Kentucky pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 · 8 min read

The short answer

In Kentucky, licensed operators, applicators and trainees keep a record of every pesticide application, general use as well as restricted use: the customer’s name and address, the location, type and size of the area treated, the date and time, each product’s name and EPA registration number, the total amount, who applied it (and for a trainee, the supervisor’s name and license number) and the purpose. Lawn work adds the pesticide type, fertilizer rate and analysis, the concentration and rate of the end use product, total gallons applied, the label’s after-use and precautionary instructions and the applicator’s license or certificate number. Keep records 3 years. Place a lawn marker right after each lawn application. The current rules are 302 KAR Chapter 26; the older 302 KAR 28 and most of 302 KAR 31 are repealed.

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

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture administers and enforces the state pesticide law, KRS Chapter 217B, and writes the rules that carry it out. The statute directs the Department to run a program regulating the application, and notice of application, of pesticides for lawn care and mosquito control.

The Department’s pesticide rules are now 302 KAR Chapter 26, “Pesticides”, effective October 20, 2022. If you remember older citations: the former lawn chapter 302 KAR 28 (including the old lawn posting rule, 28:030) is repealed, and 302 KAR 31 now holds only 31:040, on storing pesticides and bulk fertilizer. The lawn posting and record rule is now 302 KAR 26:080, and the general record rule 302 KAR 26:030.

Under the statute, a “dealer” includes anyone in the business of applying any pesticide to the lands of another, so a lawn care company is a dealer. The “pesticide operator” is the individual who owns or manages the business, and a “pesticide applicator” is an individual employed or supervised by an operator to apply pesticides. In the rules, “application” includes mixing and loading, and covers pesticide-impregnated fertilizer as well as pesticides.

Cities, counties and other local governments may not adopt or keep any ordinance or rule on fertilizer or on pesticide sale or use, including registration, notification of use, training, licensing, storage and disposal (planning and zoning powers are kept).

Sources: KRS 217B.050 Authority for administrative regulations (PDF), Kentucky Administrative Regulations, Title 302 chapter list, 302 KAR 26:030 Pesticide recordkeeping, KRS 217B.040 Definitions for chapter (PDF), 302 KAR 26:010 Definitions, KRS 217B.270 Prohibition against local regulation of fertilizer and pesticides (PDF)

Licenses you need

Dealer registration: no one may act as a dealer without registering with the Department, at $75 a year, expiring December 31. Each branch office location is registered too, at $50 a year.
Bond or insurance: a dealer applying pesticides to the lands of others keeps a surety bond or liability insurance of at least $1,000,000, and must tell the Department 10 days before it is reduced or cancelled.
Operator’s license: required to engage in the business of applying pesticides to the lands of another; $100 a year, with valid certification and dealer registration (your own or your employer’s). The Department’s exam information says every company must have at least one Operator, and the Operator does not need an applicator license.
Applicator’s license: required to apply pesticides for an operator or dealer; $25 a year, with valid certification and employment or supervision by a licensed operator.
Category 3, “Ornamental, turf and lawn care”: covers pesticides and impregnated fertilizer on turf, lawns and ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers, including pests such as bagworms, grubs and moles, and also qualifies the holder for interior plantscapes, sports turf and golf courses. The former Categories 18, 19 and 20 were converted to Category 3.
Certification: licenses go only to people at least 18 years old who pass the category exam with at least 70 percent ($25 per sitting, pass or fail, with photo identification or a declaration of identity and age). Pay the license fee within 30 days of passing or retake the exam.
Renewal: every license expires December 31; one not renewed by January 31 means retesting as a new applicant, and a late renewal carries a 25 percent penalty. Renewal needs at least 12 approved continuing education units in the three years before, with at least one for each category held (one unit is a 50-minute hour).
Trainees: a dealer may not employ a trainee to apply pesticides without registering them ($25, 90 days, not renewable or reissued). The supervisor must be licensed in each category used, and before a trainee applies must give site- and pesticide-specific instructions, ensure label access and protective equipment, check the equipment each day and be reachable at once.
Restricted use pesticides: no one may buy, use or supervise their use without certification that allows it, and every pesticide must be used according to its label.
Employees: at each renewal a dealer sends the Department each employee’s name, address and phone number, and reports employees added or let go within 30 days.
Vehicles: every vehicle used in pesticide service work must show the company name registered with the Department or an easily identified company logo.

