Massachusetts pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Who regulates lawn care applicators

Pesticides in Massachusetts are governed by M.G.L. c. 132B, the Massachusetts Pesticide Control Act, and the rules are carried out by the Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). The applicator certification and licensing rules are 333 CMR 10.00, and the application standards, including the lawn rules, are 333 CMR 13.00, “Standards for Application”.

Phosphorus fertilizer on lawns is limited by M.G.L. c. 128 § 65A, and MDAR’s plant nutrient rules for lawns and non-agricultural turf are 330 CMR 31.00.

Sources: M.G.L. c. 132B § 1, Massachusetts Pesticide Control Act, 333 CMR 10.02 Definitions (mass.gov), 333 CMR 13.06 Application for Turf Pests (mass.gov), M.G.L. c. 128 § 65A Phosphorus containing fertilizer, 330 CMR 31.02 Definitions (mass.gov)

Licenses you need

• Certifications and licenses are issued to individuals, are valid only for that person, cannot be transferred and last no more than one year.
• Certified commercial applicator: anyone who uses or supervises the use of a restricted use or state limited use pesticide must be certified in the matching category. Lawn care is Category 3, Ornamental and Turf Pest Control, with the subcategories Shade Trees and Ornamentals and Turf.
• Licensed applicator: every non-certified applicator who, for hire, uses or supervises the use of a general use pesticide on land the applicator or employer does not own or control must be licensed. A licensed applicator may also be present while restricted use pesticides are applied under a certified applicator’s direct supervision.
• Applicants must be at least 18 on the exam date and pass a written exam; commercial certification also asks for two years of relevant experience (other work or study may be substituted at MDAR’s discretion). After passing, apply within one year or take the exam again. After two failures you wait three months to retake an exam, after three failures one year.
• MDAR charges $150 a year to renew a commercial applicator certification and $100 for an applicator license. Certifications and licenses run to December 31 and renewals are due by then; a late renewal, January 1 to June 30, pays a late fee equal to the exam fee ($125 or $75), and after June 30 you must retake the exam. A renewal filed while the old one is in effect keeps it in effect for up to 90 days or until MDAR acts on it.
• Recertification: every three years, by reexamination or approved training of 12 contact hours per category for commercial certification or 6 hours for an applicator license (a contact hour is 50 minutes).
• Insurance: each application or renewal comes with an insurance broker’s attestation. A certified commercial applicator needs at least $100,000 bodily injury per occurrence ($300,000 aggregate) and $100,000 property damage per occurrence; a licensed applicator $50,000 per occurrence ($100,000 aggregate) and $50,000. Both include completed operations, the policy must carry an endorsement modifying any pollution exclusion, and MDAR must be told in writing when the insurance changes.
• Supervising restricted use work: each company location whose non-certified applicators apply restricted use or state limited use pesticides needs at least one Supervising Certified Applicator, who may supervise no more than 12 people and must answer them within 30 minutes. The supervisor need not be on site unless the label says so. If the supervisor cannot be reached, the applicator stops using the product until the issue is resolved.
• Only a certified or licensed applicator, or someone they supervise, may apply pesticides at a school, child care center or school age child care program.

Tip: Carry your certification or license document whenever you are using a pesticide. Companies using restricted use products also keep a Product Application Guidance Sheet for each one in every service vehicle, review those labels with the people they supervise every year (records kept three years), and keep a daily vehicle inventory log of restricted use products, also kept three years.

Sources: M.G.L. c. 132B § 10 Certificates, licenses and permits, 333 CMR 10.03 Categorization of Commercial Applicators (mass.gov), 333 CMR 10.06 Standards for Licensing Non-certified Applicators (mass.gov), M.G.L. c. 132B § 2 Definitions, 333 CMR 10.08 Procedure for Certification and Licensing (mass.gov), 333 CMR 10.09 Certification and License Documents (mass.gov), 333 CMR 10.13 Financial Responsibility (mass.gov), 333 CMR 10.07 Standards for Supervision of Non-certified Applicators (mass.gov), M.G.L. c. 132B § 6E Integrated pest management plans, MDAR, Pesticide Applicator Licensing and Certification Fees

What to record for each application

Under 333 CMR 10.14, all certified commercial applicators and all licensed applicators, or their employers, keep true and accurate records of each application of a pesticide, general use as well as restricted use. Each record holds:

• Place of application
• Date of application
• The brand or registered name of the pesticide
• The EPA registration number
• The amount of pesticide applied
• The purpose of the application
• The method of application
• The people certified or licensed by MDAR who took part in planning and carrying out the application
• Any accidents or incidents from the pesticide’s use that caused pollution
• The amount of liability insurance carried and the name of the insurer
• Any illnesses or injuries caused, or suspected to have been caused, by pesticides and reported to the applicator

For restricted use and state limited use applications, the Supervising Certified Applicator also keeps a description of the specific site treated, a summary of any corrective action, and their signature and license number confirming they reviewed the records within 72 hours of the application. Before such an application, the work order must note that the product may be used at that address, and any call between the applicator and the supervisor about it (date and time, both names and license or certification numbers, what was discussed) goes into the record.

