17.2 Demonstration, Aerial, Antimicrobial, and School IPM

Quick Answer: Categories 10, 11, and 13 are stacked credentials: Core + the special exam + a related use category. Category 11 also needs aerial OJT (40 hours / 10 applications); that aerial OJT is enough proof for other category exams if all applications are aerial. 12A is restricted-use water sanitization; 12B is restricted-use medical sterilization and may use a waiver exam. N.J.A.C. 7:30-10.6(s) bans aerial deposit within 100 feet of a private residence without written consent.

These codes live in N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.3(a)10–13. They are not “bonus” marketing add-ons. Each one either stacks a related-category exam on top of Core or, for 12A/12B, defines a narrow restricted-use antimicrobial world that is easy to confuse with 8D cooling towers or Category 5 aquatic work.

Category 10 — Demonstration and research

Category 10 covers two groups:

1. People who demonstrate to the public the proper use and techniques of pesticide application, or who supervise those demonstrations. The rule names extension specialists and county agents, commercial representatives demonstrating pesticide products, and people demonstrating methods used in public programs.
2. People conducting field research with pesticides, including State, Federal, commercial, and other persons conducting field research on or utilizing pesticides.

N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.3(a)10iii is the stack rule: a person applying for Category 10 must pass at least two examinations—the Category 10 exam and an examination and training in any category or subcategory related to the specific type of demonstration or research. Add Core. The live stack is Core + Category 10 + related category.

A Rutgers agent demonstrating 8B larval control needs Core + 10 + 8B, not Core + 10 alone. A product representative showing a 3B fairway spray needs Core + 10 + 3B. Category 10 does not magically authorize every site you might talk about at a field day.

OJT: N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)6 exempts Category 10 from the 40-hour OJT table because training is required in the related category you will actually demonstrate or research. You still complete training for that related category unless the related category itself is exempt. Laboratory research involving restricted-use pesticides is a federal exception under 40 CFR 171.103(e); Category 10 is field research and public demonstration, not a lab bench.

Category 11 — Aerial pest control

Category 11 includes all pilots responsible for agricultural and other pest control. N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.3(a)11 requires at least two examinations in addition to Core: the Category 11 general exam and an exam in the related category or subcategory for the type of aerial work. The stack is Core + 11 + related category. An aerial mosquito pilot is Core + 11 + 8B. An aerial forest pilot is Core + 11 + 2. Category 11 alone is not a use category.

OJT: Category 11 requires aerial training only. N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)7 and 6.3(a)11 say the 40 hours of training (table: 10 aerial applications) are required for Category 11 only. That aerial 40 hours is sufficient proof to file an application to take any other category exam. If all of the applicant’s applications are aerial, extra ground-category OJT is not required. The related-category exam still sits on top of Core + 11. If the same person will also make ground applications in 3B, the work is no longer “all aerial.”

N.J.A.C. 7:30-10.6 is the aerial-use overlay you should be able to quote:

• Agricultural aircraft operations also follow 14 CFR Part 137. If those FAA rules conflict with 10.6, Part 137 takes precedence (10.6(a)). A pilot may have to show current agricultural-aircraft operator licensing to obtain a New Jersey applicator license (10.6(a)1).
• Before application, the pilot must confirm target boundaries and exact location and the identity of non-target areas and safety hazards on or adjacent to the target (10.6(b)).
• Flow and mixture must be uniform. Equipment must be properly calibrated; the aerial business keeps proof and provides it to NJDEP on request (10.6(d)). Participation in Operation SAFE (or a Department-determined equivalent) is mandatory when the program addresses the type of application and is offered in New Jersey for a sufficient period (10.6(f)).
• Spray or spreading equipment must be free of leaks and have a positive shutoff so pesticide is not disseminated on non-target areas overflown (10.6(i)).
• Release height: liquids, liquid carriers, or dusts within 15 feet above the target (50 feet for forests and/or trees), except where obstructions would endanger the pilot. Dry granules or pellets: within 40 feet (10.6(l)–(m)).
• 10.6(q): no aerial application within 300 feet horizontally of occupied schools, hospitals, nursing homes, houses of religious worship, or any occupied building other than a private residence used for business or social activities. A narrow exception allows application within 100 feet of a building used for an agricultural business if only a general-use pesticide is applied and occupants get warning so doors and windows can be closed and people can vacate.
• 10.6(s): no pesticide shall be deposited by aircraft within 100 feet of any private residence unless the aerial applicator or business has written consent of an inhabitant of legal age. The agreement must include the date, the time period the consent is valid, the location or designation of the residence, and the inhabitant’s signature. Keep copies three years and produce them immediately on request. Consent may be withdrawn in writing at year-end or after a cited misapplication involving that property. 10.6(y)3 exempts a private residence occupied by the person contracting for the spray when that residence sits on the property that includes the target site.
• 10.6(x): no aerial application unless the pesticide is specifically labeled for aerial application.
• State, Federal, or public agencies, and aerial applicators under contract with such an agency for a pest-control operation, are exempt from (l) through (o) and (q) through (s) (10.6(y)2).

