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Pesticide Applicator Training

Online asynchronous format to fit your education around your life.
Gain a wealth of knowledge curated by experts, ensuring you are properly prepared.
Career opportunities can expand with this certificate.
Colorado specific & tailored to Colorado's unique environment and regulations.
Overview Open Accordion

CSU Extension's program stands out for its comprehensive learning content, covering essential aspects of pest management strategies, pesticide properties, environmental and public safety considerations, applicator safety, and the relevant laws and regulations specific to Colorado. Our goal is not only to impart knowledge but also to prepare participants for the Colorado licensing exam by identifying and addressing the necessary training and licensing requirements.

Why choose this program?

Online Asynchronous Format
Learn at your own pace with our flexible, self-paced online format. No need to compromise your schedule – fit your education around your life.

Robust and Comprehensive Content
Delve into a wealth of knowledge curated by experts, ensuring you are well-versed in the intricacies of pesticide application and safety.

Career Opportunities
This certificate can help expand career opportunities and open up new doors for individuals.

Colorado-Specific Content and Application Regulations
CSU Extension’s course is tailored to Colorado's unique environment and regulations, providing practical insights for both agricultural and residential settings within the state.



Pesticide Applicator Continuing Education Courses

Maintaining your pesticide applicator license is essential for staying compliant with regulations and ensuring safety in the field. We offer three specialized continuing education courses (CEUs) designed to help you keep your license current while gaining valuable insights into critical topics like applicator safety, environmental protection, and resistance management.

Our courses, approved by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, provide you with the necessary credits to meet the State's continuing education requirements. Whether you’re focused on respiratory protection, navigating endangered species regulations, or managing pesticide resistance, these courses will equip you with the knowledge to remain a responsible and effective applicator.

Continuing Education (CE) Credits

Licensed pesticide applicators must complete ongoing education to keep their licenses active. Attending educational classes or workshops helps private and commercial applicators stay skilled and up to date with evolving technologies.

These classes offer valuable insights on pest control, environmental and health safety, advancements in pest management techniques, and updates to pesticide regulations, ensuring applicators continue to apply pesticides in a safe and efficient manner.

Requirements

All licensed pesticide applicators in Colorado are responsible for keeping their licenses current and renewing them on time. Below are key requirements that applicators need to keep in mind:

  • A License must be renewed every three years.
  • The license expiration date aligns with the applicator’s birthdate.
  • Continuing Education Credits (CECs) can be earned at any time within the three-year cycle.
  • If a license expires after the three-year window, applicators will need to retake the exam to regain certification.
  • Applicators can earn the necessary credits by attending any Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA)-approved recertification training.

Course Options

Pricing

  • $20 per 1-credit course
  • $50 for a 3-course bundle

These courses offer a cost-effective way to meet your continuing education requirements while staying informed about critical updates in pesticide application and safety practices.

Stay tuned for upcoming courses and ensure your professional skills are always up to date!

Questions?

Review Continuing Education FAQ's here.

Who is this program for? Open Accordion

This program is designed for commercial and private pesticide applicators in Colorado who are interested in becoming licensed pesticide applicators, supervisors, or operators and require test preparation for licensure. Moreover, this program may be used to fulfil Colorado technician classroom training requirements. Learners who complete all module quizzes are eligible to earn an electronic certificate of completion upon request.

Career Opportunities Open Accordion

Upon completing CSU Extension's training course, you position yourself for the role of a licensed pesticide applicator in Colorado, unlocking opportunities in agriculture, landscaping, and related industries. Moreover, the training course builds a fundamental knowledge base, equipping you for other pivotal roles such as:

Qualified Supervisor:

A person working for or on behalf of a commercial, limited commercial, or public applicator, engaging in activities such as independently assessing pest issues, suggesting pest controls involving pesticides or devices and handling the mixing, is required to hold a license as a qualified supervisor. To qualify for this license, a Qualified Supervisor must fulfill specific on-the-job experience requirements tailored to each licensure category.

Certified Operator:

An individual employed by or representing a commercial, limited commercial, or public applicator, utilizing restricted-use pesticides without on-site supervision from a qualified supervisor, is required to hold a license as a certified operator. Obtaining this license does not entail any experience requirements.

Private Applicator:

An individual who utilizes or oversees the application of a restricted-use pesticide to produce an agricultural commodity on property owned or leased by the applicator or their employer, or, if the application involves no compensation other than the exchange of personal services between agricultural commodity producers, on another person's property, is required to obtain a license as a private applicator.

Colorado Study Guidebook (optional) Open Accordion

This course will review content in the Category 100: General Guide & Colorado Department of Agriculture Manual available for purchase on the National Pesticide Safety Education Center’s website. Learners are encouraged to purchase this guide, but it is optional. Additional Colorado guidebooks are also available for purchase by visiting the Colorado state section of the website.

Instructors Open Accordion
Lisa Blecker

Lisa Blecker

Lisa is the Colorado Environmental Pesticide Education Program (CEPEP) Manager and the Administrator for the Pesticide Regulatory Education Program (PREP). As a pesticide safety educator, she delivers pesticide safety Train-the-Trainer programs for those who train fieldworkers and pesticide handlers throughout the state. She oversees the revision of study guides and exams for applicators seeking their private and commercial applicator certificates and licenses, delivers continuing education programs for pest management professionals statewide, and teaches an undergraduate course, Understanding Pesticides.

Hannah Geisterfer

Hannah Geisterfer

Hannah works for CEPEP on developing and editing educational content for pesticide applicators and agricultural workers. Before working for CEPEP, she was a course coordinator for a continuing education program and more recently coordinated agricultural research at one of CSU’s agricultural experiments stations.


For questions about curriculum, please contact: PesticideSafety@colostate.edu.

For questions about course registration, contact: Outreach_Team@colostate.edu.

Questions?

We love learning about your goals and answering any questions you have.

Program Details

Courses
Online Asynchronous
Credits
N/A
Tuition
$50
Certificate Awarded
Training Certificate
Time Frame
6-8 hours

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