The Certification of Pesticide Dealers in New Jersey

On July 1, 1983, the following requirement went into effect: No person shall distribute, sell or offer for sale; or supervise the distribution, sale, or offering for sale, of any Federal or State restricted-use pesticide to an end user (someone who will be using the pesticide in NJ) without being certified and licensed as a pesticide dealer with the Pesticide Control Program (PCP).

Dealer certification is accomplished by studying training manuals developed for that purpose, which can be obtained at any County Cooperative Extension Office. The two training manuals to use to prepare for the Dealer exam are the "Pesticide Dealer Manual" and the "Pesticide Applicator Training Manual - Core Manual."

When you are prepared, you then sign-up to take the Pesticide Dealer Certification Exam that is administered by the PCP. Examinations are held monthly around the state. Information is available on the Exam Sign-Up page. You can also call the PCP at (609) 984-6614 to sign up for the certification exam.

Once you have passed the Pesticide Dealer Certification Exam, you will be automatically sent an application to apply for the Certified Pesticide Dealer license. The application to apply for the Certified Pesticide Dealer license must be completed and returned with the required license fee. This is an annual license, with the license year running from November 1st to October 31st. If a Certified Pesticide Dealer fails to get licensed for two consecutive years once certified, the dealer loses certification and will have to retake the certification exam to be eligible for a license once again.

Important Note: There is a requirement for a Pesticide Dealer Business license, in addition to the requirement for a Certified Pesticide Dealer license, for every outlet where restricted-use pesticides are distributed to end-users. Every Pesticide Dealer Business must employ at least one licensed Certified Pesticide Dealer. Check out the Pesticide Dealer Business License page.

If you have any questions pertaining to Certified Pesticide Dealer licensing or Pesticide Dealer Business licensing, please call the PCP at (609) 984-6601.