2.3 Private Applicators & Ohio's Private Pesticide-Use Categories
Key Takeaways
- A private applicator uses or supervises restricted use pesticides to produce an agricultural commodity on property owned or rented by the applicator or the applicator's employer.
- Ohio recognizes seven private pesticide-use categories, and an applicator licensed in categories 1 through 6 is deemed licensed in category 7, Specialty Uses.
- The private applicator license year runs April 1 to March 31 and the fee is $30, unlike the commercial license year of October 1 to September 30 at $35.
- The Private Core exam is 50 questions and private category exams run 25 to 50 questions; the Commercial Core exam is 90 questions.
- A private applicator may not apply pesticides for hire on another person's property and may never apply pesticides by aircraft.
2.3 Private Applicators & Ohio's Private Pesticide-Use Categories
Even if you are pursuing a commercial license, the Core exam expects you to know where the private applicator line falls, because misclassifying yourself is one of the most common Ohio violations.
Who Is a Private Applicator
Under ORC 921.11(E) an individual licensed as a private applicator may use or directly supervise the use of a restricted use pesticide only for the purpose of producing agricultural commodities on property owned or rented by the individual (or, in practice, the individual's employer). "Agricultural commodity" is defined broadly in ORC 921.01(C): plants or animals, or parts of them, produced for commercial use - grain, forage, fruit, vegetables, nursery stock, Christmas trees, timber, aquaculture, floriculture, livestock, and poultry.
Two consequences follow directly:
- A private license does not authorize work for hire on someone else's property. A farmer who sprays a neighbor's field for cash is acting as a commercial applicator and needs the commercial license, a pesticide business license, and insurance.
- A private license is only needed for restricted use pesticides. A farmer using only general-use products on their own crop does not need a license at all - though the moment an RUP is involved, the license is mandatory.
ORC 921.11(B) also lets a trained immediate family member or subordinate employee of a private applicator use RUPs under that private applicator's direct supervision.
The Seven Private Pesticide-Use Categories
OAC 901:5-11-01(Q) defines the private categories. Every one of them is limited to restricted use pesticides.
| # | Category | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grain and Cereal Crops | Agronomic field crops - corn, grain sorghum, small grains, soybeans, sweet corn (except fumigants) |
| 2 | Forage Crops and Livestock | Hay, forage, fodder, ensilage crops, and domestic animals held as agricultural commodities and their quarters |
| 3 | Fruit and Vegetable Crops | Orchard fruit, small fruit such as strawberries, brambles, and grapes, field vegetables, sugar beets, sweet corn |
| 4 | Nursery and Forest Crops | Commercial nursery trees, shrubs, grasses, herbaceous plants; Christmas trees and utilitarian tree crops |
| 5 | Greenhouse Crops | Food or ornamental crops grown under an impervious cover large enough for worker entry |
| 6 | Fumigation | Restricted use fumigants applied to soil, grain storage, greenhouse areas, or other confined areas |
| 7 | Specialty Uses | RUP uses not covered by categories 1 through 6, including wood preservation, aquaculture, seed treatment, sod production, and pests of tobacco, ponds, and non-cropland |
A rule detail worth memorizing: a private applicator licensed in any of categories 1 through 6 is deemed to be licensed under category 7 as well. Fumigation (category 6) is the one category that is never picked up automatically by the others, because it is defined separately in every other category as an exclusion.
Licensing Logistics: Private vs. Commercial
| Item | Private applicator | Commercial applicator |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory hook | ORC 921.11 | ORC 921.06 |
| License year | April 1 - March 31 | October 1 - September 30 |
| License fee | $30 | $35 |
| Core exam length | 50 questions | 90 questions |
| Category exam length | 25 - 50 questions | 25 - 150 questions |
| Passing score | 70% | 70% |
| Recertification cycle | Every 3 years | Every 3 years |
| Recertification hours | 3 hours (1 hour Core + 0.5 hour per category, remainder any category) | 5 hours (1 hour Core + 0.5 hour per category, remainder any category) |
| Aerial application | Never permitted | Permitted with Category 1 |
Both tracks share the same exam mechanics: multiple choice, English, 70 percent to pass, proctored by ODA at no-cost sessions around the state, with a minimum of five business days between exam sessions and passing scores valid for one year.
Ohio's private applicator private category exams run 50 questions for Grain and Cereal Crops, 35 for Greenhouse Crops, and 25 for Forage Crops and Livestock, Fruit and Vegetable Crops, Nursery and Forest Crops, and Fumigation.
Records Are Not Optional on the Private Side
OAC 901:5-11-10(E) requires a private applicator to record, on the date of application, the responsible private applicator's name and license number, the brand or product name and EPA registration number of the RUP applied, the total amount applied, the location or field number and total area treated, the crop treated, and the month, day, and year. The record goes to the employer on the date of application where applicable, and it is retained for three years. If the private applicator leases or rents the crop site, the record must be made available to the landowner within thirty days of a request.
Fertilizer Certification Is a Separate Track
Ohio also has an Agricultural Fertilizer Applicator Certification (Category 15, a 30-question exam, $30, certification year April 1 to March 31). It is a distinct credential from the pesticide applicator license. Do not confuse the two on the exam - or on your renewal paperwork.
A licensed Ohio private applicator holds category 3, Fruit and Vegetable Crops. Which additional category is that applicator automatically deemed to hold?
How do the Ohio private and commercial applicator license years differ?
Under OAC 901:5-11-10(E), when must an Ohio private applicator create the record of a restricted use pesticide application, and how long is it kept?