Georgia pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

In Georgia, every licensed pesticide contractor must record all of its pesticide applications, general use and restricted use alike: the date and time, the customer, the location, what was treated, the area treated or total amount applied, the target pest, the pesticide and rate, the type of equipment, the applicator, any unexpected occurrence such as a spill or drift and what was done about it, and any pesticides disposed of. Keep those records two years. At every application to a lawn or landscape, post a sign at the main entry points until the next day and leave a written statement for the customer. Lawn care businesses need a pesticide contractor license for each location and a certified commercial applicator in Category 24, Ornamental and Turf. We found no state rules on how turf fertilizer is applied.

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

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture administers and enforces the Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act of 1976 (O.C.G.A. §§ 2-7-90 to 2-7-114). The Department’s rules under the Act are Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 40-21, “Pesticide Use and Application”, and its Pesticide Program licenses pesticide contractors and commercial applicators, including for lawn care.

People subject to Georgia’s Structural Pest Control Act are exempt from the Pesticide Use and Application Act for the work that Act regulates. Counties and cities may not adopt or keep their own ordinances on pesticide use, though they may still issue business licenses and make zoning decisions. The Commissioner may enter premises at reasonable times to inspect application equipment, sample treated land or the pesticide being applied, and watch an application.

Sources: O.C.G.A. §§ 2-7-90 to 2-7-114, Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act of 1976 (PDF), Georgia Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Pest Control

Licenses you need

Pesticide contractor license: no one may be in the business of contracting to apply any pesticide to another’s land without a license for each business location. The Department names lawn care and maintenance companies and landscape contractors among those who need one, whenever a fee is charged or the applications are part of a maintenance contract.
Each business location must keep at least one certified commercial pesticide applicator in full-time employment whenever it operates. The contractor license costs $55 a year, expires at the end of the calendar year, and a late renewal carries a 50% penalty.
Financial responsibility: the license is only issued with liability insurance, a surety bond or a cash deposit. For ground contractors the minimum insurance is $25,000 bodily injury per occurrence, $10,000 property damage per occurrence and $25,000 aggregate, with a deductible of no more than $500; a bond or cash deposit must be at least $20,000. The Commissioner must be notified 10 days before the bond or insurance is reduced or cancelled. The license application doubles as the certificate of insurance.
Certified commercial applicator: anyone who uses or supervises the use of any pesticide for a pesticide contractor counts as a commercial applicator and must be licensed or work under the direct supervision of a licensed one. The Department says applying any pesticide, general use or restricted use, to another person’s property for a fee takes both a Commercial Applicator License and a Pesticide Contractor License.
Lawn care is Category 24, Ornamental and Turf Pest Control: the maintenance and production of ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers and turf. Certification takes the general standards exam and a category exam, each passed with 70%. An exam may be taken no more than once a month or twice in six months, and both must be passed within a year of the first. The Department says the Georgia Technical Colleges give the exam for $45 each time.
The commercial applicator license runs five years and costs $90. To renew, a Category 24 applicator needs 10 hours of Department-approved training, completed at least 90 days before the license expires, or must pass a new exam. A late renewal carries a 50% penalty, and after 60 days the license is cancelled and a new exam is needed.
Direct supervision: the worker applies under the instructions and control of a certified applicator who is available if and when needed, even when not on site. For restricted use pesticides the rule spells it out: the worker follows specific written or oral instructions, and the certified applicator is responsible for everyone under his supervision. A certified commercial applicator may supervise uncertified workers only in the categories he is certified in. No uncertified person may apply a restricted use pesticide whose label requires a certified applicator.
We found no separate registration, ID card or training requirement for non-certified employees in the Act or the Chapter 40-21 rules.
An applicator licensed in another state with substantially the same standards may have all or part of the exam waived; the reciprocal application fee is $90.

Sources: O.C.G.A. §§ 2-7-90 to 2-7-114, Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act of 1976 (PDF), Georgia Department of Agriculture: Pesticide Contractors, Georgia Department of Agriculture: Pest Control FAQ, Georgia Department of Agriculture: Pesticide Contractor Licenses, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-21-8, Financial Responsibility, Georgia Department of Agriculture: Pesticide Contractor License Application (PDF), Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-21-2, Categories for Certified Applicators, Georgia Department of Agriculture: Pesticide Applicator License Categories, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-21-3, Standards of Competency, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-21-4, Recertification and Applicator License Renewals, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-21-6, Application by Uncertified Persons, Georgia Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Pest Control

What to record for each application

Under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-21-5, every licensed pesticide contractor keeps true and accurate records of all pesticide applications it performs. The Department says this means general use and restricted use alike, and its own form is optional as long as the information is recorded. (A commercial applicator working on his own, not for a contractor, records only restricted use applications.) Each record holds:

Date and time of application
Name of the person it was applied for
Location of the application site (the Department’s form says the address of the area treated)
Crop or target it was applied to (turf, shrubs, beds…)
Acreage, size of the area treated, or the total amount of pesticide applied
Target pest
Pesticide used and the application rate (for example per acre or per 1,000 sq ft)
Type of equipment used (spreader, hand or backpack sprayer, power equipment)
Name of the applicator: the person who actually made the application
A note of any unexpected occurrence at or during the application, such as a spill, exposure of people or non-target animals, or drift, and any corrective or emergency action taken
Names, concentrations and quantities of any pesticides disposed of, and how they were disposed of

The Department’s form also has a header for the company name and the commercial applicator’s name and license number. The rule sets no deadline for making the record. Refusing or neglecting to keep the required records, or making false ones, is grounds to deny, suspend or revoke a license, and any violation of the Act or its rules is a misdemeanor. The Department says contracting without the required license can bring an injunction and a fine of up to $1,000 per violation, with each application counted separately.

