Because the use of pesticides is so pervasive and because of the potential for adverse human health and environmental impacts, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requires that EPA evaluate and register pesticides prior to their legal sale and use in the United States.

When EPA evaluates a pesticide for registration, it can either deny registration or it can register the pesticide for general use or restricted use. Generally, a pesticide will be classified as restricted use if EPA determines that unreasonable environmental effects would occur if the Agency did not restrict who may use the pesticide, or otherwise restrict its use. A general use pesticide is one that is not likely to cause adverse environmental effects when used for its intended purpose and in accordance with general industry practice.

Do the Pesticide Use Requirements Apply to Your Community?

Yes, if your community uses pesticides, it must ensure that such pesticides are applied in accordance with the law. Many communities use pesticides for uses such as insect control and to kill weeds on public golf courses, parks and gardens.

Actions Your Community Should Be Taking

You should first determine if your community is using restricted use or general use pesticides, or both. This information can be determined from the pesticide's label. Under no circumstances should your community apply a pesticide whose use has been banned by EPA.

If your community is using restricted use pesticides, local government employees who apply those restricted use pesticides must do so only if they are certified as applicators themselves, or if they are under the direct supervision of a certified applicator. Applicators may be certified either by federal certification or by state certification under a state plan approved by EPA. In general, certification requires an applicant to demonstrate competency in topics such as safety precautions, equipment use, and pesticide application techniques.

General use pesticides should be applied in accordance with the instructions on the pesticide's label, but otherwise there is no requirement for application by only certified applicators.

Because states may have use requirements that go beyond the federal regulations, you should contact the appropriate office in your state to determine whether any additional state requirements exist. A number of states have enacted requirements such as: posting warning signs before and/or after pesticide application; obtaining permits and providing public notification before applying pesticides; monitoring and sampling ground water; and, in some cases, buffer strips must be established to protect sensitive ground and surface waters.

Additional Information

The pesticide use and applicator certification regulations are published in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 152 and 171.