For a resident of Nebraska to obtain a new commercial or non-commercial pesticide applicator license, a person needs to do the following:

• Pass a General Standards (core) exam (60 multiple choice questions, 70% passing)
• Pass at least one category exam, tied to the sites or pests you will be controlling
• Complete a license request form
• Pay the appropriate license fee ($90 for a commercial license)

For PRIVATE applicator online training click here.
For information about Pearson VUE testing click here.

To prepare for these exams, a person should obtain study manuals through the University of Nebraska Extension at pested.unl.edu. A listing and description of categories can be found at: Categories of Commercial and Noncommercial Pesticide Applicators.

UNL Extension also offers Initial Certification training sessions where videos with a review of training highlights may be viewed prior to taking NDA exams. Please note that exams are based off the content of written manuals and NebGuides, not videos.

Once all exams are successfully completed, a billing statement for the license will be issued. An applicator is not considered licensed until all necessary exams are completed and the license fee has been collected and processed.

Licenses expire April 15 of the third year after it is obtained or renewed. Renewal of licenses may be accomplished by:

• Attending an approved continuing education course which includes updates to both General Standards (core) information and category-specific information.
• Complete a license request form
• Pay the appropriate license fee

 

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Some applicator categories do not have an option for recertification by training; recertification can only be achieved by retesting or at an NDA-approved meeting out of the Pesticide Safety and Education Program. These categories are listed below. For recertification by testing, please visit pested.unl.edu/testing-only-sessions to schedule an exam.

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