Connecticut pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · 9 min read

The short answer

In Connecticut, a lawn care business must record every pesticide application, general use as well as restricted use: the name and certification number of the supervisor and of the operator, the kind and amount of pesticide used and the acreage treated where it applies, the date and place (street address and town), the pest treated for, and the site treated. Keep those records at least 5 years, together with the written instructions supervisors give operators, and send DEEP a summary of the year’s pesticide use by January 31. Customers must get registry and label information before you agree to treat, applications within 100 yards of a property line are posted with a lawn sign, and neighbors on DEEP’s registry are notified ahead. We found no license or record requirement for lawn fertilizer, but phosphate is restricted.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and can depend on what you apply and where. Confirm what applies to your business with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Pesticide Management Program and the product label before you rely on anything here.

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), through its Pesticide Management Program, regulates pesticide use under the Connecticut Pesticide Control Act (Chapter 441 of the General Statutes). Its regulations are R.C.S.A. §§ 22a-66-1 to 22a-66-7, “Use of Pesticides”, and §§ 22a-66a-1 to 22a-66a-2, “Posting and Notification of Outdoor Pesticide Applications”.

Phosphate on lawns is restricted by a separate law, C.G.S. § 22-111yy, in effect since January 1, 2013, whose penalty is assessed by the Commissioner of Agriculture. DEEP officers may enter places where pesticides are used to observe applications, check whether an applicator is or should be certified, and inspect equipment.

Sources: C.G.S. Chapter 441, Pesticide Control (§§ 22a-46 to 22a-66z), DEEP Pesticide Management Program, R.C.S.A. §§ 22a-66-1 to 22a-66-7, Use of Pesticides (PDF), R.C.S.A. §§ 22a-66a-1 to 22a-66a-2, Posting and Notification of Outdoor Pesticide Applications (PDF), C.G.S. Chapter 427b (§ 22-111yy, phosphate on lawns)

Licenses you need

Certification: no one may apply pesticides commercially without a DEEP certificate. A commercial applicator is anyone who uses or supervises the use of any pesticide on property not owned or rented by them or their employer, and DEEP says this covers general and restricted use products, organic ones included.
Supervisory certificate: for whoever decides whether pesticides are used, which ones, how they are mixed, where, the dosage and timing, and the methods and precautions. The lawn care category is 3A Ornamental and Turf. You must be at least 18 and score at least 75% on the written exam; most categories add an in-person oral exam. The exam fee is $200 (up to 3 categories) and the license $285, good for 5 years.
Operator certificate: for anyone who applies, mixes or handles pesticides outside closed containers or assists under a supervisor. Junior operators must be at least 18 and score at least 80% on a 60-question exam ($200); renewal is $80 every 5 years. DEEP says a junior operator’s certificate only allows the holder to apply under a certified supervisor’s direction, receiving written instructions for every application, and not to buy restricted use pesticides or run their own pesticide business.
Renewal: certifications last 5 years, and DEEP says supervisor certifications expire January 31 of the renewal year. Supervisors need 12 continuing education credits per category in each 5-year cycle and all annual use summaries filed. A certification not renewed by midnight of its expiration date lapses; within a year it can be renewed with a late fee of 10% of the renewal fee plus 1.25% a month, after that you must be examined again.
Supervision: no commercial application may be made unless the supervisor is present (where the label requires it) or is present or gives the operator written instructions, which the operator must have at the application (they may be electronic). The supervisor must be reachable and able to get to the site within two hours. A supervisor applying for hire must carry the wallet-size certificate, and every applicator must tell DEEP of an address change within 30 days.
Junior operator training: DEEP says junior operators must complete pesticide safety training (the PERC video for non-certified applicators, with a certified supervisor or PERC trainer present) before handling pesticides and every year after. The trainer keeps a record of the operator’s printed name and signature, certification number and issuing state, certification expiry, the date, the trainer’s name and the training’s title.
Business registration: no one may run a pesticide application business, one that holds itself out for hire to apply or recommend pesticides (DEEP names lawn services), without a DEEP certificate of registration. It expires August 31 each year, costs $240 (a business with no more than one certified applicator registers without the fee), and is needed for each place of business and each business name. Report changes in writing within 30 days.
Each place of business must employ at least one supervisor certified in each category it works in. It is unlawful to advertise or solicit pesticide work without commercial certification, or for an operator to do or advertise supervisory work.
Restricted use pesticides may only be used by a certified applicator or under the direct supervision of one. DEEP may require proof of financial responsibility (insurance) in an amount it sets with the Insurance Commissioner.

Tip: Show your DEEP business registration number (the “PMBR number”) on the body of every vehicle used in the business, in newspaper, billboard and telephone directory ads, and in every written contract for pesticide application services.

