Indiana pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

In Indiana, commercial applicators must keep records of restricted use pesticide applications: the customer, the site, who applied it and the responsible applicator with their license number, the date and start and stop times, the plants or sites treated and the principal pests, the area treated, each product’s brand name and EPA registration number, and the amount used. Keep them 2 years. The record section covers restricted use pesticides only. Senate Enrolled Act 216 voided the old lawn marker, customer notice and general record rules effective July 1, 2024, so Indiana now has no lawn sign or customer notice rule for for-hire lawn applications.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and can depend on what you apply and where. Confirm what applies to your business with the Office of Indiana State Chemist and the product label before you rely on anything here.

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Office of Indiana State Chemist, located at Purdue University, administers Indiana’s pesticide use and application law, Indiana Code 15-16-5. Since July 1, 2024 the state’s application, record, school and supervision requirements are in that statute itself. The remaining pesticide use rule is 355 IAC 4, which covers categories, certification, insurance, termite control customer disclosure and continuing certification hours.

Tip: The rules changed in 2024. Senate Enrolled Act 216 (P.L. 29-2024) voided all of 357 IAC 1, which held the lawn marker and customer notice rule (357 IAC 1-5), and the record rule 355 IAC 4-4, effective July 1, 2024. If you learned Indiana’s lawn sign, customer notice or general use record rules before then, they no longer apply.

A 2023 law bars the Pesticide Review Board and the State Chemist from imposing, by rule or otherwise, any requirement on the storage, use, application or record keeping of a general use pesticide by a commercial applicator or licensed pesticide business that is stricter than federal law or Indiana statute. A rule made after June 30, 2023 under IC 15-16-5 may not be stricter than federal pesticide law unless Indiana law specifically authorizes it; the statute lists the authorized stricter requirements, such as proof of liability insurance for for-hire general use businesses and access to the label when applying. Cities, towns and counties may not regulate the use or application of pesticides by ordinance.

Sources: Indiana Code 2026, Title 15 (IC 15-16-1.5 to 15-16-5) (PDF), 355 IAC 4 Pesticide Use and Application, 357 IAC 1 Definition; Use of Pesticides (voided), Senate Enrolled Act 216 (2024), P.L. 29-2024 (PDF), OISC: Commercial Pesticide and Fertilizer Applicators, OISC: Rules, Regulations and Laws

