New Hampshire pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 · 8 min read

The short answer

In New Hampshire, every pesticide application by a licensee must be recorded. For general use pesticides, a commercial applicator records the crop treated, site of treatment, address and town, the pesticide and formulation, the dosage, the method of application, the date or dates, the target organisms and the licensees who took part. For restricted use pesticides (EPA’s and the products the Pesticide Control Board classifies as restricted use), the record holds the name and address of the person it was applied for, the location, the size of the area, the site, the time and date, the brand name, the EPA registration number, the total amount applied per location per application, the certified applicator who made or supervised it with their certification number, and any noncertified applicator. Keep records at least 2 years, and report each year’s use for the period ending October 31 by December 1. Before treating a client’s lawn, give the client written notification, at least once a year; a lawn sign is not required on a private single-family lawn.

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

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Division of Pesticide Control in the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food administers and enforces the state’s pesticide control law (RSA chapter 430) under the commissioner. The rules for licensing, application, records and turf notification are the Pesticide Control Board’s chapters Pes 100 to Pes 1100 of the administrative rules.

The Division may enter public or private premises at reasonable times to inspect applications, equipment and storage, and to inspect and copy records, invoices and other documents on pesticide use. For penalties and the law’s effect on local ordinances, check RSA chapter 430 at the General Court’s site.

Sources: RSA chapter 430, Insects, Pests and Plant Diseases (pesticide control subdivision RSA 430:28–430:49), Pes 100 Organization Rules (Pes 101 definitions), Pes 400 Continued Status (renewals, continuing education, ongoing requirements), NHDAMF “Pesticides” page (Division of Pesticide Control)

Licenses you need

No person may engage in the commercial application of pesticides in New Hampshire without a certificate of registration (license) from the Division. The Division says anyone applying pesticides commercially on another’s property must be licensed whether or not they are paid, and whether the product is general use (including over-the-counter homeowner products) or restricted use.
Fees: the annual certificate of registration fee for a commercial applicator is $60, and each initial examination costs $15 per category.
A license is specific to its categories, and a licensee may not apply pesticides under a category they do not hold. Check the lawn and landscape categories in Pes 300 at the General Court’s site.
There are two levels of commercial license: supervisory, for the person who decides whether, how and with what precautions pesticides are used, and operational, for people who apply pesticides or are present and in direct command of those who do.
A supervisory license generally requires 3 years as an operational licensee or working under a supervisory licensee (less with a relevant college or technical degree), passing the general, supervisory regulations and category written exams, and an oral exam.
An operational license requires being at least 18 and passing the general exam, the operational regulations exam and a category exam for each category. The passing grade on written exams is 60 percent for operational applicants and 70 percent for supervisory applicants.
A “Supervisory Registration Certificate – General Use”, available only in categories B, C1, F2, F8, G1 and G2 (for lawn and landscape work, G1 and G2), lets a for-hire applicator supervise the application of general-use pesticides only. It requires at least 8 contact hours of category-specific training per category plus at least 8 contact hours of general instruction, and it does not apply to the commercial application of anything but general-use pesticides.
Every business applying pesticides for hire must hold a non-transferable business registration listing its authorized categories and naming its principal supervisory license holder before any of its applicators is licensed. At least one employee at the supervisory or managerial level of each business, and of each supervisory office or district in the state, must hold a supervisory license.
The appropriately licensed supervisor must countersign operational license applications, and an operational license may become invalid when the supervisory licensee or the operational licensee leaves the company.
Insurance: each applicant for a for-hire license must show liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate for bodily injury and $1,000,000 per occurrence for property damage, including chemical liability where available. Proof is a signed declaration with a certificate of insurance that names the Division as certificate holder and provides for notice to the Division of cancellation; the business registration must meet the same requirement.
Renewal: licenses are renewed each year with the renewal form, proof of insurance, the report of pesticides used in the preceding year and the fee; a license not renewed by June 1 requires taking the exam again.
Recertification: every fifth year, by retaking the exams or by earning at least 12 credits per category in Division-approved seminars over the 5-year period (no more than 48 credits for 5 or more categories).

On the job: supervisory licensees must supervise the operational licensees and others applying pesticides, have daily contact with them and be available for contact throughout the time they are applying. At least one member of each crew must hold an operational or supervisory license and be present whenever and wherever a commercial application is made. A “crew” is the people working with one piece of powered equipment holding more than 3 gallons of liquid or 25 pounds of dry material, or people within speaking distance of one another each applying by hand or with equipment of up to 3 gallons or 25 pounds.

