Alabama pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 · 8 min read

The short answer

In Alabama, every commercial pesticide permit holder keeps a record of each application, restricted use and general use alike: the EPA registration number, the amount used, the crop or site, the pest being controlled, the rate, the location, and the date and time. The professional services rule adds the pesticide’s name, the common name of the pest, the property owner’s or agent’s name and address, your own name and address, and the type of work done. Commercial applicators keep their records at least three years (the professional services rule alone asks for one). We found no lawn sign, customer notice or neighbor notice rule for turf, and local governments may not regulate pesticide use.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and can depend on what you apply and where. Confirm what applies to your business with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Pesticide Management Section and the product label before you rely on anything here.

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ Pesticide Management Section regulates those who sell, use or supervise the use of restricted use pesticides, engage in commercial application of pesticides, and do structural pest control or horticultural work.

For-hire lawn pest control falls under Alabama’s professional services law, Code of Alabama Title 2, Chapter 28, whose rules are Alabama Administrative Code chapter 80-10-9, “Professional Service”. Under that law, “entomological work” means receiving fees for advice on, or for spraying, dusting or other methods of, controlling insect pests or rodents; “pathological work” is the same for plant diseases; and “weed control work” is the same for weeds.

The use of pesticides, including who may buy and use restricted use pesticides and the application records commercial applicators keep, is governed by the Alabama Pesticide Act of 1971 (Code of Ala. §§ 2-27-1 to 2-27-16) and Ala. Admin. Code chapter 80-1-13. All pesticides used in professional work must be registered with EPA and the Department and used consistently with their label. Restricted use pesticides in Alabama are all those EPA classifies as restricted use, plus any the Commissioner restricts, including those on the Department’s own list.

The separate custom application law (Code of Ala. §§ 2-27-50 to 2-27-63, the Custom Applicator License) does not apply to pesticide applications to lawns, trees or shrubs immediately next to a dwelling or building. The Department says a business in the horticulture categories, including Ornamental & Turf Pest Control, needs a Professional Services – Horticulture license, while the custom license is for the custom categories such as agricultural, forest, aquatic and right-of-way work.

Sources: ADAI Pesticide Management, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 28, professional services law, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-10-9 Professional Service, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 27, Article 1, Alabama Pesticide Act of 1971, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-1-13 Sale and Use of Pesticides, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-1-15 Restricted Use Pesticides, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 27, Article 3, custom application of pesticides, ADAI Pesticide Management: Certification & Testing for Commercial Pesticide Applicators and Horticulturalists, ADAI Pesticide Management: Custom Licenses

Licenses you need

Professional services permit: before doing or soliciting (including by advertising) professional work, a business must get an annual permit from the Commissioner, which the Department calls a Professional Services License. It expires on September 30 and is renewed by October 1. For work other than structural pest control it costs $175 for each main office location, and a $50 delinquent penalty is added when the fee is not paid by November 1 or within 31 days of its due date.
The Department issues Horticulture Professional Services Licenses to businesses that do and solicit Landscape Design, Tree Surgery, Setting of Landscape Plants and Ornamental & Turf Pest Control (OTPS), and that have a certified operator who has passed the exam and applied for a commercial applicator license in that category. The application lists each certified supervisor’s legal name, date of birth, last 4 digits of the Social Security number, certification number, categories and expiration date, and warns that companies are delinquent as of October 1, with civil penalties of up to $3,000.
The Ornamental and Turf Pest Control category covers preventing, controlling or eradicating pests of ornamental plants, shade trees and turf. Control of pests such as fleas, ticks and ants within, under or on structures, including adjacent areas, is the separate structural category Industrial, Institutional and Household Pest Control.
Exams: the applicant must pass the Department’s written examination in the category before a permit is issued. Applicants for supervisor certification in Ornamental and Turf Pest Control submit a written statement of their training and experience. Exams are held on the third Tuesday of March, June, September and December (in 2026: March 17, June 16, September 15 and December 15) at $75 per exam; the Department also offers weekly computer-based testing for $125 per exam.
Supervisors: each place of business must be under the supervision of a certified supervisor (the owner or a full-time resident employee), and no supervisor may supervise more than one place of business. The permittee designates a responsible supervisor for each office, answers for that supervisor’s actions, and the supervisor must be in charge of and actually take part in the office’s operation. “Supervision” means the work is done by a competent person under the direction and control of a supervisor who is available when needed; the supervisor need not be present unless the label or the situation requires it.
Tell the Commissioner in writing within 10 days of a change of location or address, the opening or closing of an office, or a change of supervisor.
All vehicles and mobile equipment used in professional work must show the permittee’s name in letters at least three inches high on a contrasting background.
Commercial applicator permit: applicators who use or supervise the use of restricted use and other pesticides on ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers and turf are certified in the Ornamental and Turf Pest Control category, and a person must hold a pesticide-use permit before buying or using a restricted use pesticide. The permit costs $45 per category, for first issue and each renewal. Exam scores are valid for 12 months, and someone who fails must wait at least 10 days to retest unless the Commissioner waives it.
Recertification: commercial applicator permits are renewed every three years by earning 30 points in the three-year period at Department-approved training in each certified category, or by passing a reexamination. An expired permit can be renewed for up to one year after it expires; after that a new permit must be earned. The Commissioner may subtract up to 15 points a year for proven negligent application.
A competent person who is not permitted may apply a restricted use pesticide only under the direct supervision of a permit holder, who must either give detailed written or oral instructions and a way to reach him, or be physically present when the hazard or the label requires it.
Reciprocity: the Department grants reciprocal commercial certification to applicators certified in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina or Tennessee. The Ornamental & Turf (OTPS) reciprocal fee is $120, and OTPS does not need the General Standards (core) category.
Insurance: the rules set a $150,000 minimum liability insurance only for the structural categories (wood-destroying organisms, household pest control and fumigation); no insurance or bond amount is set for Ornamental and Turf Pest Control.

