Do exterminators need a license in Pennsylvania?

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Does a pest control company need a state license?

Yes, on the pesticide side. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture regulates pesticide use under the Pennsylvania Pesticide Control Act of 1973, and its regulation, 7 Pa. Code Chapter 128, says a pesticide application business may not operate without a pesticide application business license.

Two layers apply to any company that sprays, baits or fumigates at your home:

The business holds a pesticide application business license. The department says the business must have at least one certified applicator, carry the required insurance and pay a yearly fee. The license runs to December 31 each year.
The person applying the product must be a certified commercial applicator or a registered technician working under one. The regulation says anyone who applies or supervises pesticide use on the property of another must be certified.

The EPA puts the same point plainly for termite work: firms offering termite services must be licensed by your state.

What does certification involve?

According to the department's applicator page, a commercial applicator must pass two tests, a core exam and at least one category exam, and must work for a company that holds a pesticide business license. The exams have 50 multiple-choice questions, and a passing score is 35 of 50, or 70%. A certified applicator must then take update training; the regulation sets that cycle at every 3 years, and the category training covers pest identification, control measures and integrated pest management.

A company can also train employees itself and register them as technicians. The department says a business may do so only if it employs a certified applicator who has held certification for at least one year, after a training period of 30 days. A registered technician can make the same applications as a certified applicator unless the product label says only a certified applicator may apply it. Technician registrations expire each year and cannot move from one company to another.

Which category should a home pest company hold?

The regulation sorts work into categories, and a business may only work in categories in which it employs at least one certified applicator. For a house, three matter most:

Category 11, household and health related: pesticides in and around homes, including rodent baits and outdoor perimeter treatments.
Category 12, wood destroying pests: termites, powder post beetles and similar pests in a structure.
Category 13, structural fumigation.

Penn State Extension's guide to choosing a pest company gives a worked example: an applicator treating termites in your home must hold category 12, while one treating grubs in your lawn needs category 7. Tree and lawn work falls under separate ornamental and turf categories, 06 and 07.

How do you check a company?

Look at the truck. The regulation requires a licensed business to show its department license number on both sides of every vehicle used for pesticide work, in figures at least 3 inches high. Penn State says the number is "BU" followed by 4 or 5 digits.
Ask for the card. Penn State advises asking to see the technician's certification or registration card and checking the category number.
Use the state lookup. The department's business license page links to a public search of licensed pesticide application businesses by category, county or region.
Call the department. Penn State lists 1-717-772-5231 for licensing, enforcement and pesticide complaints.

The National Pesticide Information Center adds a reminder that holds whatever the license: a professional applicator must still follow the label. In its words, the label is the law.

What notice is a customer owed?

Less than many people assume. The regulation's notice rules protect neighbors and registered individuals more than the customer.

Your permission. A business may not apply pesticides to your property without first getting permission from the owner or the occupant in control of it.
Restricted use products near neighbors. Before applying a restricted use pesticide at a home, the applicator must notify a resident of each dwelling on adjoining land within 100 feet. Applications inside a detached structure, below the soil surface (unless a well or spring is within 25 feet) and in tamper resistant bait trays are exempt.
The hypersensitivity registry. The department keeps a registry of people whose sensitivity to pesticides has been verified by a physician. A business must tell anyone listed whose home, workplace or school is within 500 feet, between 12 and 72 hours before an application, with the product names and its license number. Bait stations and treatments below the soil surface are exempt.
Records. For every application the business must record the date, your address, the brand name and EPA registration number of each product, the amount and rate used, and who applied it. The record must be finished within 24 hours, kept for 3 years and given immediately to medical personnel in an emergency.

The regulation, as read, does not require a business to hand a homeowner a written report after a routine home treatment. Penn State says the company must provide pesticide labels on request, so ask for them, and ask for the record details in writing.

Who handles raccoons, squirrels and bats?

A different agency. Under the Game Commission's rules in 58 Pa. Code, anyone who traps, removes or releases nuisance wildlife for another person, or offers to, needs a nuisance wildlife control operator permit. New operators must score at least 80% on a written exam. The operator must have the owner's approval, carry the permit and show it to an officer on request, and tag traps with the permit number. An operator may use a pesticide on a vertebrate pest only if also a certified applicator working under the Department of Agriculture's rules.

Penn State's landowner guide tells homeowners unsure whether a method is legal to call their regional Game Commission office first.

Is home improvement registration required too?

The Attorney General's registration questions and answers do not mention pest control, exterminators or termites, so they do not settle whether a pest control business must also register as a home improvement contractor. If the job includes repairs, such as replacing termite-damaged wood, ask the company whether it holds a registration number.

Does Philadelphia add rules?

Yes, for bed bugs and for who pays. The city's code defines a pest management professional as a person or business licensed, registered or certified by the state under the Pesticide Control Act, so the state license is the city's test. The property maintenance code also sets out who must exterminate in a rented or shared building. The Philadelphia guide covers both. Checks to run before hiring are in how to choose a pest control company, and businesses are listed on the pest control directory page.

Sources

Pesticide Applicators, Registered Technicians, and Certification Exams, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Pesticide Application Businesses, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Pesticide Hypersensitivity Registry, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
7 Pa. Code Chapter 128. Pesticides, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
58 Pa. Code Subchapter T. Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
Choosing a Qualified Pest Management or Lawn Care Company, Penn State Extension
Landowner's Guide to Wildlife Control and Prevention Laws in Pennsylvania, Penn State Extension
Termites: How to Identify and Control Them, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Professional Pest Management, National Pesticide Information Center
Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
Bed Bugs and Property Rental (Philadelphia Code Chapter 9-4800), City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Code)
Section PM-310 Bed Bug Elimination (Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code), City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Code)