Minnesota pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 · 8 min read

The short answer

In Minnesota, a commercial applicator keeps a record of every pesticide used on each site, general use as well as restricted use: the date, the time the application was completed, the brand name, EPA registration number and rate used, the number of units treated, the temperature, wind speed and wind direction, the location of the site, the customer’s name and address, and the applicator’s name and license number with the company’s name and address. Complete the record within five days, give the customer a copy, and keep it five years. Lawn warning signs are required only in cities that adopt an ordinance under state law. Phosphorus fertilizer goes on turf only with a soil or other test from the last three years showing a need, on a new lawn in its first growing season, or on a golf course under trained staff.

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

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture licenses commercial, noncommercial and structural pest control pesticide applicators. Minnesota’s pesticide law is Minnesota Statutes chapter 18B, the Pesticide Control Law, and its fertilizer law is chapter 18C.

Most of the old pesticide rules in Minnesota Rules chapter 1505 have been repealed; the parts still in force for commercial applicators cover reexamination, alternatives to licensing, financial responsibility and reciprocity with other states. State pesticide law preempts local ordinances on pesticide use and application, except where chapter 18B itself provides otherwise. A restricted use pesticide is one designated as restricted use under FIFRA or by the commissioner.

Sources: MDA Pesticide Applicator Licensing, Minn. Stat. chapter 18C Fertilizer, Soil Amendment, and Plant Amendment Law, MDA Phosphorus Lawn Fertilizer Law, Minn. R. chapter 1505 table of parts, Minn. Stat. § 18B.02 Preemption of local law, Minn. Stat. § 18B.01 Definitions

Licenses you need

Commercial applicator license: no one may apply a pesticide for hire without one for the appropriate use categories (or a structural pest control license). The Department says “for hire” means the service is charged or invoiced.
The license belongs to each applicator: Minnesota has no separate company license for lawn pesticide work (only structural pest control companies are licensed as companies). The person who does or employs others to do applications for hire is responsible for the proper application of the pesticide.
No unlicensed helpers: the Department says Minnesota law does not let non-certified people apply under the supervision of a certified applicator, so every person applying pesticides for hire needs their own license. Since August 1, 2024, mixing and loading restricted use pesticides and handling opened restricted use containers count as “application or use”, so those workers need a license too. A commercial applicator must be at least 18.
Categories: lawn care pesticide work falls in Category E, Turf & Ornamentals; mosquito, black fly and tick control is Category L. Every licensed applicator must pass the Core exam (Category A) plus at least one other category. Exams are closed book, monitored and offered in English or Spanish, the passing score is 70%, and a failed exam may be retaken no more than three times in one year.
Term and fees: a commercial license expires on December 31 of the year it is issued, is not transferable, and must be displayed prominently at the applicator’s place of business. The license fee is $50; the Department lists the yearly total as $76 ($50 license, $21 ACRRA surcharge, $5 processing), with a $25 late fee from March 1 and $10 for a duplicate license.
License card: carry a valid license identification card (the plastic card or the electronic copy from the Department’s website) whenever applying for hire, and show it on demand to the Department or law enforcement.
Changing employers: a commercial license becomes invalid when the applicator changes employers during the year; the applicator must get a new license in the new employer’s name.
Recertification: licenses are renewed every year, and the applicator must also attend a Department-approved recertification workshop in the year shown on the license card or retest. Categories E and L are on a 2-year cycle, with the first workshop due the year after the license is first obtained. Retesting costs $75 per category for Categories A, E and L. A license can be renewed within 12 months after it expires without retaking the initial exams.
Financial responsibility: net assets of at least $50,000, or a bond or liability insurance of at least $50,000 bodily injury or death per person, $50,000 per occurrence and $25,000 property damage per occurrence. The deductible may be no more than $500, coverage must run the whole license term, and the insurer must notify the Department 10 days before cancellation or change; an employee need not carry their own when the employer does.

Tip: The Department says the insurance certificate must name the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as certificate holder. It need not be sent with the application, but must be produced when the Department asks.