Falsified records, invoices or reports count as fraud, which the regulations prohibit.

Sources: 333 CMR 10.14 Record Keeping Requirements (mass.gov), 333 CMR 10.07 Standards for Supervision of Non-certified Applicators (mass.gov), 333 CMR 13.02 General Provisions (mass.gov)

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

• Pesticide application records: at least 3 years from the date of application, made promptly available to MDAR officials on reasonable demand.
• MDAR may require annual reports, and at a minimum requires the records of pollution incidents and of pesticide illnesses or injuries to be sent in every year. Significant accidents, incidents, injuries or illnesses must be reported to MDAR immediately, and no later than 48 hours after you learn of them.
• Signed customer waivers (see below): 3 years.
• Lawn fertilizer records: at least 3 years, available to MDAR for inspection on request.
• Groundwater: applying a product on MDAR’s groundwater protection list within a primary recharge area (an approved Zone II, or an interim half-mile radius) needs an MDAR-approved integrated pest management program, an approved pesticide management plan for soil applications, and a yearly filing with MDAR.
• Schools and child care: a record of every pesticide application there is kept on site for at least five years and made available to the public on request.
• Penalties: a violation of the regulations can bring a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per offense, and a second or later knowing violation a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in prison, or both, each day counting separately. MDAR may also assess an administrative penalty of up to $1,000 per violation after one warning for the same violation within a year.

Sources: 333 CMR 10.14 Record Keeping Requirements (mass.gov), 333 CMR 13.06 Application for Turf Pests (mass.gov), 330 CMR 31.07 Record Keeping for Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns (mass.gov), 333 CMR 12.00 Protection of groundwater sources of public drinking water (mass.gov), M.G.L. c. 132B § 6I Records of pesticide use at schools and child care, M.G.L. c. 132B § 14 Violations; penalties, M.G.L. c. 132B § 14A Civil administrative penalties

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

For residential lawns, 333 CMR 13.06 sets out what the customer gets:

• Before you enter into or renew an agreement to treat a residential lawn, give the customer a written statement approved by MDAR, and offer them the chance to ask for prior notification of each application.
• After each application, leave at the home a written statement with the applicator’s name and license or certification number, the names and EPA registration numbers of the products applied and their purpose, any post-application precautions on the label, and the date and time of the application.
• Before each application, post MDAR-approved signs on the lawn to be treated, at conspicuous points of access, and tell the customer the signs should stay up at least 24 hours after the application and no more than 72 hours.
• Owners who live in the home may waive these requirements only if the owner and immediate family are the only occupants, or the home is empty and will stay empty for at least 72 hours after the application. The waiver is a written request on an MDAR-approved form, and you keep the forms for three years.

On non-residential lawns the same written statement, offer of prior notification and signs apply, and the property manager or contracting party must be told of each application with the same four items. Before agreeing to foliar spraying of trees on or bordering residential properties, give the customer an MDAR-approved written statement that includes a recommendation to notify abutters who might be affected.

The Children and Families Protection Act covers schools, child care centers and school age child care programs, not private homes (licensed family child care homes are exempt from its rules). At those properties the facility sends standard written notification at least two working days before an outdoor application, with information you provide; you check the facility’s integrated pest management plan, keep outdoor applications at least 150 feet from students who are present, get a copy of the signed notification before applying, and post MDAR-approved signs. We found no statewide neighbor notification or registry for private lawns: the state’s exclusion requests cover wide area public nuisance pest and mosquito control applications.

Sources: 333 CMR 13.06 Application for Turf Pests (mass.gov), 333 CMR 13.09 Foliar Applications to Trees in Residential Settings (mass.gov), M.G.L. c. 132B § 6C Standard written notification at schools and child care, 333 CMR 14.09 Requirements of Pesticide Applicators (mass.gov), 333 CMR 14.03 Exemptions (mass.gov), 333 CMR 13.03 Exclusions from Pesticide Application (mass.gov)

Fertilizer rules

330 CMR 31.00 sets no certification for lawn fertilizer applicators and no calendar blackout dates. Its lawn limits are tied to soil conditions, setbacks, soil tests and the University of Massachusetts Extension (UMass) Guidelines.

