Nebraska pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

In Nebraska, commercial applicators must record every restricted use pesticide application within 48 hours: the customer’s name and address, the applicator’s name and license number (and the supervisor’s when a noncertified person applies), the location, the site treated, the date, the starting time, the product name and EPA registration number, the total amount and the size of the area treated. Records of general use lawn applications are recommended, not required. Keep records at least three years at your principal place of business. Anyone applying even general use lawn pesticides for hire needs a commercial applicator license. Nebraska has no lawn sign or customer notice rule.

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

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) administers the Pesticide Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2622 to 2-2659, and its rules, Title 25 NAC chapter 2. The current chapter 2 took effect on January 30, 2021, according to the Secretary of State’s rules site. It adopts the federal certification regulations, 40 CFR part 171 as it existed on January 1, 2019, by reference, except where they conflict with the Act.

The Pesticide Act preempts city, county and other local ordinances and resolutions that prohibit or regulate the registration, labeling, distribution, sale, handling, use, application or disposal of pesticides, except as the Act provides.

It is unlawful to use a pesticide contrary to its labeling, or to knowingly or intentionally use a pesticide on property without the permission of the owner or lawful tenant. NDA may levy an administrative fine of up to $5,000 for each violation of the Act or its rules, and a violation may also bring a civil fine of up to $15,000 for each offense, each day of a continuing violation counting as a separate offense. Committing an unlawful act under the Act is a Class III misdemeanor, and a subsequent conviction a Class I misdemeanor.

Sources: Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2622 Act, how cited, Title 25 NAC chapter 2, Pesticide Regulations, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2624 Terms, defined, Nebraska Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations: Title 25, chapter 2 “Pesticide Regulations”, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2625 Local ordinances; preemption, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2646 Prohibited acts, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2626 Department; powers, functions, and duties, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2648 Violations; civil fine, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2647 Violations; penalties

Licenses you need

Commercial applicator license: anyone who uses lawn care general-use pesticides on another person’s property in Nebraska for hire must hold one, whether or not they use any restricted use pesticide. Restricted use work for hire needs certification and a license in the categories covering that use.
Category 04, Ornamental and Turf Pest Control: covers general use and restricted use pesticides used to protect ornamental trees, flowers, shrubs and turf. Structural pests in lawns and ornamental areas, such as termites and carpenter ants, fall under Category 08.
Certification: pass a general standards exam and at least one category exam, with a minimum score of 70%.
Fee and term: the license fee is $90 (the director may raise it by rule, but not above $150 per license). A license expires on April 15 following the third year in which it was issued.
Renewal: a valid license is renewed for another three years by paying the fee and either taking NDA-approved training or retesting; let it expire and you must retest. Continuing education units approved in advance by NDA may be used to recertify.
Reciprocity: NDA may issue a reciprocal license to an applicator licensed in another state, but Nebraska residents are not eligible for reciprocal certification.
Age: at least 16 to apply lawn care general-use pesticides for hire under supervision, and at least 18 to use a restricted use pesticide.
No bond or insurance: the Pesticide Act sets no bond or liability insurance requirement for commercial applicators.

There is no technician license. A person who has never been licensed may apply general use lawn pesticides without a license for only one consecutive 60-day period, under the direct supervision of a licensed certified applicator, after training that meets 40 CFR 171.201. The person or their employer must apply to NDA for a license within 10 days of the first pesticide use, naming the supervising certified applicator and that applicator’s license number. NDA’s form says the exemption is once in a lifetime, training must be given before any application and documented on a Verification of Training form kept by the supervisor, and anyone who has ever held a commercial, noncommercial or private license is not eligible. During that period the person may also use restricted use pesticides other than fumigants, sodium cyanide or sodium fluoroacetate, but not aerially.

Tip: The supervising certified applicator must be reachable by voice or electronic means at all times and able to be on site within three hours of being contacted, and both are responsible for the noncertified applicator’s acts. Before restricted use work, the supervisor makes sure the person is qualified (for example, trained within the last 12 months), has been instructed within the last 12 months on the equipment, has access to the labeling at all times, has clean label-required protective equipment and has instructions specific to the site and pesticide.

