How to Verify a Pest Control License in Florida

In Florida, it is unlawful to operate a pest control business that isn't licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, under Chapter 482 of the Florida Statutes. Each business location needs its own license, the business must operate under a certified operator in charge, and every employee who does pest control must carry a state identification card with their photo and signature. Rat and mouse work inside buildings falls under the general household pest control category.

Before anyone sets a trap or a bait station at your Jacksonville home, ask for the company's license, the certified operator's name and the technician's ID card, and look them up. This guide shows how, and covers the federal and state rules on rodenticides.

The business license

Section 482.071 makes it unlawful to operate a pest control business that isn't licensed by the department, and each business location must be licensed. The same section sets minimum insurance. For bodily injury, a licensee must carry at least $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence, with property damage coverage required as well. Fumigation companies must carry more.

If you are a business owner, condo board or property manager, ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts.

The certified operator in charge

Every licensed business has to work under a certified operator in charge for the categories it performs. UF/IFAS Extension's homeowner guide to choosing a pest control service suggests asking who that person is, and says that if the person who comes to inspect your home can't name the certified operator in charge, that should be a concern.

A small company may have the owner as its certified operator. A larger company may have one for each location. Write the name down so you can look it up.

Which category covers rats and mice

Section 482.111 lists certification categories, including fumigation, general household pest control and lawn and ornamental pest control, with termite and wood-destroying organism work handled separately. The definitions in section 482.021 describe general household pest control as pest control in any structure, other than fumigation and termite or other wood-destroying organism work. Trapping and baiting for rats and mice in and around a home falls there.

There is one more credential you may see. Section 482.157 creates a limited certificate for commercial wildlife trapping, covering control of rodents with nonchemical methods such as traps and mechanical or electronic devices. It doesn't allow chemical rodent control other than adhesive materials. A trapper with only that certificate can trap rats and mice but can't place rodenticide.

The technician's ID card

Section 482.091 says each employee who performs pest control must carry a current identification card with the employee's signature and current photograph. New employees must complete at least 5 days of field training under a certified operator before doing pest control.

UF/IFAS's guide says technicians, salespeople and office staff should be ready to show a state ID card on request. It is reasonable to ask the person at your door.

How to look up a company

UF/IFAS's homeowner guide points to the FDACS public database search. Its directions: go to aeslicensing.fdacs.gov, select Reports, then choose the report for individual licenses under Statutes 388 and 482. Enter the operator's name under Licensee's Name. A legal operator shows active under License Status.

Check that the name and status match what the company told you, and that the business name matches the one on your quote. If a company won't give you a license number or the certified operator's name, move on. There are plenty of licensed providers on the First Coast.

Questions to ask before hiring

Ask these on the phone or at the first visit:

1. Who is your certified operator in charge, and in which category?
2. Is this business location licensed by FDACS?
3. Will the technician carry a state ID card?
4. Can you send a certificate of insurance?
5. What will you place at my house, and is any of it rodenticide?
6. Which entry points will you seal, and with what?
7. Can I get the plan and the price in writing?

UF/IFAS also advises getting quotes in writing, reading the whole contract before signing, and not feeling pressured into special deals.

Doing it yourself

Section 482.211 says Chapter 482 doesn't apply to pest control, other than fumigation, that a person performs on their own residential property. You can set traps or use consumer bait stations at your own Jacksonville home without a license, as long as you follow product labels. Doing pest control for someone else for pay requires a license. See best rat and mouse traps for the trap side.

Current rodenticide rules

EPA's rules from its 2008 decision still shape what consumers can buy. According to EPA, consumer rodenticide products must be sold with bait stations that securely contain the poison, must be block or paste bait because loose bait forms are no longer permitted for consumers, and must come in packages of one pound or less. Consumer products can't contain the second-generation anticoagulants brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum or difethialone, though pest control professionals can still use them.

In November 2022, EPA proposed further changes. The proposed interim decisions would classify all second-generation anticoagulants, strychnine and zinc phosphide products as restricted use pesticides, along with first-generation anticoagulant, bromethalin and cholecalciferol products over one pound. UF/IFAS's Pesticide Information Office described these as upcoming changes in late 2023, including a ban on refillable bait stations for consumer-sized products. EPA's page doesn't report a final decision, so check EPA for the current status.

In Florida yards, UF/IFAS says poison baits used outdoors must be in a tamper-resistant bait station, and that it is illegal to place rodenticide baits where children, pets, livestock or wildlife can reach them. Many Jacksonville technicians prefer traps inside homes so rodents don't die in walls.

Red flags

Be careful with anyone who:

• Won't give the certified operator's name or a license you can look up
• Shows up without an ID card
• Gives a firm price before seeing the property
• Wants cash up front for the whole job
• Plans to scatter loose bait inside the house
• Can't explain what they will seal and with what

For what a fair price looks like, see the cost guide.

Common questions

Related reading

• Rodent control cost
• Best rat and mouse traps
• Rodent Inspection
• Restaurant rodent violations