Guides
Pesticide Compliance Guides
Plain-language explainers on the federal rules behind pest control recordkeeping — EPA registration numbers, FIFRA, restricted-use classification, and what actually belongs in a compliant record. For the state-specific retention periods and required fields, see the state-by-state breakdown.
Recordkeeping basics
How to Read an EPA Pesticide Registration Number
What the numbers in an EPA registration number actually mean, why every application record needs one, and how to tell a registration number from an establishment number.
FIFRA Basics for Pest Control Business Owners
A plain-language rundown of FIFRA — the federal law behind pesticide registration, applicator certification, and recordkeeping — and what it actually requires of a pest control operator.
Restricted-Use vs. General-Use Pesticides: What Applicators Need to Know
The difference between a restricted-use and general-use pesticide classification, who's allowed to apply each, and why it changes what your recordkeeping obligations are.
What Has to Be in a Compliant Pesticide Application Record
The fields that show up across nearly every state's pesticide recordkeeping rule, why each one exists, and the ones that vary state to state.
The Pesticide Label Is the Law: What That Actually Means
Why the pesticide label isn't just usage instructions but a legally enforceable document under FIFRA, what counts as a violation, and why an off-label application shows up in your records before it shows up anywhere else.
Commercial Applicator Certification: What It Actually Requires
The federal framework behind pesticide applicator certification — commercial vs. private, what direct supervision means for uncertified technicians, and why the specifics still come down to your state.
The Federal 2-Year Floor for Pesticide Records (and Why It's Rarely the Number That Applies to You)
What 40 CFR Part 171.107's 2-year federal retention requirement actually covers, why nearly every state requires longer, and why your state's rule — not the federal floor — is almost always the one that governs your business.