Sources: Minn. Stat. § 18B.33 Commercial applicator license, MDA Pesticide Applicator License Types, MDA Pesticide Applicator Licensing, MDA Revised Certification Plan FAQs, Minn. Stat. § 18B.01 Definitions, MDA Pesticide Applicator Testing, Minn. R. chapter 1505 table of parts, MDA Pesticide and Fertilizer License/Certification Fees, MDA Pesticide Applicator License Changes, MDA Pesticide Applicator Recertification Requirements, Minn. R. 1505.1240 Financial responsibility, Minn. R. 1505.1250 Limits of liability for commercial pesticide applicators, MDA Financial Responsibility Requirements

What to record for each application

Under § 18B.37, a commercial applicator, or the applicator’s authorized agent, keeps a record of the pesticides used on each site. For commercial applicators this covers every pesticide, general use and restricted use alike. Each record holds:

The date of the pesticide use
The time the application was completed
The brand name of the pesticide, its EPA registration number and the rate used
The number of units treated
The temperature, wind speed and wind direction
The location of the site where the pesticide was applied (a map may be attached to show the treated areas)
The name and address of the customer
The applicator’s name and license number, and the company’s name and address

The commissioner may require other information, and the record must meet or exceed the federal certification rule (40 CFR part 171). The Department says three items were added in 2024 under its revised certification plan: the size of the treated area (units treated), the total amount of restricted use pesticide applied in each application, and the site treated for restricted use applications.

The Department says its sample record templates are the standard for all applications and may ask for more than the statute lists; you may use them or your own form with the same information. Its Category E outdoor sample record also asks for the company’s phone, the customer’s phone, and the time the application started as well as finished.

All the information for one application must be in one document per application, and an invoice holding all the required information can serve as the record. The record must be completed within five days after the application.

Sources: Minn. Stat. § 18B.37 Records; plans; inspections, MDA Pesticide Application Record Templates, MDA Pesticide Application Record, Category E Turf and Ornamental, Outdoor Application (PDF), MDA Revised Certification Plan FAQs

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Give the customer a copy of the application record.
The applicator, the company or the authorized agent keeps the records for five years after the date of treatment.
The Department may enter the applicator’s business at any reasonable time to inspect and copy the records; the information in them is private or nonpublic data unless needed for enforcement.
A Minnesota-licensed physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or veterinarian may ask the Department for application information about a patient’s suspected exposure. The Department withholds nonessential information such as the acres treated, the amount applied and the identity of the applicator and property owner.
Incident response plan: a commercial pest control company keeps one at its principal business site in Minnesota, sends it to the Department on request, updates it every three years or sooner when its information goes out of date, reviews it with employees at least once every calendar year with documented training, and makes it available to local first responders.

Source: Minn. Stat. § 18B.37 Records; plans; inspections

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

Lawn warning signs are required only in cities that have adopted the ordinance § 18B.09 allows; the section applies only to cities that enact such an ordinance, and a city may not adopt a stricter one. The Department says the city enforces it. Where the ordinance applies, every commercial or noncommercial applicator who applies pesticides to turf must post warning signs on the treated property:

The sign stands at least 18 inches above the grass, is rain-resistant for at least 48 hours, and stays in place up to 48 hours from the time of the first application.
In contrasting colors and capital letters at least one-half inch high, it shows the name of the business applying the pesticide and the words “This area chemically treated. Keep children and pets off until ...(date of safe entry)...” (or a commissioner-approved symbol and text with the same meaning). It may name the pesticide, and the commissioner may approve another format.
On a lawn or yard, the sign goes between two and five feet from the sidewalk or street; on parks, golf courses, athletic fields and playgrounds, next to the treated areas and at or near the entrances.

Cities of the first class may, by ordinance, ban “pollinator-lethal” pesticides (those with a pollinator protection box or bee precaution on the label), with exceptions such as pet care products and indoor ant bait; the Department keeps the list on its website.