Sources: C.G.S. Chapter 441, Pesticide Control (§§ 22a-46 to 22a-66z), 2026 Supplement to the General Statutes, Chapter 441 (§ 22a-54), DEEP Pesticide Management Program brochure for industry professionals (PDF), R.C.S.A. §§ 22a-66-1 to 22a-66-7, Use of Pesticides (PDF), DEEP: Certification Process and Requirements for Supervisors, DEEP: Commercial Junior Operator Certification, DEEP: Pesticide Training, DEEP: Pesticide Certification/Licensing, DEEP: Pesticide Business Registration

What to record for each application

Under C.G.S. §§ 22a-58(d) and 22a-66g, a commercial applicator and a pesticide application business keep a record of each pesticide application, general use and restricted use alike, with:

The name and certification number of the commercial supervisor and of the commercial operator
The kind and amount of pesticide used, and the amount of acreage treated if applicable
The date and place of application: the street address, unit number (if any) and town
The pest treated for
The crop or site treated, meaning the specific location at the place. DEEP says the record must identify the area of the yard, which pesticide was used at each site and how much of each was used at the place

If an operator applies less than the written instructions call for, or nothing, the record must show the amount actually applied. The business also keeps a list of the names and EPA registration numbers of the pesticides it applies (or puts the full name and EPA number on each record), the name and certification number of each certified applicator who works for it with the types of applications each performs, and the written instructions supervisors give operators.

A summary of the previous calendar year goes to DEEP by January 31; DEEP’s form is filed by each commercial supervisor. DEEP’s form lists each pesticide’s product name, EPA registration number and total amount used before diluting, is uploaded through elicense.ct.gov, and says to keep a copy at least 5 years. DEEP may refuse to renew a certification when the summary is missing, and no new or renewed certificate is issued to a commercial applicator who has not filed the previous year’s summary.

Refusing to keep records or knowingly falsifying them is unlawful and grounds to deny, suspend or revoke a certification or business registration. A commercial applicator who knowingly violates the pesticide law can be fined up to $5,000, imprisoned up to one year, or both, and violating the business sections, records included, carries a forfeiture of up to $5,000 per day.

Sources: C.G.S. Chapter 441, Pesticide Control (§§ 22a-46 to 22a-66z), R.C.S.A. §§ 22a-66-1 to 22a-66-7, Use of Pesticides (PDF), DEEP: Pesticide Control Statutes Clarification, DEEP: Certification Process and Requirements for Supervisors, DEEP: Commercial Applicator Pesticide Use Summary Report (PDF), DEEP Pesticide Management Program brochure for industry professionals (PDF), DEEP: Pesticide Business Registration

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

At least 5 years from the date the record is made or amended, whichever is later.
Keep the records at your place of business. DEEP may inspect them and copy them at reasonable times; a business based outside Connecticut must make them available at a location in the state within 10 days of DEEP’s request.
Customers: on written request, give a customer a copy of the record of an application made for them.

Source: C.G.S. Chapter 441, Pesticide Control (§§ 22a-46 to 22a-66z)

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

Before agreeing, in writing or by phone, to apply a pesticide, give the person asking and the resident or manager of the property notice of DEEP’s neighbor notification registry and a copy of the label portions showing the product name and registration number, manufacturer, active ingredients, signal word, emergency phone number (if listed) and the precautionary statements, including environmental hazards, human and animal hazards, emergency treatment and re-entry. Do the same for any other pesticide before its first application.

Lawn signs: anyone making an outdoor application within 100 yards of any property line posts a sign at each conspicuous point of entry at the time of application, and a commercial applicator also posts one at least every 150 feet of road frontage. The small-area and fenced-area exemptions are for noncommercial applications only.
The sign is 4 by 5 inches, rigid and readable for 24 hours in bad weather, black on bright yellow, with “PESTICIDE APPLICATION” in bold 36-point type, a circle at least 2 inches across with a slash over a person, child and dog, “Pesticide applied on (date) by (business name and phone number)” and “This sign must remain for 24 hours after pesticide application”. Post it 12 to 48 inches above the ground, 2 to 5 feet from the sidewalk or road, facing the road or the people entering. No one may remove it within 24 hours.
If someone who saw the sign contacts you, give them the pesticide names and EPA registration numbers, any re-entry restrictions and the date of application.
Neighbor registry: before applying within 100 yards of a property line, notify any abutting owner or tenant who has asked for notice, through you or DEEP’s registry. Make at least two attempts, as early as practicable and no later than 24 hours before, by phone, mail or in person; if they fail, try in person just before applying, then leave notice on the door. The notice gives the pesticide’s common name, the location, the date and approximate time, and your business’s name, address and phone. If the date changes, tell them at least 24 hours before the new date.
Record each notice or attempt: the date, the person and the method. A request sent to you directly is kept with your records, its original sent to DEEP within 5 calendar days, and notices start at once and continue at least 3 years (stop only after 30 days’ notice). DEEP sends the registry each year; if it has not arrived by April 15, tell DEEP in writing by April 30.
Violating the notice and posting law is fined not more than $90.

Tip: No lawn care pesticide may be applied on the grounds of a preschool or a school with students in grade eight or lower, or on a municipal playground, except in an emergency to remove a threat to human health.