Tip: Doing professional work without a permit, or violating the law or its rules, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $25 to $500 and up to six months in jail. The Commissioner may impose civil penalties of up to $3,000 for operating without a license, permit or certification, and up to $10,000 for misusing a restricted use pesticide or $5,000 for any other pesticide. Penalties rise for a repeat of the same violation: by 100% within 12 months, 50% within 24 months and 25% within 36 months.

We could not confirm whether mosquito and tick yard sprays fall under Ornamental and Turf or under a structural or public health category; ask the Department if you offer them.

Sources: Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 28, professional services law, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-10-9 Professional Service, ADAI Pesticide Management: Professional Services, ADAI: Application for Professional Services License – Horticulture (PDF), ADAI: Application for Professional Services Examination(s) (PDF), ADAI: Professional Services Examinations, 2026-2027 exam schedule (PDF), ADAI: Request for Change of Information for Professional Services Operators (PDF), Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-1-13 Sale and Use of Pesticides, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 27, Article 1, Alabama Pesticide Act of 1971, ADAI: Application for Commercial Pesticide Applicator Permit (PDF), ADAI: Application for Reciprocal Commercial Pesticide Applicator Certification (PDF), Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-5-1 Standards for Assessment of Civil Penalties

What to record for each application

Two record rules apply to a lawn care company. Under Ala. Admin. Code 80-1-13-.14, every commercial pesticide permit holder keeps records of each application of restricted use and other (general use) pesticides, with:

The EPA registration number of the pesticide used
The amount of pesticide used
The crop or site on which it was used
The pest being controlled
The rate of application
The location of each application
The date and time of the application

Under the professional services rule, 80-10-9-.15, the permittee also keeps complete and accurate records of all work performed, including copies of contracts if issued, with:

The name and address of the property owner or authorized agent, and the name and address of the permittee
The type of professional work or services performed, and the date it was performed
For pesticides: the name of the pesticide, the amount used, the site on which it was used, the common name of the pests being controlled, and the date of application

Neither rule sets a deadline for making the record after the application. Failing or refusing to keep required records, or making false records, is grounds to revoke or refuse a permit or certification. The maximum civil penalty for failing to keep required books and records is $1,000, and a missing record and an incomplete record both count.

Sources: Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-1-13 Sale and Use of Pesticides, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-10-9 Professional Service, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-5-1 Standards for Assessment of Civil Penalties

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Commercial pesticide permit holders keep their application records for at least three years.
Under the professional services rule, work records are kept one year, and pesticide use records one year from the last date of treatment or one year after their expiration date, or as EPA requires. The three-year rule is the longer of the two.
Records must be available for examination by the Commissioner or an authorized agent during reasonable business hours. The Commissioner or an agent may enter a pesticide user’s premises during application or normal business hours, examine and copy any required records, sample pesticides ready for application and observe application techniques.
Failing to give the Commissioner, on request, complete information about the methods and materials used or work performed is grounds to revoke or refuse a permit or certification.
We found no rule giving the customer a right to a copy of the application record.