According to the Division, Pes 403.04 requires every non-certified applicator to be trained under the Worker Protection Standard handler training rule before applying restricted use pesticides, with the training records kept for 2 years. Each training record lists the trainee’s printed name and signature, ID number, the date and address of the training, the type of training, the trainer’s name and certification number, the method and EPA-approved materials used, the trainer’s signed statement, and the employer’s name.

Vehicles used for commercial application must display the business name and firm registration number in letters at least 2 inches high in a color contrasting with the vehicle. Service containers carry an abbreviated label (product name, signal word, common name and percentage of active ingredients, the firm’s name, address and telephone number, and whether the material is dilute or concentrate), and a complete copy of the product label must accompany all service containers and application equipment in the vehicle. License holders must teach those working under them the hazards of handling pesticides and the label’s warnings, and employers must provide the safety equipment the label requires.

Sources: RSA chapter 430, Insects, Pests and Plant Diseases (pesticide control subdivision RSA 430:28–430:49), Pes 100 Organization Rules (Pes 101 definitions), Pes 300 Certification, Registration and Licensing Requirements, Pes 400 Continued Status (renewals, continuing education, ongoing requirements), Pes 500 Restrictions on the Application of Pesticides by Commercial Applicators and Permittees (incl. Pes 508 Commercial Applications to Turf Sites, amended eff. 8-22-24), Pes 1100 Worker Protection, “Commercial Applicator Licensing (For Hire)” information sheet (5/2025), “Supervisory Registration Certificate—General Use Only” compliance assistance sheet (May 2025), “New Hampshire Pesticide Record Keeping Requirement Updates” brochure, “Trainings for Non-Certified Commercial Applicators” with the New Hampshire Commercial Training Records form (April 2022), Commercial Pesticide Applicator application form (Rev 07/22/2026)

What to record for each application

Under Pes 901.02, every pesticide application by a licensee must be recorded “simply and accurately”, and the records are kept at the firm, branch office or subsidiary the applicators work from. For general use pesticides, a commercial applicator’s record of each application holds:

The crop treated, site of treatment, address and town
The pesticide and formulation employed
The dosage applied
The method of application
The date or dates of application
The target organisms
The licensees (registrants or permittees) who took part

For restricted use pesticides (EPA restricted use, and products the Pesticide Control Board classifies as restricted use), a commercial applicator applying or supervising the application records:

The name and address of the person for whom it was applied
The location of the application
The size of the area treated
The crop, commodity, stored product or site to which it was applied
The time and date of the application
The brand or product name
The EPA registration number
The total amount applied per location per application
The name and certification number of the certified applicator who made or supervised the application
The name of any noncertified applicator who made the application under the certified applicator’s direct supervision

Besides EPA’s restricted use products, New Hampshire classifies some products as state restricted use, for example lambda-cyhalothrin above 1%, and these may be sold only by licensed pesticide dealers. The Division publishes a daily use record form for general use applications and a separate one for restricted use pesticides with these items as columns. It describes the June 1, 2022 rule change as adding the EPA registration number, size of area, total amount per location per application and names of noncertified applicators for restricted use applications, and says applicators not using restricted use pesticides have no added record or training requirements. The rules set no deadline in days for making the daily record.

In August 2026 the Division presented, and the Board reviewed, a preliminary draft rule that would prohibit clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam on outdoor turf or lawns and restrict their other outdoor uses to licensed applicators; the Board voted 7–0 for the Division to file an initial rulemaking proposal. It is a draft only, not an adopted rule.

Sources: RSA chapter 430, Insects, Pests and Plant Diseases (pesticide control subdivision RSA 430:28–430:49), Pes 700 Sale and Use of Pesticides, Pes 900 Record Keeping and Reporting (Pes 901, eff. 6-1-22), “New Hampshire Pesticide Record Keeping Requirement Updates” brochure, “NH Pesticide Applicator Daily Use Records” form (January 2019), “Daily Use Record of Restricted Use Pesticides (RUP)” form (June 2022), Pesticide Control Board meeting minutes #308, 2026-08-17 (draft), “DRAFT PES 700 (pre-rulemaking for discussion)”, preliminary draft August 17, 2026

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Keep application records for at least 2 years, whether or not the license is renewed.
Make the records available to the Division to verify compliance; the statute makes them open to inspection at reasonable times by the Division or its agents.
Each year, report your pesticide use to the Division for the period ending October 31, on or before December 1. The report lists the applicator and firm, the year, the location of the sites, the licensees included, and for each pesticide the trade name, amount of active ingredient in the concentrate, EPA registration number, major crop or site, acres treated and total amount of concentrate used.
The Division’s yearly form says to make one entry per product and record totals in pounds, gallons or ounces, and that no licenses will be issued until the form is properly filled out.
No rule or statute we read gives the customer a right to a copy of the application record.