• Phosphorus: no phosphorus-containing fertilizer (more than 0.67% available phosphate; organic compost and natural organic fertilizer excluded) on a lawn unless a soil test taken within the last three years shows the lawn needs it, or you are establishing a new lawn (bare ground or a renovation), and then only in the first growing season. Soil tests are valid for three years for the area sampled.
• Any plant nutrients: know and account for the nitrogen and phosphorus, take a soil test before the first application, and keep phosphorus within the UMass Guidelines’ maintenance rates. A single application within 12 months of no more than 0.25 lb of P₂O₅ per 1,000 sq ft, or a product with 0.67% or less available P₂O₅, is exempt from these three steps.
• Rates: no more than the annual rate the UMass Guidelines recommend for turf.
• Not on frozen soil (frozen 2 inches deep), snow-covered soil (1 inch of snow or 1/2 inch of ice), saturated or frequently flooded soil, or when flooding or heavy rain (2 inches or more in 24 hours, forecast as “likely”) is expected; and not on drought-dormant, cold-dormant or otherwise brown turf.
• Setbacks: 20 feet from surface waters with a broadcast spreader, 10 feet with a drop spreader, a rotary spreader with a deflector or a targeted spray, nothing in a Zone I of a public water supply well, and 100 feet from surface waters used for public water supplies.
• Keep fertilizer off parking lots, roads and sidewalks; clean up anything that lands there completely and contain it, dispose of it legally or apply it to the lawn. Fertilizer may not be used to de-ice.
• Anyone who fertilizes lawns for hire or as part of their job keeps a record of each application, on paper or electronically: the applicator’s name, the date, the address or a description of the site, the soil test results for the property, the product name, the size of the area, the nutrient values or guaranteed analysis, the method and rate, and the total amount used.
• MDAR may fine up to $250 for a first violation, $500 for a second and $1,000 for a third or later, each day counting separately.

Sources: M.G.L. c. 128 § 65A Phosphorus containing fertilizer, 330 CMR 31.02 Definitions (mass.gov), 330 CMR 31.05 Requirements for Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns (mass.gov), 330 CMR 31.06 Soil Testing for Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns (mass.gov), 330 CMR 31.07 Record Keeping for Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns (mass.gov), 330 CMR 31.09 Enforcement; Assessment of Civil Penalty (mass.gov)

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

GroundsQuote does not send the pre-application notice or report to MDAR. Signed waivers and other notices can be kept under Chemical notices & contracts on the customer’s page. The application statement for each job carries what Massachusetts asks you to leave at the home (the applicator’s name, and license number when you keep licenses, each product’s name, EPA number and purpose, the re-entry time and your notes for the customer, and the date and time); put the label’s post-application precautions in each chemical’s note for the customer, then print it or email it. GroundsQuote can also print a standard lawn sign, but Massachusetts signs must be approved by MDAR, so check it against the Department’s design.

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 Massachusetts sources, checked on October 10, 2026. Read them for the full text and any changes since.

• M.G.L. c. 132B § 1, Massachusetts Pesticide Control Act
• 333 CMR 10.02 Definitions (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 13.06 Application for Turf Pests (mass.gov)
• M.G.L. c. 128 § 65A Phosphorus containing fertilizer
• 330 CMR 31.02 Definitions (mass.gov)
• M.G.L. c. 132B § 10 Certificates, licenses and permits
• 333 CMR 10.03 Categorization of Commercial Applicators (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 10.06 Standards for Licensing Non-certified Applicators (mass.gov)
• M.G.L. c. 132B § 2 Definitions
• 333 CMR 10.08 Procedure for Certification and Licensing (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 10.09 Certification and License Documents (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 10.13 Financial Responsibility (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 10.07 Standards for Supervision of Non-certified Applicators (mass.gov)
• M.G.L. c. 132B § 6E Integrated pest management plans
• 333 CMR 10.14 Record Keeping Requirements (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 13.02 General Provisions (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 12.00 Protection of groundwater sources of public drinking water (mass.gov)
• M.G.L. c. 132B § 6I Records of pesticide use at schools and child care
• M.G.L. c. 132B § 14 Violations; penalties
• M.G.L. c. 132B § 14A Civil administrative penalties
• 333 CMR 13.09 Foliar Applications to Trees in Residential Settings (mass.gov)
• M.G.L. c. 132B § 6C Standard written notification at schools and child care
• 333 CMR 14.09 Requirements of Pesticide Applicators (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 14.03 Exemptions (mass.gov)
• 333 CMR 13.03 Exclusions from Pesticide Application (mass.gov)
• 330 CMR 31.05 Requirements for Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns (mass.gov)
• 330 CMR 31.06 Soil Testing for Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns (mass.gov)
• 330 CMR 31.07 Record Keeping for Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns (mass.gov)
• 330 CMR 31.09 Enforcement; Assessment of Civil Penalty (mass.gov)
• MDAR, Pesticide Applicator Licensing and Certification Fees