Sources: Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2638 Commercial applicator license, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2636 Pesticide applicators; restrictions; reciprocity, NDA “Pesticide Applicator Certification and Licensing” page, NDA “Category Examples” page, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2640 Examination required, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2642 Licenses; expiration; renewal; noncertified applicator, Title 25 NAC chapter 2, Pesticide Regulations, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2622 Act, how cited, NDA “60-day Exemption From Licensing Request Form” (P89, 07/22), 40 CFR 171.201 as of January 1, 2019 (adopted by 25 NAC 2-003.08 and 004)

What to record for each application

All applicators applying restricted use pesticides must keep records of every restricted use pesticide use, and the Act lets NDA require records of general use applications too. Under the current rule, general use applications must be recorded only for structural pest control; the rule recommends (but does not require) that commercial applicators applying other general use pesticides, such as lawn care, keep the same records. Commercial records must be made within 48 hours of the application. Each record holds:

The name and address of the person for whom the pesticide was applied
The name and certified applicator license number of the person making the application; when a noncertified applicator applies, both that person’s and the supervising licensed applicator’s information
The location of the application: by county, range, township and section, by maps or a written description that accurately identifies it (such as GPS), by a USDA identification system, or by the legal property description, with a separate record for each unique location
The site, crop, commodity or stored product treated (NDA’s brochure gives soil, turf and wood as examples)
The day, month and year, with a separate record for each date; for applications over several days, every day from the start until the site was cleared for re-entry
The initial starting time of the application
The product name and EPA registration number of the pesticide applied
The total amount of pesticide applied to the site per application
The size of the area treated, for example acres, square feet, linear feet or spot treatment

NDA’s sample Ornamental and Turf record also asks for the finish time, target pests, the specific sites, the concentration or rate per unit of measure, the method of application, each pesticide in the tank mix, the method of disposal and, as optional information, wind direction, wind velocity, temperature and the restricted-entry interval.

A licensed certified applicator who supervises noncertified applicators keeps, or verifies and has access to, the training records 40 CFR 171.201 requires: the person’s printed name and signature, the date the training requirement was met, the trainer’s name and the title or description of the training, created or verified before the person applies. NDA’s Verification of Training form also records the date of first application under supervision, the supervisor’s license number, employer and categories, the labels discussed and the trainee’s signed statement that the exemption is once in a lifetime.

Sources: Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2643 Records; requirements, Title 25 NAC chapter 2, Pesticide Regulations, NDA “Pesticide Record Keeping Requirements in Nebraska” (updated February 2021), NDA “Pesticide Application Record, Ornamental and Turf” sample (P124, rev. 3/13), 40 CFR 171.201 as of January 1, 2019 (adopted by 25 NAC 2-003.08 and 004), NDA “Verification of Training Form” (60-Day Training Verification)

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Keep records at least three years from the date of the application, at the commercial applicator’s principal place of business.
Training records under 2-2643 are kept three years from the pesticide use (the federal rule says two years).
Give NDA access to the records and a copy of any record it requests.
Give the records to the customer or the person who contracted for the application, on request, within four business days of the request.
NDA’s base fine for failing to keep, or refusing to make available, required records is $1,000 for a first violation and $2,000 for a subsequent one; for knowingly falsifying required records it is $2,000 and $5,000.
A person claiming damage from a pesticide use may file a written report with NDA, which need not investigate a complaint made more than 90 days after the person knew of the incident or damage.

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

Neither the Pesticide Act nor Title 25 NAC chapter 2 requires a lawn sign, posting, customer notice or neighbor notice for turf applications, and the Act preempts local pesticide ordinances. The Act lets NDA require, by regulation, notice of a proposed pesticide use to adjacent or nearby landowners when it finds that necessary; chapter 2 contains no such requirement. Label-required posting still applies.

NDA contracts with FieldWatch, a free registry where applicators can sign up to locate mapped specialty crops and beehives (FieldCheck app and email alerts). NDA asks applicators to consider registering; it is not a notice requirement.

Sources: Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2622 Act, how cited, Title 25 NAC chapter 2, Pesticide Regulations, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2625 Local ordinances; preemption, Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-2626 Department; powers, functions, and duties, NDA “FieldWatch” page

Fertilizer rules

The Nebraska Commercial Fertilizer and Beneficial Substances Act (81-2,162.01 to 81-2,162.28) is administered by the Director of Agriculture. A license ($25 a year, renewed by January 1) is needed for each facility that manufactures or distributes commercial fertilizer in Nebraska, except retail stores selling less than five tons a year. NDA says that from January 1, 2027 every fertilizer and beneficial substance must be registered with NDA before distribution, at $50 per product, and fertilizers containing a pesticide must be registered as pesticides.

The Act regulates fertilizer licensing, registration, labeling, inspection fees and quality; it sets no applicator license, application record, phosphorus or nitrogen limit, blackout dates or setbacks for turf. It also preempts local regulation of fertilizer registration, labeling or sale, or storage, transportation, distribution, notification of use or use in addition to or in conflict with the Act (city and county zoning and natural resources districts’ enforcement of the Ground Water Management and Protection Act are left in place).

