Trade · Starting a company · WA
Start a pest control company in Washington
What do you need to open a pest control company in Washington?
Register the business and get a Washington business licence through the Department of Revenue. Then: Get the person who will make application decisions licensed: pass the Laws & Safety exam plus every category exam the business needs (PCO Structural for structural work), or qualify by reciprocity, and pay the $250 Commercial Applicator fee. File the Commercial Company License Application (and Supplemental Commercial Applicator Application if applicable), paying $27 per apparatus after the first.
Key fact$250 Commercial Applicator licence application fee.
Washington licenses the company and its applicator together. Real-estate WDO inspections are a separate Structural Pest Inspection company licence with its own coverage.
Commercial Applicator licence from WSDA's Pesticide Licensing and Recertification Program. WSDA calls it a joint company-individual licence, required to engage in the business of applying pesticides to the land or property of another. Filed as the Pesticide/Pest Inspector License Application plus the Commercial Company License Application (and a Supplemental Commercial Applicator Application if applicable). A company doing complete WDO inspections for real estate transactions instead needs to be a licensed Structural Pest Inspection company (SPI Company License Application).
$250 Commercial Applicator licence application fee. Equipment fees of $27 per apparatus after the first may apply (WSDA Commercial Applicators page).
The individual who makes the pesticide application decisions for the company must hold the Commercial Applicator licence. They qualify by passing the Washington Laws & Safety exam plus category exams in every area the business works in, or by presenting a valid reciprocal state licence. Structural work falls under the PCO Structural endorsement. WSDA's page states no experience requirement.
Commercial Applicators must meet the financial coverage requirements of RCW 17.21.160 and .170, by one of two options. Option 1: a liability insurance policy providing $50,000 public liability coverage and $50,000 property damage coverage, with a deductible of no more than $5,000 (Commercial Applicator Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate). Option 2: a surety bond of a minimum of $100,000 (Commercial Applicator Surety Bond form). Proof must be on file before a new licence is issued. If it lapses, WSDA starts suspension. Complete WDO inspections carry separate SPI coverage, one of: a $25,000 errors and omissions policy covering two years from the inspection date; a $25,000 surety bond; a $12,500 surety bond plus a $25,000 nonoccurrence-based E&O policy; or a $25,000 assigned account held by the department.
Step by step
- 01Register the business and get a Washington business licence through the Department of Revenue.
- 02Get the person who will make application decisions licensed: pass the Laws & Safety exam plus every category exam the business needs (PCO Structural for structural work), or qualify by reciprocity, and pay the $250 Commercial Applicator fee.
- 03File the Commercial Company License Application (and Supplemental Commercial Applicator Application if applicable), paying $27 per apparatus after the first.
- 04File proof of financial responsibility with WSDA: $50,000 public liability plus $50,000 property damage insurance with no more than a $5,000 deductible, or a $100,000 surety bond. Send it to license@agr.wa.gov or WSDA Pesticide Licensing, PO Box 42560, Olympia, WA 98504.
- 05If you'll do real-estate WDO inspections, license as a Structural Pest Inspection company with its own SPI coverage and get ICNs before writing reports.
Also on the list
- You need a Washington business licence through the Department of Revenue.
- Report changes to name, address, equipment, company-employed commercial operators, and branches, DBAs or locations to WSDA within 30 days on the Supplemental Commercial Applicator Application.
- Renew the licence annually. It must be active to operate. The Commercial Applicator also goes on a five-year recertification cycle.
- Complete WDO inspection reports need an Inspection Control Number (ICN) and must meet WAC 16-228-2005 through -2045. Specific (pre-treatment) WDO inspections need the PCO Structural or SPI endorsement and employment with a licensed Commercial Applicator or SPI company carrying current insurance.
- Changing the company's Commercial Applicator means filing a new Commercial Applicator License Application with the Change of Applicator box checked.
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- WSDA — Commercial Applicators
- WSDA — Structural Pest Inspectors
- WSDA — Pesticide License Types and Categories
Fees and forms change. This is a summary of the state’s published rules, not legal advice — confirm with the agency before you file.
