3.3 The 26 Ohio Commercial Pesticide-Use Categories
Key Takeaways
- OAC 901:5-11-01(P) defines 26 commercial pesticide-use categories numbered 1 through 12, several with letter subcategories.
- Categories 5 Industrial Vegetation, 6A General Ornamental, and 8 Turf each include the uses covered by 6C Ornamental Weed Control, so 6C is unnecessary if you hold any of those.
- Fumigants may be applied only under categories 2F Soil Fumigation, 10C Fumigation, or 6D Greenhouse Pest Control, and every other category expressly excludes fumigants.
- Category 11 Specialized Pest Control covers applications to the property of others not described by categories 1 through 10, and ODA does not publish a standard exam for it.
- Category 12 Wood-Destroying Insect Diagnostic Inspection is a commercial category even though the holder may never apply a pesticide.
3.3 The 26 Ohio Commercial Pesticide-Use Categories
Ohio licenses commercial applicators by category. Applying outside the categories on your license is a prohibited act under ORC 921.24(N). OAC 901:5-11-01(P) is the authoritative list, and ODA's commercial applicator page publishes the same categories in plain language.
Numbering runs 1 through 12 with letter subcategories, producing 26 categories in all.
The Full List
| Code | Category | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aerial Pest Control | Application of pesticides by aircraft, crewed or uncrewed (drones). Pilot or remote pilot certificate required with the application. Excludes fumigants. |
| 2A | Agronomic Pest Control | Pesticides to agronomic crops for pests other than weeds and vertebrates. Excludes ornamental nursery stock and turf production. |
| 2B | Horticulture Pest Control | Pesticides to fruit and vegetable crops for pests other than weeds and vertebrates. |
| 2C | Agricultural Weed Control | Weed control in agronomic or horticultural crops. Excludes nursery stock and turf. |
| 2D | Seed Treatment | Pesticides applied to seed for insects and disease organisms. |
| 2E | Tobacco Sucker Control | Growth regulators applied to tobacco to control sucker growth. |
| 2F | Soil Fumigation | Fumigants applied to soil for soil-inhabiting pests. |
| 3A | General Aquatic Pest Control | Pesticides to standing or running water, other than swimming pools, for aquatic pests. |
| 3B | Boat Antifoulant | Restricted-use antifoulants applied to boats. |
| 3C | Sewer Root Control | Restricted-use pesticides applied to sewer pipes for tree roots. |
| 4A | General Forest Pest Control | Forested areas: tree pests, weeds, and selective elimination of unwanted wood species. |
| 4B | Wood Preservation | Crossties, poles, shingles, posts and other wood products not part of a structure when treated. Excludes termite work in houses and pre-construction pretreatment. |
| 5 | Industrial Vegetation Control | Non-agricultural lands: roadways, public water courses, utility rights-of-way, industrial sites, power stations, parking lots. Includes 6C. |
| 6A | General Ornamental Pest Control | Insects and diseases of exterior ornamental plants and trees, plus weeds of exterior ornamental areas. Includes 6C. |
| 6B | Interior Plantscape Pest Control | Indoor ornamental plants in homes, offices, malls, stores. |
| 6C | Ornamental Weed Control | Weeds in landscape beds, tree and shrub plantings, sidewalks, driveways. Not needed if you hold 5, 6A, or 8. |
| 6D | Greenhouse Pest Control | Plants grown under glass or plastic cover. One of the three fumigation-capable categories. |
| 7 | Vertebrate Animal Control | Pest birds inside or outside structures, rodents, and any other vertebrates - moles and Canada geese included. Excludes fumigants. |
| 8 | Turf Pest Control | Lawns, turf, sod, and soil being prepared for turf production, for pests except vertebrates. Includes 6C. |
| 9 | Animal Pest Control | Domestic animals held as agricultural commodities, and the structures confining them. Veterinarians applying pesticides in normal practice are exempt by law. |
| 10A | General Pest Control | In and around dwellings, industrial plants, offices, food-handling establishments, schools, hospitals, warehouses, grain elevators. Excludes pest birds, termites, and fungi. |
| 10B | Termite Control | In or around structures, or to ground before construction, for termites and other invertebrate wood-destroying insects. |
| 10C | Fumigation | Fumigants applied to structures, or commodities or equipment enclosed within structures, or other confined areas such as bins, rooms, cargo spaces, boxcars. |
| 10D | Mosquito, House Fly and Other Vector Control | Outdoor control of invertebrate pests threatening public health or a nuisance - mosquitoes, house flies, chiggers, ticks. Does not include uses covered by category 7. |
| 11 | Specialized Pest Control | Applications to the property of others under circumstances not covered by categories 1 through 10. ODA does not publish a standard exam for this category. |
| 12 | Wood-Destroying Insect Diagnostic Inspection | Examination of a structure for a contemplated real estate transaction and the written report of findings. |
Three Rules That Decide Category Questions
1. Categories that absorb 6C. Ornamental Weed Control is included within 5 Industrial Vegetation, 6A General Ornamental, and 8 Turf. A lawn care technician holding category 8 does not need 6C to treat weeds in the customer's landscape beds.
2. Fumigation is restricted to three categories. OAC 901:5-11-02 provides that no commercial applicator shall apply fumigants unless licensed in and applying within 2F Soil Fumigation, 10C Fumigation, or 6D Greenhouse Pest Control. Nearly every other category definition contains the phrase "except fumigants."
3. Vertebrates split out. Categories 2A, 2B, 2C, 6A, and 8 all exclude vertebrates; vertebrate work belongs to category 7. Category 10A excludes pest birds (category 7), termites (10B), and fungi.
Matching Categories to Real Operations
| Operation | Typical Ohio categories |
|---|---|
| Residential lawn care company | Core + 8 (picks up 6C); add 6A for shrub and tree work |
| Structural pest control firm | Core + 10A; add 10B for termites, 10D for mosquito work, 7 for birds and rodent vertebrates, 12 for real estate inspections |
| Custom farm applicator | Core + 2A, 2C; add 1 for aerial or drone work, 2F for soil fumigation |
| Golf course superintendent | Core + 8, 6A, often 3A for pond work |
| Municipal roadside crew | Core + 5 |
| Mosquito control district | Core + 10D, often 3A for larviciding standing water |
| Greenhouse grower selling plants | Core + 6D |
| Grain elevator | Core + 10A; 10C for fumigation |
Remember the employer consequence attached to category 12: the employer of any commercial applicator licensed in category 12 is considered a pesticide business and must hold a valid pesticide business license and carry insurance meeting the requirements of OAC 901:5-11-07.
An Ohio lawn care technician holds Core and Category 8, Turf Pest Control. The customer also wants weeds controlled in the landscape beds around the house. What is required?
Which set of Ohio commercial categories permits the application of fumigants?
A pest control operator is licensed only in Category 10A, General Pest Control. Which job is outside that license?