The Nebraska Chemigation Act requires a natural resources district permit and a certified chemigation applicator to apply fertilizer or pesticide through an irrigation distribution system on land or crops. It defines chemigation as application through an onfarm irrigation distribution system and excludes hand-held hose sprayers that prevent backflow.

Sources: Nebraska Commercial Fertilizer and Beneficial Substances Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-2,162.01, .02, .08, .22, .23, .28, NDA “Fertilizer and Ag Lime” page, Nebraska Chemigation Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 46-1101, 46-1104 to 46-1106, 46-1110, 46-1113, 46-1117

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

Nebraska record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
Nebraska asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
Name and address of the person for whom the pesticide was applied	Customer name and mailing address, with the property’s street address, city, state and ZIP	Recorded
Name and certified applicator license number of the person applying	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
When a noncertified applicator applies: their information and the supervising licensed applicator’s	Each applicator’s standing (not certified, trainee…) and Supervised by, offered on Nebraska jobs at Finish job, with the supervisor’s license number when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Location of the application	Address, unit number (on the property), city, state, ZIP and county	Recorded
Site, crop or commodity treated	Where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description), required on Nebraska restricted use lines at Finish job	Recorded
Day, month and year, a record for each date	Date applied, one record per job, so one per day; GroundsQuote does not join the days of one application into a single record running until the site is cleared for re-entry	Partly
Initial starting time	A chemical’s own start time when entered (“Chemical started”), else the job’s start time, recorded when the crew starts it (the office can correct it)	Recorded
Product name and EPA registration number	Product name and EPA Reg. No., from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Total amount applied to the site	Total used	Recorded
Size of area treated	Area treated (sq ft)	Recorded
Record made within 48 hours of the application	Finish job saves the record and shows the deadline on Nebraska restricted use jobs; the Schedule lists chemical jobs finished without a record	Recorded
Sample form items: finish time, target pests, rate, method, tank mix, disposal, wind, temperature, restricted-entry interval	Finish time, target pest, rate applied, equipment used, mix ratio, each chemical on its own line, weather at start and finish, re-entry time; disposal is kept in the chemical logs, not on the record	Recorded
Records given to the customer within four business days of a request	The application statement can be emailed to the customer, and the records export can be filtered by hand; GroundsQuote does not track requests or the four-day window	Partly
Supervisor’s training records for noncertified applicators (printed name and signature, date, trainer, title) and the Verification of Training form	Training and ID records for each person, with a copy of the paper; GroundsQuote captures no signature and does not check the 12-month window; Finish job reminds you of the 60-day exemption paperwork	Partly
The 60-day exemption request to NDA within 10 days of first use	Not handled by GroundsQuote: file the request yourself; it does not count the 60 days	Not recorded
License renewals, recertification training and continuing education units	Not handled by GroundsQuote: license numbers, categories and expiry can be kept, but track recertification and renew licenses yourself	Not recorded

GroundsQuote applies Nebraska’s record items and 48-hour deadline to restricted use lines; general use lawn lines are recorded the same way, which the rule recommends. Outside GroundsQuote, file the 60-day exemption request, keep the signed Verification of Training forms, handle license renewals and recertification, any chemigation permit, and send the customer their records within four business days when asked.

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 Nebraska 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 have to keep records of general use lawn applications?

Not under the current rule. 25 NAC 2-006.02 requires records of restricted use pesticide applications, and of general use applications only for structural pest control; it recommends (but does not require) that commercial applicators applying other general use pesticides, such as lawn care, keep the same records.

Do I need a license if I only use general use products on lawns?

Yes. Anyone who uses lawn care general-use pesticides on another person’s property in Nebraska for hire must hold a commercial applicator license (Category 04, Ornamental and Turf Pest Control), whether or not they use any restricted use pesticide.

How soon must the record be made, and how long is it kept?

Commercial records must be made within 48 hours of the application and kept at least three years from the date of the application, at the commercial applicator’s principal place of business. NDA can ask for access and copies, and the customer can ask for the records and must get them within four business days.

Can a new employee apply before they are licensed?

Only for one consecutive 60-day period, once in a lifetime, under the direct supervision of a licensed certified applicator and after training that meets 40 CFR 171.201. The person or their employer must apply to NDA for a license within 10 days of the first pesticide use, and the training is documented on a Verification of Training form kept by the supervisor.

Does Nebraska require lawn signs or neighbor notice?

No. Neither the Pesticide Act nor Title 25 NAC chapter 2 requires a lawn sign, posting, customer notice or neighbor notice for turf applications, and the Act preempts local pesticide ordinances. Label-required posting still applies.