Category 12A and 12B — Antimicrobial pest control

Category 12A Water sanitization is commercial applicators using or supervising restricted-use antimicrobial agents for sanitizing water. The rule includes, but is not limited to, sanitizing water in swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, whirlpools, and in industrial, commercial, and manufacturing processes. OJT: 10 applications. N.J.A.C. 7:30-9.12 notices apply to 12A. This is not 8D cooling-tower work and not Category 5 aquatic herbicides. The category text is restricted-use antimicrobials; do not assume every general-use pool product automatically requires 12A.

Category 12B Sterilization is using or supervising restricted-use pesticides for sterilization of medical supplies and instruments. N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.3(a)12ii treats all of the following as a “use” that requires certification:

1. Changing supply tanks.
2. Service persons using a sterilant to test the proper functions of a sterilizing chamber.
3. Loading the sterilization chamber.
4. Monitoring during all parts of the chamber’s automated cycle, except the aeration portion.
5. Unloading the chamber.

Aeration-only monitoring is carved out. Loading, unloading, tank changes, test doses, and cycle monitoring other than aeration are not “just maintenance.”

OJT: 15 applications, unless the training path is waived.

N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(h) lets the examination provider waive certification testing or require only a short “waiver” examination covering the pesticide regulations for categories such as 12B, when the applicant already holds the recognized training certificate, membership card, or license. The provider still charges the applicable exam fee. To use the waiver path, submit a completed exam application with the exam-selection area left blank, a copy of the certificate, card, or license, and the completed waiver-exam answer sheet.

Category 13 — IPM in Schools

Category 13 is commercial applicators making applications on school buildings and grounds pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:30-13. 6.3(a)13i says a person certified in this category shall also complete certification in the category or subcategory related to the specific type of pest control the person will perform. 6.3(a)13ii and 6.2(b)8 exempt Category 13 from the 40-hour OJT table because the related-category path supplies the use competency.

The stack is Core + 13 + related use category. A school structural account is Core + 13 + 7A. An athletic-field turf account is Core + 13 + 3B. 7A alone is not enough on PK–12 school property. Category 13 does not replace 7:30-13’s 72-hour parent notice, student-present prohibition, or IPM-coordinator duties—those use rules are Chapter 5. This section’s exam point is the credential stack.

Special-category stack

Worked trio

1. Extension demonstration of campground mosquito work: Core + 10 + 8C (or 8B if the demo is mosquito-only).
2. Aerial gypsy-moth forest job: Core + 11 + 2, product labeled for aerial use, 10.6 release heights, and the 100-foot private-residence written-consent buffer unless an agency exemption applies.
3. Hospital sterile-processing technician changing restricted-use sterilant tanks: 12B (or the 7:30-6.2(h) waiver exam), not 12A and not 8D.

Official resources

• N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.3(a)10–13
• N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)6–8 and (h)
• N.J.A.C. 7:30-10.6 Aerial application of pesticides
• N.J.A.C. 7:30-13 School IPM