Sources: RSA chapter 430, Insects, Pests and Plant Diseases (pesticide control subdivision RSA 430:28–430:49), Pes 900 Record Keeping and Reporting (Pes 901, eff. 6-1-22), “NH Pesticide Applicator Daily Use Records” form (January 2019), “Daily Use Record of Restricted Use Pesticides (RUP)” form (June 2022), Pesticide Yearly Use Reporting Form

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

In addition to label requirements, commercial applicators must notify the people receiving their services before applying pesticides to turf, including lawns and golf courses. On private properties, give the client (or, if the client does not live there, the residents) written notification before the application and at least once a year.

The written notification must include the name, address and telephone number of the contact person and the firm, the pesticides by common chemical name, the forms of material and methods of application, and a schedule of the services to be provided. It must offer the customer advance notice and other information on request and must state: “you have the right to request and receive advanced notification of the date that each pesticide application will be made”. A “common chemical name” is a well-known simple pesticide name accepted by EPA or adopted by the American National Standards Institute.

Multifamily dwellings: the written notification must also designate the area treated and go to the management, owners or spokesperson at least 72 hours but no more than 2 weeks before the application, plus either signs at common entryways or prior written notice to all residents.
Public and recreational properties: post signs around the treatment area and at access points, or post the written notification on bulletin boards for at least 48 hours after the application.
Commercial business properties (banks, offices, restaurants, stores): signs at points of access and egress to the building and/or the written notification on bulletin boards inside for at least 48 hours after the application. Where any of these properties has play areas, picnic areas or other recreational turf, the public and recreational rules also apply.

Where signs are used, they must be 8 1/2 by 11 inches, of weather-resistant material, with black letters on a yellow background, and stay posted at least 48 hours after the application. Each shows the word “Notice” in 2 1/2-inch block letters, the pesticides used by common chemical name, the date of treatment, the area treated, a statement that the notice is for public information and for those who may be sensitive to chemicals, and the name, address and telephone number of a contact person. A sign is never required on a private single-family lawn.

Water and well setbacks: no one may apply pesticides to ground, turf or established vegetation within 25 feet of the reference line of surface waters not covered by the Shoreland Protection Act, or beyond 25 feet in a way that puts pesticide within 25 feet. No pesticide may be applied within 400 feet of a gravel-packed public water supply well or 250 feet of other public water supply wells without a special permit, and a special permit is also needed within 250 feet of the reference line of surface waters used for public water supply, within 5 miles of the intake. Powered equipment may not be used when the wind would carry the pesticide onto non-target areas.

Sources: Pes 100 Organization Rules (Pes 101 definitions), Pes 500 Restrictions on the Application of Pesticides by Commercial Applicators and Permittees (incl. Pes 508 Commercial Applications to Turf Sites, amended eff. 8-22-24), Pes 1000 Restrictions on the Use of Pesticides to Protect Ground and Surface Waters, “Pesticide Setback Distances from Wells and Surface Waters” brochure (February 2023)

Fertilizer rules

No fertilizer may be applied to urban turf or lawn during heavy rain (2 inches or more in 24 hours) or when heavy rain is predicted, when the ground is frozen, or when the turf is not actively growing. None may be applied to impervious surfaces such as driveways, patios and walkways, and fertilizer that lands on one must be collected immediately. None may be applied within 25 feet of a storm drain or deposited where it can enter one, and none within 25 feet of any surface water.

Neither the fertilizer statute (RSA chapter 431) nor the Department’s fertilizer rules require a license to apply fertilizer or a record of fertilizer applications; they cover registration ($128 per grade of each brand), labels, tonnage fees and turf limits. For the nitrogen and phosphorus limits on turf fertilizer, the shoreland fertilizer rules and penalties, check RSA 431 and RSA 483-B:9 at the General Court’s site.