Licenses you need

Pesticide business license: no one may be in the business of applying restricted use pesticides, general use pesticides or fertilizer material on another person’s property for hire without one. It costs $45 a year and is needed for each business location or business name from which for-hire pesticide or fertilizer work is done, and at least one licensed applicator for hire must be associated with each location.
Insurance: a pesticide application business must carry at least $300,000 general liability (combined single limit for bodily injury and property damage), shown on a certificate of insurance from the insurer, and send the State Chemist updated proof whenever the insurance or bond expires or is changed. The bond, insurance or certificate of financial responsibility must stay in force the whole license term. If it lapses, the business license and every associated applicator license and technician registration are invalid until it is back in force and the license is reinstated.
Applicator license: an employee of a licensed business may not apply general use pesticides or fertilizer material for hire on another person’s property without a license as a licensed applicator for hire, except that a registered technician may apply general use pesticides and fertilizer material. A certified and licensed applicator must be at least 18, shown by valid government identification. The license costs $45 and must be renewed with the fee each year.
Expiry: the statute says business and applicator licenses expire January 1 of the year after issue; OISC’s applicator page and credentials form say credentials expire December 31. Tell the State Chemist in writing within 10 days of a change in or end of employment as a licensed applicator for hire.
Categories: 3b, Turf management, covers pesticides on turf and related areas (driveways, sidewalks, residential parking areas, landscape beds but not the ornamental plantings in them, fence lines, riprap) and fertilizer materials on turf, but not pesticides applied to prevent infestation of a structure. 3a, Ornamental pest management, covers ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers and related areas such as landscape beds and fence lines. 7a covers pests other than termites in or around structures such as homes and offices.
Fertilizer for hire: OISC says anyone applying fertilizer material for hire must work for a licensed business and be a certified and licensed applicator or a registered technician, and that certification to apply fertilizer for hire on turf is the category 3b exam.
Exams and certification: commercial applicators pass a closed-book core exam and a category exam with 75%, and may not try an exam more than three times in twelve months. Initial certification lasts through December 31 of the fourth year after the exam was passed. Renew by retaking the exams or by earning continuing certification hours: 20 for category 3b and 15 for 3a per period, no more than half of a category’s hours from one training program, with no carry-forward. Renewed certification lasts through December 31 of the fifth year after renewal.
Registered technicians: someone not certified or licensed who registers with the State Chemist may apply general use pesticides or fertilizer materials for hire while employed by a licensed business. To register, pass the core exam or complete a Purdue core or registered technician training (in person or online), apply on the State Chemist’s form and pay the fee ($45 a year on OISC’s credentials form). A newly trained technician may start at once by emailing the State Chemist the business name, their name, a statement that they met the training requirement and a promise to send the application and fee within five business days.
Technician renewals: eligibility runs through December 31 of the fourth year after the exam or training and is extended five years at a time with at least 8 continuing registration credits from two or more approved programs. The registration expires December 31 each year unless renewed with the fee; a late fee carries a 100% penalty.
Restricted use pesticides: a person who is not licensed may apply one only under the direct supervision of a licensed applicator as described in 40 CFR 171.201. OISC says the supervisor must keep, for two years, a record of each noncertified applicator’s annual training (their name and signature, the date, the trainer’s name and the training’s title), and must give them access to the labeling at all times, protective equipment, site-specific instructions, daily equipment checks and a means of immediate communication.

Sources: Indiana Code 2026, Title 15 (IC 15-16-1.5 to 15-16-5) (PDF), 355 IAC 4 Pesticide Use and Application, OISC: Training, Certification & Licensing Requirements for Indiana Pesticide Users (PDF), OISC: Direct Supervision of Noncertified Applicators Using Restricted Use Pesticides (PDF), OISC: Commercial Pesticide and Fertilizer Applicators, OISC: Insurance Requirements for a Licensed Pesticide Application Business, OISC: Mandatory Training Options to become a Registered Technician, OISC: Application for Indiana Pesticide Credentials (PDF)

What to record for each application

Under IC 15-16-5-59, commercial applicators must keep records of applications of restricted use pesticides. The section covers restricted use pesticides only, and OISC’s record keeping summary lists no record for general use pesticide applications. Each record holds:

The name of the customer, property owner or custodian of the site
The address, geographic coordinates or a general description of the site
The name of the person making the application
The name of the commercial applicator responsible for the application, if different, and that applicator’s license number
The date and the start and stop times of the application
A description of the plants or sites treated and the principal pests to be controlled
The specific area, part of the property or number of plants treated, or another fitting description
The brand name and EPA registration number of each pesticide product applied
The amount of each product used, as the total quantity or volume of packaged product, or of the diluted mixture together with the active ingredient concentration (percentage)

Besides federal restricted use pesticides, Indiana treats all methomyl formulations and certain agricultural dicamba products (6.5% or more dicamba, not labeled solely for turf or other nonagricultural sites) as restricted use. OISC says no specific form is required, records may be kept on paper or electronically, and some product labels require their own, more detailed records, so check each label.

Tip: Until July 1, 2024 the now-voided rule 355 IAC 4-4-1 also required records of general use pesticide applications from some categories of commercial applicators. That rule no longer applies.