It is a violation to apply a pesticide to a site where the application was not requested, ordered, contracted for or permitted, even if the label is followed. We found no statewide notice to customers or neighbors before a lawn application, no neighbor or sensitivity registry, and no school notice rule for lawn applications in chapter 18B. Adult mosquito control by overspray needs notice to residents at least 24 hours ahead.

Tip: We could not find which Minnesota cities have adopted the sign ordinance. Check with each city you work in.

Sources: Minn. Stat. § 18B.09 Pesticide application in cities, MDA Warning Signs for Applying Pesticide to Turf, MDA fact sheet: Warning Signs for Applying Pesticides to Turf (PDF), Minn. Stat. § 18B.07 Pesticide use, application, and equipment cleaning, MDA Application Notification Requirements, Minn. Stat. § 18B.37 Records; plans; inspections

Fertilizer rules

License: anyone who custom applies fertilizer for hire needs a fertilizer license from the Department for each fixed business location; the Department says this covers fertilizer applied to lawns, plants, trees and shrubs, and that it is licensed separately from the pesticide applicator license. It costs $100 per location a year plus a $50 ACRRA surcharge, runs January 1 to December 31, must be renewed before January 1 (late renewal adds half the fee), and must be posted at each location.
Customer label: a lawn service may not custom apply lawn fertilizer unless each customer is given a label, invoice or delivery ticket showing the net weight applied (total or per unit treated), the guaranteed analysis, the guarantor’s name and address, the number of units treated in square feet, acres or another measure, and a derivative statement (the sources of the nutrients). Keep copies of those invoices or delivery tickets for five years after the application.
Phosphorus: fertilizer containing phosphorus may not be applied to turf anywhere in Minnesota unless a soil, tissue or other approved test done within the last three years shows the soil needs it, a new lawn is being established by seed or sod (first growing season only), or it is a golf course under trained staff. When phosphorus is allowed, it must not exceed the rates recommended by the University of Minnesota and approved by the Department. The Department says a lawn fertilizer counts as phosphorus-free when it has less than 0.67% phosphate.
Hard surfaces: fertilizer may not be applied to streets, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots or other hard surfaces; any that lands there must be contained immediately and either applied legally to turf or put back in a container.
The phosphorus and hard-surface rules are enforced by local governments, and a violation is a petty misdemeanor; local governments may not otherwise regulate the use of phosphorus lawn fertilizer.
A fertilizer licensee must also keep an incident response plan, but one plan kept under the pesticide law covers both.

Sources: Minn. Stat. chapter 18C Fertilizer, Soil Amendment, and Plant Amendment Law, MDA Fertilizer Licensing, MDA Pesticide Applicator License Types, MDA Lawn Service Fertilizer Label (Application Record), MDA Phosphorus Lawn Fertilizer Law

Reports filed with the state

Minnesota has no routine pesticide use report for lawn applicators; records are produced when the Department inspects or asks. A fertilizer licensee who distributes fertilizer only by custom application does not file the annual tonnage report or pay the inspection fee.

A spill, leak or other accidental release of a pesticide or fertilizer (an “incident”; normal legal use is not one) must be reported to the Department immediately, followed by a written report in the form and by the time the Department sets. A licensed applicator need not report when the release, added to other releases at the site in the past year, is less than the label’s maximum for one acre of cropland and did not go into or near public water or groundwater.

Sources: Minn. Stat. § 18B.37 Records; plans; inspections, Minn. Stat. chapter 18C Fertilizer, Soil Amendment, and Plant Amendment Law, Minn. Stat. § 18D.103 Report of incidents required, Minn. Stat. § 18D.01 Definitions

