Limited Commercial Landscape and Limited Lawn and Ornamental Training 

About this Training 

Did you know a license is required to apply any pesticide as part of your landscape business?  Professionals are often surprised to find they may face a fine of up to $5,000 per infraction for applying pesticides without a license, even when only using herbicides such as Roundup®.  This training provides the six hours of required instruction in order to take the Limited Commercial Landscape Maintenance exam to acquire the license to use caution labeled products in beds and shrubs associated with buildings as part of a landscape business.  This license does not allow applications to turf and each pesticide applicator must be licensed.  Application equipment is limited to backpacks and handheld pump-up sprayers; not powered equipment.

This training also covers material in preparation for the Limited Lawn and Ornamental Exam for in house maintenance crews of school, and other managed properties in turf and ornamental areas associated with buildings.  Training is not mandatory in order to take this exam, however may be beneficial for review.

Please note the name of this license is easily confused with three other licenses.  See this EDIS publication: Licensing of Lawn and Ornamental Pesticide Applicators in Florida at http://polk.ifas.ufl.edu/AG_Safety/files/pdf/LicensingOfLawnAndOrnamental.pdf  for an explanation of the available licenses.  See more information on available licenses at www.polksmallfarms.com.

Materials required for those taking the Limited Commercial Maintenance Exam

• Completed application, including picture and $150 check made out to FDACS.  Print application form, complete and bring to training.   See application at http://www.flaes.org/pdf/lndspckt.pdf.  Note insurance referenced in application is required before a license will be issued, but is not mandatory to take the exam.

• Study materials as noted below.

Materials required for those taking the Limited Lawn and Ornamental Exam

• Completed application, including picture and $150 check made out to FDACS.  Print application form, complete and bring to training.  See application at  http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/onestop/forms/13610.pdf.
• Study materials as noted below.

Materials required for those attending for CEUs

• None
• Please note to renew the Limited licenses 4 CEUs are required and may be in either the Limited category or Core category.  It is not necessary to attend this specific training and other training opportunities are available.  It may be beneficial to attend other training on topics of interest such as those related to current pests and cultural issues.    Sign up for email updates on pesticide training opportunities and other developments by visiting www.polksmallfarms.com. 

Study Materials for Exam

For purchase

These test study manuals are available from the IFAS Bookstore in Gainesville, either by ordering online (not currently available) or by calling 1-800-226-1764. If you order with a credit card, you should receive the books within 4-5 business days.

• Applying Pesticides Correctly: A Guide for Pesticide Applicators (CORE) (1998) (SM-1). $7.00. Also called the "CORE Manual".
• Ornamental and Turfgrass Pest Management (2005) (SM-7). $20.00.

Law- Review online or contact the Bureau of Entomology at 850-921-4177 for a copy

• The 2008 Florida Statutes, Chapter 482: Structural Pest Control Act
• Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 5E-14: Entomology - Pest Control Regulations
  Note: you only need 5E-14, not 5E-13 (or anything before that) or 5E-15 (or anything after that).

Free publications for Download

• Licensing of Lawn & Ornamental Pesticide Applicators in Florida [246KB pdf]
• Posting of Lawn & Ornamental Pesticide Applications [44KB pdf]
• Additional information on related topics may be found at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

Certification Required for Commercial Fertilizer Applicators

Did you know a law requiring certification for those applying fertilizer commercially was passed in 2009? Find out more information about this certification and training dates at http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/professionals/BMP_overview.htm.