Georgia Pest Control License Requirements (2026)

Regulatory Body

Georgia Department of Agriculture, Structural Pest Division (with the Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission) (GDA SPD / SPCC) administers and enforces this credential under the authority of O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 45 (Georgia Structural Pest Control Act); Rules of the Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 620 (effective April 8, 2026). Regulates and licenses structural pest control companies, certified operators, and registered employees under the Georgia Structural Pest Control Act. Company licenses are approved by the Structural Pest Control Commission (SPCC), which meets monthly on the second Tuesday.

• Official portal: https://agr.georgia.gov/structural-pest-control
• Address: Georgia Department of Agriculture, 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30334. The current Commission rules direct applications to the address on the GDA website; use the current company-license page or GDA instructions when filing.
• Phone: (404) 656-3641

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Check the current application for identification and tax-number requirements. No residency requirement was identified in the statute or on official GDA pages.

Good moral character

Implied. The Commission may deny examination or certification to a person convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude (O.C.G.A. 43-45-9(a)).

Background investigation

No fingerprint-based background check was identified. The Commission may deny examination or certification to a person convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude (O.C.G.A. 43-45-9(a)).

Disqualifying conditions

• Crime involving moral turpitude (may be denied examination or certification)

Experience and Education

The applicant must document and verify at least 2 years of Certified Operator: at least 2 years of verifiable structural pest control experience, with one year within the last 5 years; OR a degree in entomology, public health, or a related field plus 1 year of actual structural pest control experience within the last 5 years. Registered Employee: 10 hours of classroom training plus 70 hours of on-the-job experience under a certified operator or registered employee before exam eligibility.. Keep payroll, tax, project, or supervisor records to support the claim, as the board can request proof for any period within its lookback window.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

• Verifiable employment/experience documentation submitted to the SPCC
• Degree or transcript for the education substitution
• DCO-signed exam application

Education substitution

A degree in entomology, public health, or a related subject substitutes for one year of the two-year experience requirement; the applicant still needs 1 year of recent field experience.

Exam Requirements

This credential carries no state-administered written exam under the cited sources. What governs instead is: Georgia Department of Agriculture, delivered via computer-based testing at GeorgiaPestExam.com (Registered Employee exams are also offered at participating technical colleges)

Examination fee: $45 per category exam

Retake policy: For Certified Operators, an applicant who fails an examination twice within 12 months must wait six months from the last examination before retaking it. A Certified Registered Employee who fails the second examination must wait 30 calendar days before retaking it. Each retake requires a new application and examination fee.

Insurance and Bonds

Financial responsibility for a structural pest control business runs through pesticide (environmental) liability insurance rather than the surety bond a construction contractor posts; some states additionally require a bond for termite or subterranean work. The requirement that applies in this jurisdiction is set out below.

General liability

Required before a company license is issued. Household Pest Control, Honey Bee Removal, and Fumigation companies must carry at least $50,000 bodily-injury and $50,000 property-damage coverage per occurrence, with a $200,000 annual aggregate, plus pollution-liability coverage for sudden and accidental discharge or release. Wood-destroying Organism (WDO/termite) companies must carry at least $100,000 bodily-injury and $100,000 property-damage coverage per occurrence, with a $500,000 annual aggregate, plus occurrence-based errors-and-omissions coverage. Coverage must have a 30-day cancellation-notice provision; a company license is automatically suspended on lapse.

Workers' compensation

Not confirmed on official pages.

Additional financial requirements

Not required for licensure; proof of insurance is required before a company license is issued.

Fee Schedule

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Georgia pest control.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Expect to renew the Structural Pest Control Company License every 2 years. Renewal currently costs $170. Company licenses, operator certifications, employee registrations, and research fees run for two years or a fraction thereof and expire June 30 of each odd-numbered year. The company renewal charge is $100 plus the $70 research fee; operator certification is $100 and employee registration $10. The five-year CE certification period runs separately from the two-year administrative renewal.

