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Pesticide Training & Testing

Category 3, 5, and 6 Training and Testing

To prepare workers to take the certification exam, we provide six hours* of instruction, and at the completion of the training, the Department of Agriculture administers the exam. With the instruction fresh in their minds, 90 percent of the workers pass the exam the first time. 

 

Category 3: Ornamental and Lawn Care

Category 3 licensing and certification is required for persons handling, using or supervising the use of pesticides or fertilizers for insect, weed, and/or disease control in residential and commercial landscapes and lawns.

Category 5: Aquatic Pest Control

Category 5 licensing and certification is required for persons applying or supervising the application of any pesticide purposefully applied to standing or running water, excluding applicators engaged in public health-related activities.

Category 6: Right-of-Way Pest Control

Category 6 licensing and certification is required for persons handling, using or supervising the use of pesticides in the maintenance of public roads, electric power lines, pipelines, railway right-of-ways, or similar areas.  This is the certification most often required of state and local government highway workers. 

 

Dates & Locations

Note: Due to changes in testing procedures, dates and times offered on the T2 website may be subject to change.

Currently, the training portion administered by T2 will run from 8:30am to 2:00pm. This portion is designed to prepare you for your exam. At 2:00pm, you will begin your proctored test(s). As the regulations change, we will update our website and registration information to reflect this. Please let us know if you have any questions. Conference Coordinator, Chantal Barlow, will be happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information or direct you to someone at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture who can more thoroughly answer your questions if we are not able. You may email Chantal at [email protected]

Fees

To prepare participants to take the certification exam, we provide four and a half hours of instruction. Immediately following the completion of the training, the Department of Agriculture administers the exam. 

Fee includes cost for exam(s), certificate, and licensure. Each exam is $25. 

  • $135 for testing in one category 
  • $160 for testing in two categories
  • $185 for testing in three categories

*Note: due to the recent regulatory changes regarding Pesticide licensure, our training format may change. More information will be provided in the near future.

Study Guides

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Departments of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science prepare study guides on various Pesticide categories to help prepare for new applicators taking their test. The website covers a variety of pests including insects, diseases, and weeds affecting field crops, greenhouse, fruits and vegetables, lawn and turf, shade trees and ornamentals, structural & household, forests, rights-of-ways, and other situations. Browse the website for study guides on Categories 3, 5, and 6 along with interactive quiz practice questions. 

UK Pesticide Safety Education Program

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