Instructions for (Initial) Pesticide Operator Licensing

Anyone using pesticides under the direct supervision of a Commercial Certified Pesticide Applicator is required to be trained and licensed as a Pesticide Operator. The only exemption to this requirement for Pesticide Operator licensing is if the person being supervised always has the Certified Pesticide Applicator supervising them present at the time and place of application when pesticides are being used.

Pesticide Operator licensing does not require passing a test. Instead, the Pesticide Operator must complete a Department approved Basic Pesticide Training Course and complete forty hours of on-the-job training in each category of work. The details on what the training is to cover are listed in the New Jersey Pesticide Control Code, N.J.A.C. 7:30-5.2, listed below. After the "Basic Pesticide Training Course" is completed, form VPA-028 is completed and sent in to the Pesticide Control Program (PCP). Proof of attendance at the Basic Pesticide Training Course must be included when submitting form VPA-028. The $30.00 Pesticide Operator license fee is not to be sent in with form VPA-028.

The Operator Application Form (VPA-028) initiates the process for obtaining the Pesticide Operator's first license. Upon receipt of the form VPA-028, the PCP generates an invoice to pay for the license, which is mailed to the Pesticide Operator's employer. During the time it takes to generate that invoice, the Pesticide Operator should be undergoing the required forty hours of on-the-job-training. During the forty hours of on-the-job-training, the Pesticide Operator must witness or perform a minimum number of pesticide applications in which the operator is to be involved. The list of categories and the required minimum number of applications appears on the back of this letter. The invoice for the Pesticide Operator's license should be completed and sent in with the $30.00 license fee only when the forty hours of on-the-job training has been completed. The submission of the invoice for the Pesticide Operator license is verifying that all the required training has been completed. The Pesticide Operator has thirty days after the postmark date of the license invoice in which to operate prior to receiving the actual license document.

VPA-028 forms will be accepted during any part of the license year, which expires on October 31st each year.

A Pesticide Operator license becomes invalid if the Pesticide Operator changes employers. The new employer must provide the proper training and submit the VPA-028 form to obtain a new license for the Pesticide Operator. If the Pesticide Operator's employer stays the same but the Responsible Certified Pesticide Applicator changes, then the PCP is notified of the change using the Information Correction instructions on the invoice or license. Any changes to the Pesticide Operator license must be reported to the PCP within 30 days. If the Responsible Certified Pesticide Applicator listed on the Pesticide Operator's license is different, the Pesticide Operator can still legally apply pesticides as a Pesticide Operator as long as he/she is still employed by the same employer and is still working under the direct supervision of another Certified Pesticide Applicator.

If there is a change of the Certified Pesticide Applicator for operators, complete the Responsible Certified Applicator Change Form and mail to the address indicated at the top of the form.

How to Complete Form VPA-028:

Form VPA-028 must be filled out completely in order to be accepted.

1. Print neatly. The Pesticide Operator license information is computerized directly from this form.

2. Use only one letter or number per block.

3. Always start each section in the left-most block.

4. Leave one block blank between words or groups of numbers.

5. Start at the blocks for the Pesticide Operator's name and complete every item.

6. The Responsible Certified Pesticide Applicator and the Pesticide Operator must both sign the bottom of the form where indicated.

7. Send the completed VPA-028 form (do not include payment) and the Basic Pesticide Training Course Attendance Form to the PCP at the following address:

NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Pesticide Control Program
PO Box 411
Trenton, NJ 08625-0411

The completed forms may also be faxed to (609) 984-6555. If you have any questions on Pesticide Operator licensing, please call (609) 984-6601.

Operator Training

In order to meet the requirements for training, a commercial pesticide operator shall:

1. Complete a Department approved commercial pesticide operator training course. The Department approved commercial pesticide operator training course shall provide the commercial pesticide operator with a working knowledge of, at a minimum, the following information:

(1) The proper use of the application equipment;
(2) The hazards that may be involved in applying the pesticides;
(3) Instruction for mixing pesticides to be used in particular circumstances;
(4) Protective clothing and safety equipment required during the handling and application of pesticides;
(5) General precautions to be followed in the disposal of containers as well as the cleaning and decontamination of the equipment which the commercial pesticide operator proposes to use;
(6) Applicable State and Federal pesticide laws and regulations;
(7) An understanding of how to correctly interpret pesticide label and labeling information;
(8) An understanding of the principles of integrated pest management (IPM).

2. Complete a minimum of 40 hours of “on-the-job” practical training sufficient to allow the commercial pesticide operator to competently perform the functions associated with any applications in which the commercial pesticide operator is expected to be involved. The commercial pesticide operator in training shall witness or perform at least the minimum number of pesticide applications during the 40 hours of “on-the-job” training in each of the following categories of work for which they are trained:

Proof of such applications shall consist of the records of application signed by both a licensed pesticide applicator and the commercial pesticide operator in training, or any other Department approved record. Such records shall be kept for a minimum of three years and shall be immediately available upon request by the Department.

A responsible pesticide applicator must be present during any part of the “on-the-job” training which requires the commercial pesticide operator in training to apply pesticides.

As an alternative to the minimum of 40 hours of “on-the-job” training required in (b)2 above, the commercial pesticide operator in training may witness or perform demonstrations of the types of pesticide applications which the commercial pesticide operator shall perform in the future. Such demonstrations shall be equivalent to the “on-the-job” training except that no actual pesticide is used in the demonstration.