A Private Applicator is a person who uses a restricted use pesticide in the production of an agricultural commodity on their own or leased property, such as dairy farms, orchards, nurseries, turf farms and greenhouses.

In order to become certified as a private applicator, the individual must be at least 16 years of age and pass a written closed book certification examination administered by MDA with a score of 70% or higher. The examination consists of multiple choice questions on core, regulations and label interpretation.

Subject matter contained in the examination is based on the Core training manual that is available from the county offices of the University of Maryland Extension (UME). The examination dates are scheduled by the county offices of the UME. The UME provides pesticide education to Maryland applicators. The county extension educators offer optional training sessions to assist applicators in preparing for the examination.

Upon completion of the certification exam, the person will be notified, in 2 to 3 weeks, of the test results and after passing the exam, the person will be instructed to submit $7 to MDA for the certificate. The private applicator certificate runs from January 1 through December 31 and is valid for three years.

In order for a private applicator to renew their certificate, they are required to attend an MDA-approved recertification training session during the last year of the current certification period. Recertification training provides applicators with new information on pest control, health and environmental safety, pest management technology, and changes in pesticide laws and regulations to help the applicator continue to use pesticides safely and effectively. The training must consist of a minimum of 4 credits (1 credit is equal to ½ hour of training), that is the equivalent of two hours of pest or pesticide related topics as determined by MDA and UME.