Tip: A licensee who leaves a dealer may keep the license inactive by telling the Department, keeping certification and paying the yearly fee, but may not do regulated work until it is reactivated with a dealer. The Department may license someone licensed in another state with similar requirements and reciprocity if employed by a Kentucky-registered dealer ($25 reciprocal fee).

Sources: KRS 217B.105 Registration of pesticide dealers (PDF), KDA: Pesticide Dealer and Branch Registration form (PDF), KRS 217B.130 Financial responsibility (PDF), KRS 217B.070 Operator’s license, fees (PDF), KDA: Pesticides examination information (PDF), KRS 217B.080 Applicator’s license, fees (PDF), 302 KAR 26:020 Pesticide certification and licensing, KRS 217B.110 License or registration, late renewal (PDF), KRS 217B.187 Registration of dealer’s trainees (PDF), 302 KAR 26:050 Pesticide trainee registration and supervision requirements, KRS 217B.190 Disposal and storage, use not in accordance with label (PDF), 302 KAR 26:060 Identification of pesticide service vehicles

What to record for each application

Licensed operators, licensed applicators and trainees keep application records for restricted use and general use pesticides alike (302 KAR 26:030). Each record holds:

The name and address of the person receiving the application services
The location of the application and the size of the area treated
The crop, commodity, stored product or type of area treated
The time and date of application
The brand or product name of each pesticide and its EPA registration number
The total amount of each pesticide applied per location per application
The name of the person making the application; for a trainee, the trainee’s name, the supervising applicator’s name and license number, and the trainee supervision records
The purpose of the application, and any other record the label requires

For lawn, golf course and interior plantscape work, 302 KAR 26:080 adds, for each pesticide used:

Brand or common name and pesticide type
Fertilizer rate and analysis (pesticide-impregnated fertilizer counts as a pesticide application)
Reason for use
Concentration of the end use product applied, rate of application and total gallons of end use product applied
Any label instruction on use of the treated area after application, and any other precautionary or hazard information on the label for the end use concentration
The name and state license or certificate number of the person actually making the application
The customer’s name and address, the date, the location of the area treated and the total area treated

Before a trainee applies, the supervising operator or applicator must create or verify a record with the trainee’s printed name and signature, the date training was completed, the trainer’s name and the title and description of the training. Refusing or neglecting to keep required records, or making false records, is a violation for which the Department may fine or suspend, revoke or modify a license.

Sources: KRS 217B.150 Records, time held (PDF), 302 KAR 26:030 Pesticide recordkeeping, 302 KAR 26:080 Lawn, turf, ornamental and interior plantscape pesticide-related notice posting, 302 KAR 26:020 Pesticide certification and licensing, 302 KAR 26:050 Pesticide trainee registration and supervision requirements, KRS 217B.120 Civil penalties, suspension, revocation (PDF)

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Keep application records at least three years from the date of application.
When an application is made in the name of a business, the business keeps one set of records per application, even if several people applied.
Make records available to the Department on request, and on a written request furnish a copy forthwith.
Keep the lawn record items at the applicator’s business address and give them on request to everyone who asked for notice of applications (customers and adjoining neighbors).
The dealer gives the supervising operator or applicator access to trainee training records at the principal place of business for at least three years from the date the trainee used the pesticide.
Someone claiming pesticide misuse files a written statement with the Department within 60 days, naming the person responsible, the claimant, the land owner or lessee and the date.

Sources: KRS 217B.150 Records, time held (PDF), 302 KAR 26:030 Pesticide recordkeeping, 302 KAR 26:080 Lawn, turf, ornamental and interior plantscape pesticide-related notice posting, 302 KAR 26:050 Pesticide trainee registration and supervision requirements, KRS 217B.140 Claim of damage, statement of alleged pesticide use (PDF)

