California Pesticide Record-Keeping Requirements (2026)

Attila, founder of PestShiftLast updated: 8 min read
A row of Victorian houses in California

Suburban Californian home by Unknown · CC CC0

A California structural pest control company must write a report for every pesticide application (other than fumigation) showing the date and time, the owner or agent, the property address, the areas treated, the target pests, the product name with its EPA or California registration number and amount used, and the applicator's identity and license number. The registered company keeps those records for at least three years (16 CCR 1970). On top of that, registered companies file a monthly pesticide use report with the county agricultural commissioner by the 10th of the following month (Bus. & Prof. Code 8505.17(c)).

This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the Structural Pest Control Board (and your county agricultural commissioner for use reports) before you rely on it.

What must a California pesticide application record include?

The Structural Pest Control Board rewrote the record list in 2024, effective October 1, 2024 (OAL approval of the 16 CCR 1970 amendment). Under 16 CCR 1970(b), the report for each structural application (other than fumigation) must contain:

  1. Date and time of application.
  2. Name of the owner or their agent.
  3. Address of the property.
  4. Description of the area(s) treated.
  5. Target pest(s).
  6. Pesticide product name, including the U.S. EPA or California registration number on the label, and the amount used.
  7. Identity and license number of the certified commercial applicator who applied or supervised a restricted material application by a noncertified applicator, and, if applicable, the identity and license number of the noncertified applicator who applied the pesticide.

Fumigation jobs use a different record: the Standard Structural Fumigation Log (Form 43M-47, Rev. 6/2023), incorporated into 16 CCR 1970(a).

How long do California pest control records have to be kept?

Three years. 16 CCR 1970(a) requires the registered company to keep each application report and fumigation log for at least three years. Bus. & Prof. Code 8652 goes wider: inspection reports, field notes, contracts, documents, notices of work completed and other non-financial records must be kept for at least three years after the work is completed.

Who keeps the records, and who can ask to see them?

The registered company keeps them (16 CCR 1970(a)). Under Bus. & Prof. Code 8652, the records must be available to the Board's executive officer or an authorized representative during business hours.

Customers have a right to some of it too. Under 16 CCR 1970.42(c), a registered company must give anyone who asks the common, generic or chemical name of each pesticide applied, within 24 hours of the request, for requests made within three years of the application.

For a walk-through of what an inspector usually asks for, see what a pest control record audit checks.

Does California require monthly pesticide use reports from structural companies?

Yes. Under Bus. & Prof. Code 8505.17(c), registered structural pest control companies prepare and submit to the county agricultural commissioner a monthly report of all pesticides used in that county:

  • On a DPR-approved form, with the name and registration number of each pesticide and the amount used.
  • Due by the 10th day of the following month, with a Board pesticide use stamp or stamp number.
  • A copy kept for three years after submission.
  • A "no use" report is still due for a month with no work in a county where you have given notice.

The Department of Pesticide Regulation lists structural pest control among the non-agricultural uses that feed its pesticide use reporting data and tells businesses to contact their county agricultural commissioner about submitting forms (DPR Pesticide Use Reporting). Confirm the current form, submission method and stamp process with your county agricultural commissioner.

What notices do California customers have to get?

Two notices are tied to your records.

Before the application (Bus. & Prof. Code 8538): the owner or agent, and the tenant, get a written notice with the pest to be controlled, the pesticides proposed and their active ingredients, the state-required caution statement with phone numbers, and the treatment frequency if there is a periodic contract. For Branch 2 and 3 work it is given before the application; on a periodic contract, only at the initial treatment unless the pesticide changes.

After the application (16 CCR 1970.42): immediately after the service visit, a written notice (a door hanger, invoice or similar) with the name of each pesticide applied, the date of service, and the company's name, address and phone number. For exterior work it goes to the occupant, owner or agent in person, by first-class mail, or by email if they authorized email in a contract or other written agreement.

What termite and WDO records apply in California?