Sources: Indiana Code 2026, Title 15 (IC 15-16-1.5 to 15-16-5) (PDF), OISC: Pesticide Record Keeping Requirements (PDF), 355 IAC 4, 2024 edition, before 355 IAC 4-4 was voided (PDF), Senate Enrolled Act 216 (2024), P.L. 29-2024 (PDF)

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Keep restricted use application records for two years after the application.
The State Chemist must be given access to the records, and may inspect and copy pesticide purchase, use, storage and disposal records; you may defer access for up to 10 days after the request.
The statute gives customers no right to a copy of the application records.
Failing to keep the required records, or making false records, is a violation that can lead to warnings, civil penalties (up to $250, $500 or $1,000 depending on the violation) and action against licenses.

Source: Indiana Code 2026, Title 15 (IC 15-16-1.5 to 15-16-5) (PDF)

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

Indiana has had no lawn sign (marker) or customer notification requirement for for-hire lawn applications since July 1, 2024. The rule that required them, 357 IAC 1-5, was voided with the rest of 357 IAC 1, and IC 15-16-5 contains no posting or customer notice rule. The Pesticide Review Board’s 2023 plan said outdoor lawn applications “would no longer be regulated” by 357 IAC 1-5.

Tip: What the old rule asked, for those who remember it: a lawn marker at least 4 by 5 inches reading “LAWN CARE APPLICATION KEEP OFF THE GRASS” in letters at least 3/8 inch high, set 6 to 18 inches above the turf and left up until at least the day after, and a written notice to the customer at each lawn application. Neither applies any more.

Schools are the exception. Pesticides may not be applied on school property during regular school hours or a before- or after-school program there, except to control an observed pest posing an immediate health threat to the students present, or in an area outside of and not immediately next to student-occupied buildings (rodenticide bait may also go in areas students cannot reach). Students may not enter a treated area until the label’s re-entry time or four hours, whichever is longer, has passed.

Each school keeps a pesticide notification registry of parents, guardians and staff who ask to be told, and must give them notice at least 48 hours before an application on school property (with exceptions for an application more than 48 hours before a scheduled school day and for the immediate health threat and away-from-buildings cases). The notice gives the school, the responsible licensed applicator’s name, license number and phone, any other contact, the planned date and time, the principal target pest, the area, and each pesticide’s manufacturer, EPA registration number and brand name. Failing to perform the school notification requirements is a violation.

Sources: 357 IAC 1 Definition; Use of Pesticides (voided), 357 IAC 1, 2024 edition, before it was voided (PDF), Senate Enrolled Act 216 (2024), P.L. 29-2024 (PDF), Indiana Code 2026, Title 15 (IC 15-16-1.5 to 15-16-5) (PDF), Indiana Pesticide Review Board: Plan for 2024 Legislative Recommendations (PDF), OISC: Pesticide Use at Schools

Fertilizer rules

Applying fertilizer material for hire falls under the pesticide business license and applicator certification rules of IC 15-16-5 (above). Indiana’s fertilizer use and application record rules (IC 15-16-2.7 and 355 IAC 8) and fertilizer applicator certification rules (IC 15-16-2.5 and 355 IAC 7) apply only to fertilizer used to produce an agricultural crop, and “agricultural crop” excludes turf, trees and ornamental plants. No turf fertilizer rate limit, phosphorus restriction, blackout date or setback for lawns was found in Indiana’s fertilizer statutes or rules.

Under the fertilizer law, a lawn care service that distributes tank-mixed liquid fertilizer and whose name must appear on the fertilizer label needs a State Chemist license, $100 per location, expiring December 31 each year. Fertilizer distributed as part of lawn care service must be labeled with the licensee’s name and address, given in writing to the purchaser when the fertilizer is delivered. We could not confirm with the State Chemist which lawn care companies that applies their own tank mixes must hold this license.

Sources: Indiana Code 2026, Title 15 (IC 15-16-1.5 to 15-16-5) (PDF), 355 IAC 7 Certification for Distributors and Users of Fertilizer Material, 355 IAC 8 Fertilizer Material Use, Distribution, and Record Keeping

Reports filed with the state

A tank-mixed liquid fertilizer licensee must file an annual report with the State Chemist before January 31 giving, by county, the tons and grade of each fertilizer material used in tank-mixed liquid fertilizer and the name and concentration range of each pesticide mixed in. No annual pesticide use report to the State Chemist was found for for-hire turf applicators.