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

At the contract: a lawn care operator or applicator gives the customer written information about pesticides or pesticide-impregnated fertilizers, application procedures and general guidelines on safe applications.
At each lawn application: the applicator gives the customer (homeowner or landlord) that written information for each pesticide or pesticide-impregnated fertilizer used. The rule prescribes no exact wording.
Lawn marker: immediately after a lawn application, place a marker at a prominent location in the lawn. It is at least a 4 in. x 5 in. white sign on the upper part of a dowel or other support at least 12 inches long, with contrasting letters at least 3/8 inch high reading on one side “LAWN CARE APPLICATION - PLEASE STAY OFF GRASS UNTIL DRY”. It may also show a symbol of the message and the applicator’s name, logo and service mark.
How many markers: homes of three families or fewer get one per property; other properties get markers at the primary points of entry. The owner, resident or someone they authorize may remove and discard the marker the day after the application.
Prior notice on request: a customer, or a neighbor whose home adjoins the customer’s property, may ask for notice 24 to 48 hours before an application by giving a name, address and phone number. The applicator then gives the date and approximate time in writing, in person or by phone, and leaves a written notice at the home if the person cannot be reached.
Sports fields get a marker reading “PESTICIDES HAVE BEEN APPLIED - PLEASE STAY OUT OF TREATED AREA” at usual entry points and golf courses a marker on the first and tenth tees; in both cases safety data sheets must be readable in the manager’s or superintendent’s office and records kept there for three years.
Schools: the treated area is posted with a sign at least 8.5 x 11 in. reading “Pesticide Treatment Area” and “Do Not Enter” with a re-entry time; before an application while children are present, the certified applicator gives the school authority the details on the Department’s acknowledgement form, which the school authority signs and the applicator keeps at least 36 months.

Failing to give the written information, place the marker, meet its minimum requirements or give requested prior notice is a violation. A first violation brings a $200 fine for failing to keep the lawn records and $100 for the notice and marker failures, doubled or tripled for repeats within 60 or 90 days unless corrected in time. The statute allows civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation and per day it continues.

Sources: 302 KAR 26:080 Lawn, turf, ornamental and interior plantscape pesticide-related notice posting, 302 KAR 26:090 Wood destroying organism treatments and integrated pest management in schools, 302 KAR 26:150 Pesticide-related penalties, KRS 217B.990 Penalties for chapter (PDF)

Fertilizer rules

Kentucky’s fertilizer law (KRS 250.371 to 250.451) is administered by the director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station, not the Department of Agriculture. Each brand and grade must be registered before distribution, and a distributor of custom-mixed or bulk specialty fertilizer for home lawns, golf courses and other nonfarm areas licenses the firm for $100 a year and keeps each label one year. Local governments may not regulate the sale, use or application of fertilizers.

We found no turf fertilizer limit in Kentucky law: no nitrogen or phosphorus rate cap, blackout dates, setbacks or fertilizer applicator certification. Applying pesticide-impregnated fertilizer to lawns is a Category 3 pesticide application, and its records must include the fertilizer rate and analysis.

Sources: KRS 250.361 Administration of KRS 250.371 to 250.451 (PDF), KRS 250.371 Registration of brand and grade (PDF), 12 KAR 4:075 Licenses and fertilizer product registration, KRS 250.372 Preemption of local legislation regulating fertilizer (PDF), KRS Chapter 250 section list, 302 KAR 26:020 Pesticide certification and licensing, 302 KAR 26:080 Lawn, turf, ornamental and interior plantscape pesticide-related notice posting