Wood destroying organism work has its own paper trail under Bus. & Prof. Code 8516:

  • No WDO opinion or contract work before an inspection by a licensed Branch 3 field representative or operator.
  • The address of each property inspected or worked on is filed with the Board on its prescribed form within 10 business days (with a filing fee).
  • The written inspection report, on a Board-approved form, goes to the person who ordered it and the owner or agent within 10 business days, and before work starts.
  • The company keeps all inspection reports, field notes and activity forms for three years, and produces reports to the Board within two business days on demand.

Notices of work completed are covered by 16 CCR 1996.2; confirm the current forms with the Structural Pest Control Board.

What does the federal restricted-use rule add?

For restricted use pesticides, the federal baseline now runs through the state. The old USDA rule (7 CFR Part 110) was rescinded and removed effective July 11, 2025, and 40 CFR 171.303(b)(7)(vi) requires state certification plans to make certified commercial applicators keep restricted use records for at least 2 years: the customer's name and address, location, size of area treated, site, time and date, brand or product name, EPA registration number, total amount, and the certified applicator's name and certification number. California's three-year rule is the longer one, so follow it.

Checklist: California structural application record fields

Field (16 CCR 1970(b)) Required Where it lives in PestShift
Date and time of application Yes From the job
Owner or agent name Yes Customer on the job
Property address Yes Property on the job
Description of areas treated Yes Application site field
Target pest(s) Yes Target pest field
Product name Yes Product field
EPA or CA registration number Yes EPA registration number field (put a CA number here or in notes)
Amount used Yes No dedicated field: PestShift records rate, so add the total amount in notes
Applicator identity Yes Technician on the job
Applicator license number (and supervisor's, for restricted materials) Yes No dedicated field on the record: add to notes
Fumigation log (Form 43M-47) Fumigation only Not produced by PestShift
Monthly use report to county Yes, monthly Not filed by PestShift

How does PestShift help with California records?

PestShift requires a chemical application record before a job can be closed, on the services you choose. The record has product, EPA registration number, target pest, rate and application site, and it carries the date and time, customer and property, and technician from the job. Technicians can fill it in offline in the installable app and it syncs when they get signal. PestShift also tracks applicator licenses with expiry alerts.

Be clear on the gaps. PestShift has no dedicated field for total amount used or for the applicator's license number on the record, so those go in notes. It does not produce fumigation logs or WDO inspection reports, and it does not file California pesticide use reports. You can export chemical records to a spreadsheet to help you total monthly use per county, but the filing is yours. A printable version of the record is in our chemical application record template, the federal basics are in pesticide application record keeping, and the state summary lives at /compliance/california.

Working in other states too? Compare North Carolina and Arizona. Moving from another tool? See /switch.

Try PestShift free for 14 days if you want records that cannot be skipped before a job closes.

Frequently asked questions

How long must California pest control companies keep application records?

At least three years. 16 CCR 1970 sets three years for application reports and fumigation logs, and Business and Professions Code 8652 sets three years after completion for inspection reports, contracts and other non-financial records.

Do California structural companies file monthly pesticide use reports?

Yes. Business and Professions Code 8505.17(c) requires a monthly report of all pesticides used in each county to the county agricultural commissioner by the 10th of the following month, with a Board stamp, and a no-use report for months with no work in a county where you have given notice under Food and Agricultural Code section 15204.

Can the post-application notice be sent by email?

For exterior applications and interior work in commercial or single-unit residential structures, yes, if the occupant, owner or agent authorized email by contract or other written agreement. Interior work in a multi-unit building must be left in writing on or next to the unit door.

What must I tell a customer who asks what was sprayed?

Under 16 CCR 1970.42(c), you must give the common, generic or chemical name of each pesticide applied within 24 hours of the request. This applies to requests made within three years of the application.

Does PestShift file California pesticide use reports?

No. PestShift keeps the application records and can export them to a spreadsheet, but you or your office file the monthly report with the county agricultural commissioner.

Sources

Run all of this in one place

PestShift handles scheduling, routing, recurring plans, invoicing and chemical records for crews of one to ten. Import your customer list and we will set it up with you, free.

Start your 14-day trialSee pricing

Keep reading