Academy · Licensing · IL
Illinois pest control licence requirements
How do you get a pest control licence in Illinois?
Illinois applicator licences are issued by Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Division of Environmental Health, Structural Pest Control Program. Requirements are set per category rather than as a single general licence, so the exam you sit and the hours you carry depend on which categories you intend to work. Details below are published only once verified against the agency.
Reviewed by LTK editorial team
- Issuing agency
- Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Division of Environmental Health, Structural Pest Control Program
- Exam structure
- Every applicant takes the General Standards exam, which alone certifies a technician for general-use pesticides. Restricted-use certification needs General Standards plus at least one sub-category exam, and a qualifying education, approved course or experience record. 70% is required on each exam. IDPH schedules the exams from its Pest Control Exam Calendar; the application must reach IDPH at least 15 days before the chosen date. Commercial restricted-use work requires the matching sub-category from A–D or H; sub-categories E–G alone do not permit commercial restricted-use work. A business cannot be licensed until it employs at least one certified technician.
- Application fee
- $75
- Cycle length
- 36 months
- Agreements
- Non-residents certified by CLOSED-BOOK exam in a state with substantially equal requirements may be certified by reciprocity, only in the matching categories, on a letter from the home-state agency (77 Ill. Adm. Code 830.300). Illinois residents cannot use reciprocity. The current restricted-use application has a reciprocity checkbox for Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin or Missouri., Losing the home-state certificate cancels the Illinois reciprocal certificate.
Reciprocity is the most commonly misunderstood part of moving states. We publish only agreements confirmed by the agency, never inferred ones.
Licence categories
| Code | Category |
|---|---|
| General Standards | General Standards Examination (General Use Pesticides) |
| A | Insects, Rodents and Other Pests |
| B | Termites and Other Wood-Destroying Organisms |
| C | Birds |
| D | Fumigation |
| E | Food Processing, Manufacturing and Storage |
| F | Institutional and Multi-unit Residential Housing |
| G | Public Health Pest Control |
| H | Wood Products Pest Control |