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

Minnesota record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
Minnesota asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
Date of the pesticide use	Date applied	Recorded
Time the application was completed	Each chemical’s own finish time (“Start and finish time for each chemical”, offered on Minnesota jobs), else the job’s finish time, recorded when the crew finishes it (the office can correct it)	Recorded
Brand name of the pesticide	Product name, as entered in the chemical’s setup	Recorded
EPA registration number	EPA Reg. No., from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Rate used	Rate applied (per area)	Recorded
Number of units treated	Area treated (sq ft)	Recorded
Temperature, wind speed and wind direction	Conditions on site: the crew confirms the nearest weather station’s reading or enters the wind, direction and temperature they measured; required on Minnesota jobs	Recorded
Location of the site (a map may be attached)	Address, unit number (on the property), city, state, ZIP and county, with where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description) offered on the job, and a map of the treated area (a PDF or photo the office attaches to the job), in the export’s “Map of treated area” column	Recorded
Customer’s name and address	Customer name and mailing address	Recorded
Applicator’s name and license 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 number when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Company’s name and address	Your business name, address and phone, in the export’s “Company name”, “Company address” and “Company phone” columns and on the application statement	Recorded
Department’s sample form: customer phone and the time the application started	Customer phone, and each chemical’s own start time, else the job’s start time, recorded when the crew starts it	Recorded
Department’s 2024 additions: total amount of restricted use pesticide applied and the site treated	Total used, and where on the property	Recorded
A copy of the record to the customer	The application statement for each job, to print or email; it goes out with the done email only when you switch that on, and it does not carry the temperature or wind	Partly
Record completed within five days of the application	Finish job saves the record and shows the 5-day deadline; the Schedule lists Minnesota chemical jobs finished without a record, with the date each is due	Recorded
Records kept five years	Records are kept with no time limit, and a corrected record keeps the earlier version as history	Recorded
Lawn warning signs where a city has adopted the ordinance	GroundsQuote prints signs laid out from § 18B.09 (business name and the required words in capitals); it cannot tell which cities require them, and posting them is yours	Partly
Lawn fertilizer label, invoice or delivery ticket for the customer, kept five years	The chemical’s N-P-K and manufacturer, total used and area treated are on the record; no guarantor’s address, guaranteed analysis in the state’s format or derivative statement	Partly
Phosphorus only with a test from the last three years (or a new lawn or golf course)	Soil tests on the customer’s property (date, lab, phosphorus result and a copy of the report), with a warning on Finish job when none is recent; no field for the new-lawn or golf course exceptions and no rate check	Partly
Incident reports to the Department	Not handled by GroundsQuote: report incidents yourself; the chemical log can note the incident	Not recorded
License renewal and recertification workshops	Not handled by GroundsQuote: GroundsQuote keeps license numbers, categories and expiry dates; renewals and workshops are yours	Not recorded

Find out which cities you work in have adopted the sign ordinance, and give each customer a copy of the record and, for fertilizer, the label or invoice in the state’s format. Keep the fertilizer license for each location, the incident response plan and its yearly review, insurance certificates and recertification dates outside GroundsQuote, and report incidents to the Department yourself.

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 Minnesota 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

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

Both. Minnesota’s record rule covers every pesticide a commercial applicator applies, general use and restricted use alike; only noncommercial applicators are limited to restricted use. Complete each record within five days and keep it five years.

Do I have to post lawn signs in Minnesota?

Only in cities that have adopted the ordinance § 18B.09 allows; there is no statewide sign rule, and the city enforces it. Where it applies, signs stand at least 18 inches above the grass, two to five feet from the sidewalk or street, and stay up to 48 hours from the first application.

Can a trained technician apply under my license?

No. The Department says Minnesota law does not let non-certified people apply under the supervision of a certified applicator, so every person applying pesticides for hire needs their own commercial license.

Do I need a separate license to apply fertilizer?

Yes. Custom applying fertilizer for hire needs a fertilizer license from the Department for each fixed business location, separate from the pesticide applicator license. Each customer also gets a label, invoice or delivery ticket for the lawn fertilizer applied, and you keep copies five years.

Can I put phosphorus fertilizer on lawns in Minnesota?

Only when a soil, tissue or other approved test from the last three years shows the soil needs it, when establishing a new lawn by seed or sod (first growing season only), or on a golf course under trained staff, and then no more than the rates the University of Minnesota recommends and the Department approves.