Continuing education: Certified Operators must earn continuing-education credits over a FIVE-year certification period: 12 credits for Fumigation, 25 for Household Pest Control, and 25 for Wood-destroying Organism Control (with computer-based-training caps noted on the official page), or retake the certification examination before expiration. These CE totals accumulate over the 5-year certification period, not the biennial administrative renewal cycle.

Reciprocity

How Georgia treats a pest control operator already certified in another state — and whether any applicator-certification reciprocity applies — is covered below; NASCLA has no bearing here.

No structural pest control reciprocity or endorsement for out-of-state certified operators was identified on the official GDA pages consulted; applicants appear to qualify through Georgia's own experience and examination process. NASCLA is a construction-contractor credential and does not apply to pest control.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares Pest Control license requirements in every state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Pest Control Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Georgia's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

• Alabama Pest Control License Requirements — Structural Professional Services License (business), paired with an individual Commercial Applicator certification as Certified Operator
• Florida Pest Control License Requirements — Commercial Structural Pest Control Business License (Chapter 482, F.S.)
• North Carolina Pest Control License Requirements — Structural Pest Control License
• South Carolina Pest Control License Requirements — Pesticide Business License (Category 7A) with a Designated Certified Applicator (Commercial Applicator, Category 7A)
• Tennessee Pest Control License Requirements — Tennessee Pest Control Charter

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

1. Meet the Certified Operator experience requirement. Accumulate at least 2 years of verifiable structural pest control experience (one year within the last 5 years), or earn a degree in entomology, public health, or a related field plus 1 year of recent field experience.
2. Pass the core and category exams to become a Certified Operator. Pass the core general-standards (general competency) exam plus a category exam for each category (FUM, HPC, or WDO) via computer-based testing at GeorgiaPestExam.com. Category exams cost $45 each and return instant results.
3. Obtain the Certified Operator certification. Pay the $100 Certified Operator certification fee to the GDA. This individual credential is the qualifying professional the business must designate as its Designated Certified Operator (DCO).
4. Apply for the Structural Pest Control Company License. Submit the company license application designating a DCO for each service category. Applications received by the 1st are considered at that month’s SPCC meeting (normally the second Tuesday). The two-year company license fee is $100 plus a $70 UGA research fee.
5. Secure the mandated liability insurance. Obtain the pesticide/pollution liability coverage required before issuance — $50,000/occurrence and $200,000 aggregate for HPC/fumigation, or $100,000/occurrence, $500,000 aggregate plus E&O for WDO/termite work — with 30-day cancellation notice.
6. Register all employees and add sub-offices as needed. Register each employee who performs or solicits structural pest control as a Registered Employee. An applicant qualifying through training documents 10 hours of classroom instruction and 70 hours of supervised on-the-job experience before the General Examination. Single-employee locations may operate under a sub-office license supervised by the head-office DCO.
7. Maintain certification and renew on schedule. Administrative credentials expire June 30 of odd-numbered years (biennial). Certified Operators must earn CE credits over the five-year certification period (12 FUM / 25 HPC / 25 WDO) or retake the certification exam before expiration.

Application Checklist

The most critical documents or confirmations the applicant should have in hand before filing with GDA SPD / SPCC:

• Confirm at least 2 years of verifiable structural pest control experience (or a qualifying degree plus 1 recent year) before applying to become a Certified Operator.
• Pass the core general-standards exam and the category exam(s) for each category you will service (FUM, HPC, or WDO) at GeorgiaPestExam.com.
• Designate a Certified Operator (DCO) for every service category the company will offer.
• Obtain the required liability insurance for each category — $50,000/$200,000 for HPC/fumigation, or $100,000/$500,000 plus E&O for WDO — before the company license is issued.
• File the company license application so it is received by the 1st of the month for review at the SPCC's monthly meeting.
• Register every employee who performs or solicits structural pest control as a Registered Employee (10 hrs classroom + 70 hrs supervised OJT before the General Examination, unless qualifying by another rule pathway).
• Include the $100 company-license fee and $70 UGA research fee with the application; budget $100 for the Certified Operator certification and $45 per category examination.

Progress is saved in this browser, so you can return to this checklist while your application is in flight.