Sources: Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-1-13 Sale and Use of Pesticides, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-10-9 Professional Service, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 27, Article 1, Alabama Pesticide Act of 1971

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

We found no lawn sign, posting, advance customer notice, neighbor notice or notification registry requirement for turf applications in Alabama’s pesticide and professional services laws or rules. The only notice-type rules found are for aircraft (no aerial deposit within 400 feet of schools, hospitals, nursing homes or occupied churches, and written consent of an adult inhabitant before aerial application inside a residential or business property line), which do not apply to ground lawn work. The written contracts, foundation diagrams, waiver forms and annual inspection reports the rules require are for subterranean termite work, not lawn work.

Counties, cities and other local governments may not adopt or keep any ordinance, rule or resolution regulating the use or application of pesticides (building and fire codes aside), and local laws doing so were repealed, so there are no local lawn sign or notice ordinances. We also found no school pesticide notice or posting rule.

Sources: Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-10-9 Professional Service, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-1-13 Sale and Use of Pesticides, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-1-14 Application of Pesticides by Aircraft, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 28, professional services law, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 27, Article 1, Alabama Pesticide Act of 1971, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 27, Article 3, custom application of pesticides, Ala. Admin. Code agency 290, State Board of Education, Code of Ala. § 2-27-5.1 (and full-text search for “pesticide”)

Reports filed with the state

No pesticide use report is required for lawn work. The only regular activity report in the professional services rules is the monthly report of subterranean termite work (owners’ full names, complete addresses treated and date of treatment), completed by the 10th of each month for the month before and kept for three years.

Sources: Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-10-9 Professional Service, Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 28, professional services law

Fertilizer rules

The Alabama Fertilizer Law of 1969 (Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 22) is administered by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries. We found no applicator certification, application record, nitrogen or phosphorus limit, blackout date or setback for turf fertilizer in the Fertilizer Law or the Department’s fertilizer rules.

Anyone who sells commercial fertilizer to a user needs a fertilizer dealer permit for each place of business (fee up to $10, expiring September 30), unless licensed as a manufacturer or labeler.
A bag or container of a pesticide-fertilizer mixture must carry a bright yellow caution tag headed “PESTICIDE-FERTILIZER MIXTURE” (or words of like import) with the pesticide ingredient and warning statements.
Counties and cities may not regulate the sale, storage or application of fertilizers; the subject belongs to the Department, except where a stricter standard is required for impaired waters under a storm sewer permit.

Sources: Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 22, Alabama Fertilizer Law of 1969, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-1-6 Sale of Commercial Fertilizer, Code of Ala. § 11-80-15 Regulation of fertilizer

How GroundsQuote’s chemical records line up

GroundsQuote keeps an application record for each chemical a crew puts down on a job. On a job at a property in Alabama, Finish job asks the crew for the details Alabama lists, and the records export with the columns in Alabama’s order. Here is each item Alabama lists, set against what the record actually holds. Keeping the record complete and correct is still your responsibility.

Alabama record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
Alabama asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
EPA registration number of the pesticide used	EPA Reg. No., from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Name of the pesticide used	Product name, as entered in the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Amount of pesticide used	Total used	Recorded
Crop or site on which it was used	Where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description), required on Alabama jobs at Finish job, with the job’s service	Recorded
Pest being controlled, by common name	Target pest, set for each chemical on the job	Recorded
Rate of application	Rate applied (per area)	Recorded
Location of each application	The property’s street address, unit, city, state, ZIP and county	Recorded
Date and time of application	Each chemical’s own start and finish time, offered on Alabama jobs at Finish job (blank = the job’s start and finish, recorded when the crew starts and finishes it; the office can correct them)	Recorded
Name and address of the property owner or authorized agent	Customer name and mailing address, with the billing name and address	Recorded
Name and address of the permittee	Your business name, address and phone on each record of the export (“Permittee name/address” in the Alabama layout), with your business license number when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Type of professional work or services performed	The job’s service	Recorded
Records of all work performed, not only chemical jobs	The job history export: every finished customer job with its date, service, crew and address	Recorded
Copies of contracts, if issued	Chemical notices & contracts on the customer’s page: each contract with its dates, the signed copy and the accepted quote it came from	Recorded
Restricted use applied by a non-permitted person under a permit holder’s direct supervision	Supervised by and the supervisor’s written instructions, offered on Alabama jobs at Finish job; a restricted use chemical with nobody certified applying it and no supervisor named shows a warning; oral instructions, how the supervisor could be reached and whether they were there are not recorded	Partly
Commercial applicator permit renewal every three years with 30 recertification points	Not handled by GroundsQuote: each person’s license expiry is kept and shown red once passed, but points and renewals are yours to track and file	Not recorded

The records export can be laid out in Alabama’s order, with your business name and address and each chemical’s own times. Keep your Professional Services license renewal, one certified supervisor per office, the 10-day change notices, applicator permit renewals and recertification points, vehicle lettering and any fertilizer dealer permit outside GroundsQuote.