Sources: RSA chapter 431, Soil and Plant Additives (fertilizers, RSA 431:1–431:21), Agr 1100 Fertilizers, “Restrictions for the Use of Turf Fertilizer” notice (DAMF-DRS v.12.2.24), “A Consumer’s Guide to Understanding Fertilizers”

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

New Hampshire record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
New Hampshire asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
General use: crop treated, site of treatment, address and town	Address, city, state, ZIP and county, and where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description), required on New Hampshire jobs	Recorded
Pesticide and formulation employed	Product name and formulation, from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Dosage applied	Rate applied (per area) and total used	Recorded
Method of application	Equipment used, required on New Hampshire jobs	Recorded
Date or dates of application	Date and time applied	Recorded
Target organisms	Target pest, set for each chemical on the job	Recorded
Licensees who took part	Applied by: everyone who applied it, with standing and license number when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Which products count as restricted use (EPA’s and the Board’s own list)	Restricted-use flag on each chemical, set by you; New Hampshire’s own list is not built in, so flag those products yourself	Partly
Restricted use: name and address of the person for whom applied	Customer name and mailing address	Recorded
Restricted use: location of the application	Address, city, state, ZIP and county	Recorded
Restricted use: size of the area treated	Area treated in sq ft	Recorded
Restricted use: crop, commodity, stored product or site	Where on the property	Recorded
Restricted use: time and date	Date and time applied, from the job’s start and finish	Recorded
Restricted use: brand or product name	Product name	Recorded
Restricted use: EPA registration number	EPA Reg. No., from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Restricted use: total amount applied per location per application	Total used	Recorded
Restricted use: name and certification number of the certified applicator who made or supervised it	Applied by and Supervised by (offered on New Hampshire jobs), with license and certification numbers when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Restricted use: names of noncertified applicators under direct supervision	Applied by, with each person’s standing (certified, technician, trained…)	Recorded
Written notice to the client before the application and at least once a year: contact, pesticides by common chemical name, forms and methods, schedule of services, and the advance-notification sentence	Chemical notice emailed from the customer’s page, or to every New Hampshire customer at once from Chemicals & fertilizers, and logged; Finish job warns when this year’s has not gone; print it for paper	Recorded
Yearly use report for the period ending October 31 (trade name, active ingredient, EPA number, major site, acres, total concentrate)	The records export gives totals by product for any date range; acres, the active ingredient in the concentrate and the Division’s form are not produced, and nothing is filed. Finish job reminds about the December 1 due date	Partly
Non-certified applicator training record (restricted use), kept 2 years	Training and ID records for each person, with a copy of the signed form; GroundsQuote does not collect signatures or ID numbers or track how long it is kept	Partly

The records export lays out New Hampshire’s items, and Finish job on New Hampshire jobs reminds the crew that the yearly use report is due December 1. The written notice to turf clients goes by email (or printed) as a chemical notice with your contact, the services planned, the chemicals by common name with their form and method, and the advance-notification sentence; Finish job warns when a customer has not had this year’s, and Finish job and the fertilizer calculator warn at New Hampshire’s nitrogen limits for lawn fertilizer. GroundsQuote does not track who asked for advance notice of each date; it does not print a New Hampshire sign (a sign is never required on a single-family lawn and is one allowed method elsewhere), handle multifamily and bulletin-board notices, licensing, insurance, renewal and recertification, vehicle lettering and service container labels, check crew licensing, water and well setbacks or New Hampshire’s other fertilizer rules, and it files nothing with the Division.

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 New Hampshire 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. Every pesticide application by a licensee must be recorded. Commercial applicators using general use pesticides record the site, address and town, the pesticide and formulation, dosage, method, date, target organisms and the licensees who took part; restricted use applications have their own list, including the EPA registration number, size of the area and total amount applied.

Do I need a license to apply over-the-counter products on customers’ lawns?

Yes. The Division says anyone applying pesticides commercially on another’s property must be licensed whether or not they are paid and whether the product is general use, including over-the-counter homeowner products, or restricted use.

How long do I keep records, and is there a yearly report?

Keep application records at least 2 years, whether or not the license is renewed. Each year, report your pesticide use to the Division for the period ending October 31, on or before December 1.

Do I have to put up lawn signs in New Hampshire?

Not on a private single-family lawn. There, give the client written notification before the application and at least once a year, including the sentence “you have the right to request and receive advanced notification of the date that each pesticide application will be made”. Signs are one way of giving notice at multifamily, public and recreational and commercial business properties, and stay up at least 48 hours.

Does New Hampshire limit fertilizer on lawns?

Yes. No fertilizer may be applied to urban turf or lawn during or before heavy rain, on frozen ground, when the turf is not actively growing, on impervious surfaces, or within 25 feet of a storm drain or surface water. No license or application record is required for fertilizer. Check RSA 431 at the General Court’s site for the nitrogen and phosphorus limits.