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

Kentucky record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
Kentucky asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
Customer’s name and address (person receiving the services)	Customer name and mailing address, with the property’s street address, city, state and ZIP	Recorded
Location of the application	Address, unit number (on the property), city, state, ZIP and county	Recorded
Size of area treated / total area treated	Area treated (sq ft)	Recorded
Type of area treated	Where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description), required on Kentucky jobs at Finish job	Recorded
Time and date of application	Date and time applied, with a chemical’s own start and finish time when entered (“Chemical started” / “Chemical finished”), else the job’s start and finish times, recorded when the crew starts and finishes it (the office can correct them)	Recorded
Brand, product or common name of each pesticide	Product name, as entered in the chemical’s setup	Recorded
EPA registration number	EPA Reg. No., from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Total amount of each pesticide per location per application	Total used	Recorded
Person making the application, with license or certificate number	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 and certification numbers when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
For a trainee: the trainee’s name and the supervising applicator’s name and license number	Trainees and Supervised by, offered on Kentucky jobs at Finish job, with the supervisor’s license number when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Trainee supervision and training records (printed name and signature, date, trainer, title and description)	Training and ID records for each person, with a copy of the paper; a signed sheet can be attached, but GroundsQuote captures no signature itself and does not track training hours or the 90-day trainee registration; Finish job on Kentucky jobs reminds you that the trainee signs their training record before applying and needs site- and pesticide-specific instructions	Partly
Purpose of application / reason for use	Target pest (editable on the job)	Recorded
Any other record the label requires	“Other records the label requires”, offered at Finish job on Kentucky jobs; exported as “Other records required by the label”	Recorded
Pesticide type	Type, from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Fertilizer rate and analysis	N-P-K from the chemical’s setup, rate applied (per area) and lb of N and P per 1,000 sq ft	Recorded
Concentration of end use product applied	Mix ratio and use dilution (%), set on the job; the mix is required on Kentucky jobs at Finish job	Recorded
Rate of application	Rate applied (per area)	Recorded
Total gallons of end use product applied	Water or carrier and gallons of mix applied, set on the job and required on Kentucky jobs at Finish job	Recorded
Label instructions on use of the treated area after application	Re-entry interval and the label’s precautions from the chemical’s setup, with the time people may go back onto the lawn	Recorded
Other label precautionary or hazard information for the end use concentration	Signal word and the label’s precautions from the chemical’s setup, with a copy of the label on file	Recorded
Written information to the customer at the contract and at each application, and the lawn marker	The application statement gives each product’s name, type, EPA number, purpose, rate and amount, the re-entry time, the label’s precautions and your notes for the customer, and GroundsQuote prints lawn markers laid out from Kentucky’s rule; it does not check your wording against the rule, and handing the statement over, placing the markers and choosing how many are yours	Partly
Prior notice 24 to 48 hours ahead to customers and adjoining neighbors who asked	Chemical notices & contracts on the customer’s page keep each neighbor request and notice; the schedule and Finish job flag pesticide jobs there until the notice is logged, but GroundsQuote does not send the notice or check the 24 to 48 hour window: give the notice yourself	Partly
School applications: the school authority’s acknowledgement form and the “Pesticide Treatment Area / Do Not Enter” posting	Not handled by GroundsQuote: complete the school’s form and post the school sign yourself	Not recorded
Continuing education units and license renewals	Not handled by GroundsQuote: license numbers, categories and expiry can be kept, but track CEUs and renew licenses yourself	Not recorded

Give the customer the written information at the contract and at each application, place the lawn markers right after the application and send the 24 to 48 hour notices yourself: GroundsQuote prints the application statement and Kentucky’s marker and flags jobs needing notice, but handing over, posting and sending are yours. Keep trainee registrations, dealer and branch registration, the bond or insurance, continuing education units and the yearly employee list outside GroundsQuote, and export records yourself when the Department asks.

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 Kentucky 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

Are the old 302 KAR 28 and 302 KAR 31 rules still in force?

Mostly not. Kentucky’s pesticide rules are now 302 KAR Chapter 26, effective October 20, 2022. The old lawn chapter 302 KAR 28 is repealed (its posting rule is now 302 KAR 26:080), and 302 KAR 31 now holds only 31:040, on storing pesticides and bulk fertilizer.

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

Both. Licensed operators, licensed applicators and trainees keep application records for restricted use and general use pesticides alike, and lawn work adds the items in 302 KAR 26:080, such as the end use concentration and total gallons applied.

How long do I keep records, and who can see them?

At least three years from the date of application. The Department can ask for them at any time and must be given a copy forthwith on a written request, and customers and adjoining neighbors who asked for notice of applications can ask for the lawn record items.

What does the Kentucky lawn marker look like?

At least 4 in. x 5 in., white, on a dowel or other support at least 12 inches long, with contrasting letters at least 3/8 inch high reading “LAWN CARE APPLICATION - PLEASE STAY OFF GRASS UNTIL DRY”. Place it at a prominent location in the lawn immediately after the application: one per property for homes of three families or fewer, at the primary points of entry otherwise.

Does Kentucky limit lawn fertilizer?

We found no turf fertilizer limit: no nitrogen or phosphorus cap, blackout dates, setbacks or fertilizer applicator certification. Pesticide-impregnated fertilizer is a Category 3 pesticide application, and its records include the fertilizer rate and analysis.