Sources: Indiana Code 2026, Title 15 (IC 15-16-1.5 to 15-16-5) (PDF), 355 IAC 4 Pesticide Use and Application

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

Indiana record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
Indiana asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
Customer, property owner or custodian of the site	Customer name	Recorded
Address, coordinates or description of the site	Address, unit number (on the property), city, state, ZIP and county	Recorded
Name of the person making the application	Applied by: everyone riding with the crew that day starts checked, and the crew unchecks anyone who did not apply it	Recorded
Commercial applicator responsible, if different	Supervised by, offered on Indiana jobs with a restricted use product	Recorded
Responsible applicator’s license number	License number of the supervisor and of each person who applied it, when license-keeping is switched on in settings	Recorded
Date of application	Date applied	Recorded
Start and stop times of the application	Each chemical’s own start and finish time, offered at Finish job on Indiana jobs (“Chemical started” / “Chemical finished”); left blank, the job’s start and finish times, recorded when the crew starts and finishes it (the office can correct them)	Recorded
Plants or sites treated	Where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description), set on the job; required on Indiana jobs with a restricted use product	Recorded
Principal pests to be controlled	Target pest (editable on the job)	Recorded
Specific area or part of the property treated	Area treated (sq ft), with where on the property	Recorded
Brand name of each product	Product name, as entered in the chemical’s setup	Recorded
EPA registration number	EPA Reg. No., from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Amount used: packaged product, or diluted mixture with active ingredient %	Total used; mix ratio, use dilution (%) and gallons of mix applied, set on the job; concentration from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Noncertified applicator’s annual restricted use training (name, signature, date, trainer, title; OISC)	Each person’s training record: date, trainer, training, the date it was signed and a copy of the signed paper; Finish job on Indiana jobs reminds you to keep it 2 years	Recorded
No applications on school property during school hours, and the 48-hour school registry notice details	Not handled by GroundsQuote: check school hours and give the school the notice details yourself; you can log a notice on the customer’s page	Not recorded
Continuing certification hours, technician credits and annual license renewals	Not handled by GroundsQuote: each person’s license number, category and expiry can be kept, but track hours and renew licenses yourself	Not recorded

Indiana’s list applies to restricted use pesticides; the records export can be laid out in this order, and the application statement is there if you want to give customers one, though Indiana no longer requires it. Outside GroundsQuote, keep your business and applicator licenses, insurance certificate, continuing certification hours and technician registrations current, repeat and sign each noncertified applicator’s training every year (Finish job reminds you to keep the record), and handle school timing and the 48-hour school notice details, any label-directed records and, if it applies to you, the tank-mixed liquid fertilizer report.

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 Indiana 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

Does Indiana still require lawn signs after a lawn application?

No. The lawn marker rule, 357 IAC 1-5-2, was voided with the rest of 357 IAC 1 by Senate Enrolled Act 216, effective July 1, 2024, and IC 15-16-5 has no posting rule. The customer notice rule in 357 IAC 1-5-3 went at the same time.

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

Indiana’s record section, IC 15-16-5-59, covers restricted use pesticides only, and OISC’s record keeping summary lists no record for general use applications. The older rule that required general use records from some categories, 355 IAC 4-4-1, was voided July 1, 2024. Some product labels require their own records, so check each label.

How long do I keep restricted use records, and can customers ask for them?

Keep them two years after the application and give the State Chemist access. The statute gives customers no right to a copy.

Do I need a license to apply fertilizer to lawns for hire?

Yes. Applying fertilizer material for hire falls under the pesticide business license and applicator rules of IC 15-16-5; OISC says the turf fertilizer certification is the category 3b exam, and a registered technician may apply fertilizer material for a licensed business. Indiana’s fertilizer record rules apply only to agricultural crops, not turf.