In Pennsylvania, a pesticide applicator's application record must be completed within 24 hours of the application and kept for three years. Each record shows the application date (and the hour, if a reentry time applies), the location with address and specific site, the size of the treated area, the product's brand name and EPA registration number, the total amount applied, the dosage or application rate, and the applicator's name and certification number. The rule is 7 Pa. Code §128.65(b).
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. We last reviewed the Pennsylvania citation on September 4, 2026. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the Pennsylvania agency that licenses your applicators before you rely on this page. Our short profile of the same rule is at /compliance/pennsylvania.
What must a Pennsylvania pesticide application record include?
Under Pennsylvania Code, Title 7, §128.65, as listed in our state profile, each record includes:
- The application date, and the hour if a reentry time applies.
- Location details: the address and the specific site treated.
- The size of the treated area.
- The product's brand name and EPA registration number.
- The total amount applied.
- The dosage or application rate.
- The applicator's name and certification number.
Read the full section on the Cornell LII copy of 7 Pa. Code §128.65 before you design a form around this list. Our summary covers the core fields; the rule text is what an inspector will check against.
Pennsylvania's list is heavy on numbers. The record needs both the rate and the total amount, plus the size of the area treated, so a technician cannot get away with "perimeter spray, as needed". And the EPA registration number has to be the registration number, not the establishment number near it on the label. Pesticide application record keeping explains the difference.
When does a Pennsylvania record have to be completed?
Within 24 hours of the application. A record written up on Friday afternoon for Monday's jobs is late, however accurate it is.
The simplest way to meet the 24-hour rule is to finish the record on the job, before the technician leaves the property. If your records are written up in the office at the end of the week, change that habit first.
How long do Pennsylvania pesticide records have to be kept?
Three years, under §128.65. Keep them where you can produce them quickly when asked. If you change software, the duty does not move with the vendor: export your old records before you cancel. How to switch pest control software covers what to export first.
Licensed in Ohio as well? Ohio also keeps records for three years but lists a different set of fields; see Ohio pesticide record keeping.
How do federal rules fit with Pennsylvania's?
The federal law behind pesticide use is FIFRA, administered by the EPA (EPA FIFRA overview). Under FIFRA, certified applicators of restricted-use pesticides have a federal recordkeeping requirement under 40 CFR Part 171 (EPA, certification and training for restricted use pesticides). States can and often do add stricter rules on top of that federal floor, which is why retention periods and required fields vary from state to state.
Day-to-day inspections of pest control businesses are almost always run by the state agency that licenses applicators. For routine Pennsylvania jobs, the state rule above is the one to meet. Our record audit guide covers how an inspection usually goes, and pest control license requirements covers licensing.
Checklist: Pennsylvania record fields and where they live in PestShift
| Field (7 Pa. Code §128.65(b)) |
Where it lives in PestShift |
| Application date and hour |
Date and time saved on the record |
| Address and specific site |
Property on the job, plus target areas field |
| Treated area size |
No dedicated field: add it to the record's notes |
| Product brand name |
Product field, from your product library |
| EPA registration number |
EPA registration number field |
| Total amount applied |
Quantity applied field |
| Dosage or application rate |
Rate field |
| Applicator name |
Applicator on the record, from the technician on the job |
| Applicator certification number |
License number in license tracking, shown on invoices and service reports with the applicator |
| Completed within 24 hours |
The job can't be closed until the record exists |
How does PestShift help with Pennsylvania records?
PestShift records each pesticide application as part of the job. By default, a job can't be marked complete until its chemical application record exists, which pulls the record into the visit instead of the end of the week. You choose which services need one, and which of rate, quantity and method are required, so for Pennsylvania you can make rate and quantity mandatory.
Each record holds the product and EPA registration number, rate and quantity, application method, target pests and target areas, who applied it and when, and the weather at the property. Records are add-only, so a correction is saved next to the original instead of overwriting it. Technicians can fill them in on the offline app with no signal, and the record syncs when they are back in range.
Each technician's licenses, with number and expiry date, live in license tracking, and PestShift flags visits booked with a missing or expiring license. Every application record exports to a spreadsheet for any date range, so three years of records are a download.
What it does not do: there is no dedicated field for treated area size, so put it in notes, and PestShift does not file anything with the state for Pennsylvania. A paper version is in our chemical application record template. Compare other states on our state compliance guides, or, if you are choosing software, read FieldRoutes vs PestPac.
Start a free 14-day trial and get every record finished on the job.
Frequently asked questions
How long must Pennsylvania pesticide application records be kept?
Three years, under 7 Pa. Code §128.65.
How soon must a Pennsylvania pesticide record be completed?
Within 24 hours of the application.
What fields does a Pennsylvania pesticide record need?
The date (and hour if a reentry time applies), the address and specific site, the treated area size, the product's brand name and EPA registration number, the total amount applied, the dosage or rate, and the applicator's name and certification number.
Does the record need the applicator's certification number?
Yes. Our profile of §128.65(b) lists the applicator's name and certification number.
Do Pennsylvania records cover general-use pesticides too?
The federal 40 CFR Part 171 requirement is about certified applicators of restricted-use pesticides. Most states add their own rule that covers general-use work too. Read §128.65 and confirm with the state how it applies to your jobs.
When was this page last checked?
The Pennsylvania citation was last reviewed on September 4, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the state agency.
Sources
- Pennsylvania Code, Title 7, §128.65 (Cornell LII copy), reviewed September 4, 2026
- EPA, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) overview, reviewed September 4, 2026
- EPA, pesticide classification and Restricted Use Product overview, reviewed September 4, 2026
