Trade · Starting a company · FL
Start a pest control company in Florida
What do you need to open a pest control company in Florida?
Form the business with the state. Then: Get your operator in charge certified: qualifying experience or degree, then pass the FDACS certified operator exam in every category the business will offer. That person must be a full-time employee. Buy liability coverage at or above the s.482.071(4) minimums (split limits $250,000/$500,000 BI and $250,000/$500,000 PD, or $500,000 CSL aggregate), plus $250,000/$500,000 E&O if you'll do real estate WDO inspections.
Key fact$300 for the business license, plus $10 per employee identification card (FDACS Licensing and Certification page).
Florida needs a full-time certified operator in charge for every category you sell. Real-estate WDO inspections add an errors and omissions requirement on top of liability cover.
Pest control business license from FDACS (Bureau of Licensing and Enforcement). FDACS's page calls it the Commercial Structural Pest Control Business License. It's required under s.482.071 F.S. ('It is unlawful for any person to operate a pest control business that is not licensed by the department'). Apply online at aeslicensing.fdacs.gov.
$300 for the business license, plus $10 per employee identification card (FDACS Licensing and Certification page). The statute lets FDACS set the fee between $75 and $300, with a $50 late renewal charge after a 30-day grace period (s.482.071(2)).
A full-time certified pest control operator in charge, certified in the categories the business will perform (General Household Pest and Rodent Control, Termite and Other Wood-Destroying Organisms Control, Lawn and Ornamental, and/or Fumigation). FDACS can't issue or renew the business license unless its work is under a certified operator in charge (s.482.071(2)). The operator in charge must have their primary occupation with the licensee and be a full-time employee (s.482.152). To sit the certified operator exam you need a high school diploma or equivalent plus three years' employment as a service employee of a licensee in the category sought, one year of it in Florida in the year immediately before applying. Degree routes (entomology, horticulture and related, with 20+ semester hours of advanced training) cut this to one year's employment (s.482.132).
Minimum financial responsibility under s.482.071(4) F.S.: bodily injury $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence, and property damage $250,000 per occurrence and $500,000 in the aggregate; OR combined single-limit coverage of $500,000 in the aggregate. Licensees doing WDO inspections for real estate transactions also need errors and omissions (professional liability) insurance or a bond of no less than $500,000 in the aggregate and $250,000 per occurrence, or equity or net worth of at least $500,000 verified by CPA review or audit (s.482.226(6)).
Step by step
- 01Form the business with the state.
- 02Get your operator in charge certified: qualifying experience or degree, then pass the FDACS certified operator exam in every category the business will offer. That person must be a full-time employee.
- 03Buy liability coverage at or above the s.482.071(4) minimums (split limits $250,000/$500,000 BI and $250,000/$500,000 PD, or $500,000 CSL aggregate), plus $250,000/$500,000 E&O if you'll do real estate WDO inspections.
- 04Apply for the pest control business license at aeslicensing.fdacs.gov and pay $300, licensing every business location.
- 05Get employee identification cards ($10 each) for your service staff.
Also on the list
- Each business location must be licensed (s.482.071(3)).
- Employee identification cards at $10 per employee (FDACS).
- The certified operator in charge must notify FDACS within 24 hours of any accidental human poisoning or death connected with the licensee's work (s.482.152).
- WDO inspection reports for real estate transactions must be made on a form prescribed by the department and contain the information listed in s.482.226, including a statement that neither the inspector nor the licensee has a financial interest in the property.
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- FDACS — Pest Control Licensing and Certification
- s.482.071 F.S. (2025) — Licenses; insurance
- s.482.152 F.S. (2025) — Duties of certified operator in charge
- s.482.132 F.S. (2025) — Qualifications for examination
- s.482.226 F.S. (2025) — WDO inspection reports; financial responsibility
Fees and forms change. This is a summary of the state’s published rules, not legal advice — confirm with the agency before you file.