Sources: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-21-5, Record Keeping Requirements, Georgia Department of Agriculture: Contractors Pesticide Use Record Form (PDF), O.C.G.A. §§ 2-7-90 to 2-7-114, Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act of 1976 (PDF), Georgia Department of Agriculture: Pesticide Contractors

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Pesticide application records: two years.
The Commissioner or a designated agent may inspect them during normal business hours where they are kept, and must be given a copy on written request.
The Commissioner may subpoena books and records in a hearing about a license.
Anyone claiming damage from an application files a written statement with the Commissioner within 60 days of the damage, and the Commissioner then notifies the licensee.

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

Georgia’s posting rule (40-21-9) covers every pesticide application to a landscape, residential or not, except a homeowner treating his own single-family home. A landscape is any maintained area of turf, trees, shrubs or other ornamental plants.

At the time of application, post a sign at the primary point(s) of entry to the treated area, and leave it until the day after the application.
The sign must be at least 4" × 5", of sturdy weather-resistant material, printed in colors that contrast with the background, with its bottom edge 8 to 12 inches above the ground. The rule’s diagram shows “CAUTION”, “PESTICIDE APPLICATION” and “KEEP OFF” with a keep-off symbol, and “THIS SIGN MAY BE REMOVED ON THE DAY AFTER APPLICATION”.
After each application, leave a statement at the residence (with the property manager for a multi-unit residence, or the owner, manager or custodian of a public non-residential property) giving the address and specific areas treated, the company’s name and phone number, the name of the person who made the application, the complete brand name of the pesticide as on the label, and the date.
Pesticide injected directly into plants is exempt. Golf courses post an 8" × 10" notice in the golf shop, clubhouse or at the first tee instead.

We found no advance notice, notification registry or neighbor notice requirement for lawn applications in the Act or the Chapter 40-21 rules.

Sources: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-21-9, Application Posting, O.C.G.A. §§ 2-7-90 to 2-7-114, Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act of 1976 (PDF)

Fertilizer rules

Georgia regulates fertilizer as a product rather than how it is applied. The Department’s Fertilizer Program licenses companies that manufacture or guarantee fertilizer sold in Georgia, registers specialty fertilizers and compiles tonnage reports. Under the Georgia Fertilizer Act, the company whose name is on the label needs a $100-a-year fertilizer license (expiring June 30); “specialty fertilizer” includes fertilizer for lawns, and custom-mixed specialty fertilizer does not have to be registered. The Commissioner’s fertilizer rulemaking power covers distribution.

We found no applicator certification, application record, nitrogen or phosphorus limit, blackout date or setback for turf fertilizer in the Fertilizer Act or the Department’s fertilizer rules (Chapter 40-6). Counties and cities may not adopt their own ordinances on the use or application of fertilizer.

Sources: Georgia Department of Agriculture: Fertilizer, O.C.G.A. §§ 2-12-1 to 2-12-21, Georgia Fertilizer Act of 1997 (PDF), Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 40-6, 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 Georgia, Finish job asks the crew for the details Georgia lists, and the records export with the columns in Georgia’s order. Here is each item Georgia lists, set against what the record actually holds. Keeping the record complete and correct is still your responsibility.

Georgia record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
Georgia asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
Date and time of application	Date and time applied (when the job was finished; the office can correct it), plus the job’s start time	Recorded
Name of the person it was applied for	Customer	Recorded
Location of the application site	Address, city, state, ZIP and county of the property, and where on the property it went	Recorded
Crop or target it was applied to	Where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description), set on the job, and the service	Recorded
Acreage, size of area treated, or total amount applied	Area treated (sq ft) and total used	Recorded
Target pest	Target pest (editable on the job)	Recorded
Pesticide used and application rate	Product name (with its EPA Reg. No.) from the chemical’s setup, and the rate applied	Recorded
Type of equipment used	Equipment used, set on the job (it starts from the chemical’s setup)	Recorded
Name of applicator	Applied by: everyone riding with the crew that day starts checked, and the crew unchecks anyone who did not apply it	Recorded
Commercial applicator’s name and license number (header of the Department’s optional form)	Supervised by, with the license number when license-keeping is switched on in settings	Recorded
Unexpected occurrences (spills, exposure, drift) and corrective action	Not kept on the application record	Not recorded
Pesticides disposed of: names, concentrations, quantities and how	Not kept	Not recorded

Keep a log of spills, drift and other unexpected occurrences and of pesticide disposal outside GroundsQuote. GroundsQuote prints a lawn sign with the wording the rule’s diagram shows (check it against the drawing) and an application statement for each job with the address and areas treated, your company name and phone, who applied it, each product’s brand name and the date; leaving it at the residence and posting the sign are yours. When you email the statement, it is kept with the customer’s notices.

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 Georgia 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, if you work as or for a licensed pesticide contractor. Georgia’s rule requires contractors to record all pesticide applications they perform, and the Department says this covers general use and restricted use alike. Only a commercial applicator working on his own, not for a contractor, is limited to restricted use records.

Do I have to put up a lawn sign in Georgia?

Yes. For every pesticide application to a lawn or landscape, other than a homeowner treating his own home, post a sign of at least 4" × 5" at the main entry points to the treated area at the time of application and leave it until the next day. After each application, also leave a written statement with the areas treated, your company’s name and phone, the applicator, the product’s complete brand name and the date.

Does Georgia limit fertilizer on lawns?

We found no applicator certification, application record, nitrogen or phosphorus limit, blackout date or setback for turf fertilizer in the Georgia Fertilizer Act or the Department’s fertilizer rules, which deal with licensing, registering and labeling fertilizer. Counties and cities may not adopt their own fertilizer use ordinances.

Other states

Pesticide and fertilizer record rules by state →