license expires on the expiration date of the other jurisdiction's license. The application may be denied for any reason other than passage of an exam.
- Private applicators (Part 2.59). The same structure applies: a Colorado private applicator license without examination, expiring when the originating license expires.
- After expiry, the individual may renew the out-of-state credential and re-apply for another reciprocal term, or complete the full Colorado process including all examinations.
- Rider categories have their own reciprocity clause: a reciprocal 114, 309A, or 309B license may be issued when the equivalent category from an EPA-approved state plan is current and in good standing, and it likewise expires with the originating license.
6. Moving Between Credentials
- Private applicator → QS or CO: must take and pass both the general exam and a category exam and meet the Part 2 Subpart C requirements, and must pay both an additional examination fee and an application fee (Parts 2.56–2.57).
- CO → QS: if a certified operator's licensure has been continuous, the applicator may upgrade without retesting once the required experience is obtained and an upgrade application is submitted. There is no fee for an upgrade.
- Anyone may sit the QS examinations. If the experience requirements are not met and documented on the license application, CDA simply issues a CO license instead.
An applicant passes the Colorado General exam on April 10 and the Category 206 exam on June 3, then does not submit a license application. On May 1 of the following year, what must the applicant do to be licensed?
A Colorado certified operator’s license expired 90 days ago because the applicator forgot to submit the renewal, although all required continuing education credits had been earned before the expiration date. What is the correct path back to licensure?
A pest control technician licensed and in good standing as a commercial applicator in Kansas moves to Colorado. Under Part 2.48, what may Colorado issue without examination?
Which statement about Colorado pesticide examination logistics is accurate?