Common Filing Mistakes

Drawn from the board instructions and sources cited on this page, the pitfalls below are the ones most likely to slow down or sink a Georgia Pest Control application.

Operating without both tiers

A company license without a Designated Certified Operator for each category — or a Certified Operator with no company license — cannot legally offer structural pest control for hire. Both credentials must be in place simultaneously.

Doing WDO/termite or fumigation work without that category

Category 30 WDO and Category 28 Fumigation each require their own category exam. WDO/termite work also demands higher insurance ($100,000/occurrence, $500,000 aggregate) plus errors-and-omissions coverage; performing it under an HPC-only credential is a violation.

Letting insurance or certification lapse

Liability coverage must be maintained continuously with 30-day cancellation notice — a company license is automatically suspended if it lapses. Certified Operators who miss CE credits or fail to retake the exam within the five-year certification period lose their qualifying status.

Unregistered technicians applying pesticides

Employees performing or soliciting structural pest control generally must be Registered Employees. An applicant qualifying through the training route completes 10 hours of classroom instruction and 70 hours of supervised on-the-job experience before the General Examination; the rules provide limited supervision and temporary-registration provisions.

Study and Reference Materials

What follows are the regulator-cited and commonly used preparation references for this trade. They appear here for convenience only; CLR takes no compensation for them.

• GDA Certified Operator License page — Georgia Department of Agriculture. Official source for Certified Operator requirements, categories, fees, and CE credit totals.
• GeorgiaPestExam.com computer-based testing portal — Georgia Department of Agriculture. Where core and category structural exams are scheduled and delivered with instant results.
• GDA Structural Pest Applicator Testing page — Georgia Department of Agriculture. Details Registered Employee training (10 hrs classroom + 70 hrs OJT) and testing procedures.

Other Georgia Trade Licenses

If the Pest Control license is not the right fit, the following published Georgia trade guides are also covered by CLR:

• Georgia General Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Electrician License Requirements
• Georgia Plumber License Requirements
• Georgia HVAC Technician License Requirements
• Georgia Roofing Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Painting Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Landscaping Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Masonry Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Concrete Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Carpentry Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Solar Installer License Requirements
• Georgia Low-Voltage Technician License Requirements
• Georgia Fire Sprinkler Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Home Inspector License Requirements
• Georgia Pool Contractor License Requirements
• Georgia Handyman License Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a license to do pest control in Georgia?

Yes. Performing structural pest control services for hire in Georgia requires a Structural Pest Control Company License issued by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and the company must employ a Designated Certified Operator for each service category. Employees who perform or solicit the work must also be Registered Employees. Operating without these credentials violates the Georgia Structural Pest Control Act.

What is the difference between the company license and the Certified Operator certification?

They are two separate credentials with separate fees. The Structural Pest Control Company License authorizes the business itself to operate for hire and requires proof of insurance. The Certified Operator certification is an individual credential earned through experience and the core plus category exams. A company must designate a Certified Operator (the DCO) for each category it services — one credential does not substitute for the other.

Do termite and fumigation work require separate certifications?

Yes. Wood-destroying organism control is Category 30 (WDO) and fumigation is Category 28 (FUM); each requires passing its own category exam in addition to the core general-standards exam. WDO/termite companies must also carry higher liability insurance — not less than $100,000 per occurrence and $500,000 aggregate — plus errors-and-omissions coverage on an occurrence basis.

How much does the Georgia company license cost?

For each two-year license period, the current Commission rule sets a $100 company-license fee plus a $70 research fee. A Certified Operator certification is $100, a category examination is $45 each time taken, and Registered Employee registration is $10. Insurance and any additional category or employee costs are separate.

How do Certified Operators keep their certification current?

Administrative credentials expire June 30 of odd-numbered years on a biennial cycle. Separately, Certified Operators must earn continuing-education credits over a five-year certification period — 12 credits for Fumigation, 25 for Household Pest Control, and 25 for Wood-destroying Organism Control — or retake the certification examination before expiration. Confirm how the biennial renewal and five-year CE period interact with the agency.

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