Everything a GroundsQuote application record holds

When:: Date and time applied (when the job was finished), job start and finish times (the office can correct them), each chemical’s own start and finish when several go down on one job, and when people may go back onto the lawn (from the label’s re-entry interval)
Where:: Customer name, phone and mailing address, street address, unit number, city, state, ZIP and county of the property, and where on the property it went (front lawn, beds, fence line…)
Who:: Everyone who applied it (the crew riding that day starts checked) and the person supervising, trainees and people who planned it, with each one’s standing (certified, registered technician, trained, not certified or registered), license number, certification or ID number, category and expiry, and the business license when license-keeping is switched on
Product:: Name, type, manufacturer, EPA registration number, state registration number, EUP / Section 18 / 24(c) number, active ingredients, scientific name, concentration, N-P-K and slow-release %, formulation, restricted-use flag, signal word, re-entry interval, the label’s precautions, and copies of the label, safety data sheet and fact sheets on file
Amounts:: Rate applied (per area), area treated in sq ft, total product used, mix ratio, use dilution (%), water or carrier (gallons, and the carrier when it is not water), gallons of mix applied, devices placed, lb of N and P per 1,000 sq ft
Job:: Target pest and the equipment used (both set on the job), the vehicle or sprayer’s license plate, where it was mixed and loaded, permit number, other records the label requires, the supervisor’s instructions, whether the drift plan was used, a review sign-off with the reviewer’s license number and corrective action, a map of the treated area attached to the job, service and crew; your business name, address and phone
Weather:: From the nearest weather station at the start and finish (temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, gusts, rain in the last hour, conditions), and the conditions on site: the crew confirms the station reading or enters the wind, direction and temperature they measured
Your state:: Each job follows the rules of the state its property is in: Finish job asks for the details that state lists and waits until they are filled in, and the records export in that state’s column order
Paperwork:: An application statement for each job to print, leave or email (each product with its EPA number, active ingredients, type, purpose, rate, amount and mix, where on the property, the date and time, who applied it, the re-entry time and your notes for the customer, with the state’s own lines), and lawn signs laid out from the state’s rule
Kept beside the records:: Each person’s training, ID copies and certificates and what they are responsible for; neighbor requests and notices, registry notices and attempts, notices given to customers, signed waivers and contracts, each with a copy of the paper; soil tests per property; incidents, disposal and purchases in the chemical logs; totals for a year or a month by county, supervisor or product; whether a customer agreed in writing to get application information by email
Changes:: Corrections are saved as history; the earlier record is kept
Reminders:: Finish job reminds the crew of the state’s own steps (a record deadline, trainee paperwork) and warns when a restricted-use chemical has nobody certified applying or supervising it; the schedule lists chemical jobs left without a record in states with a deadline

See how it works on the job in chemical records and field tools, or read about GroundsQuote for lawn treatment companies.

Official sources

Everything on this page comes from these Alabama sources, checked on October 11, 2026. Read them for the full text and any changes since.

Keep application records as the crew finishes the job

Set the chemicals each service uses once. The crew sees the planned amounts for each lawn, and finishing the job saves the record with the product, rate, area, applicator and weather.

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Questions

Do I need records for general use products, or only restricted use?

Both. Alabama’s rule has every commercial pesticide permit holder keep records of each application of restricted use and other pesticides, including the date and time of the application.

How long do I keep Alabama application records?

At least three years under the commercial applicator rule. The professional services rule asks for one year, so the three-year rule is the one to follow. The records must be available to the Commissioner or an authorized agent during reasonable business hours.

Do I have to put up lawn signs or notify neighbors in Alabama?

We found no lawn sign, posting, advance customer notice, neighbor notice or registry requirement for turf applications in Alabama’s pesticide and professional services laws or rules, and local governments may not regulate pesticide use or application.

Which license does a lawn care company need?

The Department says a business doing Ornamental & Turf Pest Control needs a Professional Services – Horticulture license, $175 a year for each main office, with a certified supervisor at each place of business. People who use or supervise restricted use pesticides on turf hold a commercial applicator permit in the Ornamental and Turf Pest Control category, $45 per category, renewed every three years.

Does Alabama have a turf fertilizer law for lawn care companies?

We found no applicator certification, application record, nitrogen or phosphorus limit, blackout date or setback for turf fertilizer. A fertilizer dealer permit is needed to sell commercial fertilizer to a user, and counties and cities may not regulate fertilizer application.