Sources: C.G.S. Chapter 441, Pesticide Control (§§ 22a-46 to 22a-66z), R.C.S.A. §§ 22a-66a-1 to 22a-66a-2, Posting and Notification of Outdoor Pesticide Applications (PDF), DEEP: Pre-Notification of Pesticide Application to Abutting Property, C.G.S. Chapter 170 (§ 10-231b, pesticide applications at schools)

Fertilizer rules

We found no applicator license, application record or nitrogen limit for lawn fertilizer in Connecticut’s fertilizer statutes. Its lawn phosphorus law, C.G.S. § 22-111yy, covers fertilizer, soil amendments and compost containing phosphate:

On an established lawn (grass two or more growing seasons, customarily mowed), only when a soil test by an approved method within the previous two years shows the soil lacks phosphorus and needs it, or when establishing new grass or repairing the lawn with seed or sod.
Never on any lawn from December 1 through March 15.
Not within 20 feet of a brook, stream, river, lake, pond, sound or other water body, or 15 feet with a drop spreader, a rotary spreader with a deflector or targeted spray liquid.
Never on an impervious surface, which includes porous paving, pavers, gravel, crushed stone, decks and patios.
Products with 0.67 percent or less phosphate are not restricted. Agricultural land and golf courses are outside the law. A violation carries a $500 civil penalty from the Commissioner of Agriculture.

Sources: C.G.S. Chapter 427b (§ 22-111yy, phosphate on lawns), C.G.S. Chapter 427a, Connecticut Fertilizer Law of 2008

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 Connecticut, Finish job asks the crew for the details Connecticut lists, and the records export with the columns in Connecticut’s order. Here is each item Connecticut lists, set against what the record actually holds. Keeping the record complete and correct is still your responsibility.

Connecticut record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
Connecticut asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
Name and certification number of the commercial supervisor	Supervised by, with the supervisor’s license number when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Name and certification number of the commercial operator	Applied by: everyone riding with the crew that day starts checked, and the crew unchecks anyone who did not apply it, with each one’s license number when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Kind and amount of pesticide used	Product name and EPA Reg. No. from the chemical’s setup, total product used and gallons of mix applied	Recorded
Amount of acreage treated, if applicable	Area treated (sq ft)	Recorded
Date of application	Date applied	Recorded
Place: street address, unit number and town	Address, city, state, ZIP and county; there is no separate unit number field, so a unit is kept only when it is part of the address	Partly
Pest treated for	Target pest (editable on the job)	Recorded
Crop or site treated	Where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description), set on the job	Recorded
Which pesticide and how much at each site	One record per chemical per job with its own site and amount; one chemical used at two sites on the same job is one record with both sites in its description and a combined amount	Partly
List of pesticides applied with their EPA registration numbers	EPA Reg. No. on each record, from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Each certified applicator’s name, certification number and the types of applications they perform	Each person’s license number, category, expiry and what they are responsible for, on Who applies	Recorded
The supervisor’s written instructions to the operator, kept with the records	Not kept in GroundsQuote	Not recorded
Neighbor notification records: date, person and method of each notice or attempt	Chemical notices & contracts on the customer’s page: neighbor requests, registry notices reached or attempted, with when and how and a copy of the paper	Recorded
Annual pesticide use summary to DEEP (product, EPA number, total used before diluting)	Not produced; the totals can be added up from the chemical application records export	Not recorded

GroundsQuote does not write the supervisor’s instructions to operators, the annual use summary, the label information you hand customers before agreeing to treat or the neighbor notices themselves: those stay yours to prepare. It keeps a record of the notices you give and the attempts you make, and prints lawn signs laid out from Connecticut’s rule, with your name and phone, and the date when they are printed from the job; posting them is yours.

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), 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, 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, with each one’s standing (certified, registered technician, trained, not certified or registered), license 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, N-P-K and slow-release %, formulation, restricted-use flag, signal word, re-entry interval, and a copy of the label on file
Amounts:: Rate applied (per area), area treated in sq ft, total product used, mix ratio, water or carrier, gallons of mix applied, lb of N and P per 1,000 sq ft
Job:: Target pest and the equipment used (both set on the job), service and crew
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
Changes:: Corrections are saved as history; the earlier record is kept

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 Connecticut sources, checked on October 10, 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. Connecticut’s record rule covers each pesticide application a business makes for hire, and DEEP says anyone applying general or restricted use pesticides commercially must be certified.

Do I have to send anything to DEEP each year?

Yes. Each commercial supervisor sends DEEP a pesticide use summary for the previous calendar year by January 31, listing each product, its EPA registration number and the total used before diluting. DEEP may refuse to renew a certification when it is missing.

Can a customer get a copy of the application record?

Yes. On written request, you must give a customer a copy of the record of an application made for them.

Do I have to keep records of lawn fertilizer applications in Connecticut?

We found no fertilizer license or record requirement in Connecticut’s fertilizer statutes. The lawn phosphorus law still limits when, where and whether phosphate may be applied.

Other states

Pesticide and fertilizer record rules by state →