Academy · CEU requirements · WA
Washington pest control CEU requirements
How many CEUs does Washington require for pest control licence renewal?
It depends which licence you hold — Washington sets a different obligation for each tier, and they are not even measured the same way. Commercial Applicator, Commercial Operator, Structural Pest Inspector, Public Operator, Consultant owe 40 wsda-approved credits every five years, or retest; Private Applicator owe 20 wsda-approved credits every five years, or retest; Limited Private and Rancher Private Applicator owe reduced credit requirement, and all credits must relate to weed control. There is no single pooled number, which is the most common reason somebody arrives at renewal short.
Key factIssuing agency: Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) — Pesticide Management Division
Reviewed by LTK editorial team
- Requirement
- Set per licence tier — see the table below
- Cycle length
- 12 months
- Deadline
- Credits must be completed by 11:59 p.m. Pacific on 31 December to count toward that calendar year. Credits CANNOT be carried over into the next five-year cycle — anything surplus is lost at the cycle boundary. WSDA will not review missing credits for courses that took place before the previous calendar year, and all credits must be reported by the course sponsor, not by you.
- Accepted formats
- WSDA-approved on-site courses, WSDA-approved webinars, WSDA-approved self-paced internet courses, Retesting toward the end of the five-year cycle, in place of credits entirely
- Agency
- Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) — Pesticide Management Division
- Agency site
- https://agr.wa.gov/services/licenses-permits-and-certificates/pesticide-license-and-recertification
- Application fee
- Not verified yet — we only publish it once it is
- Exam structure
- Written exams administered by WSDA, both paper-based and computer-based, at sites including Olympia, Yakima, Spokane, Wenatchee and Moses Lake. A Commercial Applicator must be licensed in every category in which they work. Commercial Applicators must also carry proof of financial coverage on record with WSDA. Structural Pest Inspector is its own licence and its own exam, covering WDO identification, damage, and conducive conditions.
What each licence tier owes
| Licence tier | Requirement | Detail that catches people out |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Applicator, Commercial Operator, Structural Pest Inspector, Public Operator, Consultant | 40 WSDA-approved credits every five years, or retest | No more than 15 credits may be earned in any one calendar year, so the requirement cannot be left to the final year of the cycle — 40 credits needs a minimum of three calendar years. This is the single most common way a WA licence is lost. |
| Private Applicator | 20 WSDA-approved credits every five years, or retest | No more than 10 credits in any one calendar year. |
| Limited Private and Rancher Private Applicator | Reduced credit requirement, and all credits must relate to weed control | These two types also renew every five years rather than annually. Confirm the current figure with WSDA — it is the one tier where the published third-party numbers disagree. |
Credits must be completed by 11:59 p.m. Pacific on 31 December to count toward that calendar year. Credits CANNOT be carried over into the next five-year cycle — anything surplus is lost at the cycle boundary. WSDA will not review missing credits for courses that took place before the previous calendar year, and all credits must be reported by the course sponsor, not by you.
Sources
- https://agr.wa.gov/services/licenses-permits-and-certificates/pesticide-license-and-recertification
- https://agr.wa.gov/services/licenses-permits-and-certificates/pesticide-license-and-recertification/recertification
- https://agr.wa.gov/services/licenses-permits-and-certificates/pesticide-license-and-recertification/recertification/recertification-by-credit
- https://agr.wa.gov/services/licenses-permits-and-certificates/pesticide-license-and-recertification/pesticide-and-spi-licensing/pesticide-license-types-and-categories
- https://dnr.wa.gov/publications/fp_pestic_laws_booklet.pdf
Common questions
- How many CEUs does Washington require for pest control licence renewal?
- Commercial Applicator, Commercial Operator, Structural Pest Inspector, Public Operator, Consultant: 40 WSDA-approved credits every five years, or retest. Private Applicator: 20 WSDA-approved credits every five years, or retest. Limited Private and Rancher Private Applicator: Reduced credit requirement, and all credits must relate to weed control.
- Who issues pest control licences in Washington?
- Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) — Pesticide Management Division
- Do online courses count toward Washington CEU requirements?
- Accepted formats: WSDA-approved on-site courses, WSDA-approved webinars, WSDA-approved self-paced internet courses, Retesting toward the end of the five-year cycle, in place of credits entirely.
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