North Dakota pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

In North Dakota, commercial applicators must keep a record of all pesticide applications, general use and restricted use alike, and of the use or disposal of all pesticide rinsate, made within twenty-four hours: the name and address of the person for whom it was applied, a description of where it was applied, the pest controlled, the start and completion time, the person who supplied the pesticide if other than the applicator or employer, the trade name and EPA registration number, the wind direction, estimated wind velocity and estimated air temperature, the pounds or gallons of formulated product and of tank mix per acre, the crops or commodities and acreage or other unit treated, a description of the equipment used, and the signature and number of the applicator. Keep records three years from the application and give the client a copy within thirty days unless a signed waiver letter from the client is on file. North Dakota has no lawn sign or customer pre-notice requirement for turf.

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

Who regulates lawn care applicators

North Dakota’s pesticide law (NDCC chapter 4.1-33) is administered by the Pesticide Control Board, made up of the Agriculture Commissioner as chairman, the director of NDSU Extension and the director of the NDSU Agricultural Experiment Station, which writes the rules. The Agriculture Commissioner (North Dakota Department of Agriculture) enforces the law and its rules. Pesticide certification and training is run by NDSU Extension, which the Board designates to provide training, give the exams and issue certifications.

The Board’s rules on pesticide handling, certification classes and records are NDAC chapter 60-03-01, most recently amended effective April 1, 2026, the record rule included. A “commercial applicator” is a person who, by contract or for hire, is in the business of applying pesticides for compensation. No city or county, home rule ones included, may adopt or keep any ordinance or charter provision on the registration, labeling, distribution, sale, handling, use, application, transportation or disposal of pesticides; city zoning ordinances are excepted.

A knowing violation of the pesticide chapter by anyone other than a private applicator is a class A misdemeanor, and any violation of the chapter or its rules can bring a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation. The Commissioner may deny, suspend, revoke or modify a certification after the chance of a hearing, and may suspend or revoke one for failure to pay a civil penalty within 30 days of the final determination.

Sources: NDCC chapter 4.1-33, Pesticide Control, NDAC chapter 60-03-01, Pesticide, Distribution, Handling, and Use (article 60-03, amended eff. April 1, 2026), NDAC chapter 60-01-01, Organization of Board, NDDA: Pesticide Program, NDDA: Pesticide Enforcement Program

Licenses you need

Certification: a commercial applicator may not buy, use, or supervise the use of any pesticide, not only restricted use pesticides, without first meeting the certification requirements.
Certification is given to individuals who pass a core exam and at least one class exam, and every commercial applicator must be certified in the class that fits how they use pesticides.
Lawn care falls under the Ornamental and Turf Pest Control class, which covers pesticide use to control pests in the maintenance and production of ornamental plants and turf. Pesticide use in, on or around human dwellings, institutions and similar structures is the separate Industrial, Institutional, and Structural Pest Control class.
To be certified a person must be 18 or older, apply on the required forms, show competence in the federal core competencies (40 CFR 171.103 as of January 4, 2017) and pay the costs; a failed exam may be retaken after three or more days.
Renewal: commercial certificates expire on April 1 following the third anniversary of the year of certification or recertification, and are renewed by a Board-approved training or exam at least every third year. NDSU’s 2026–2027 booklet is addressed to holders whose certificates expire April 1, 2027; they may renew by an exam at an NDSU county Extension office or by a training, and someone renewing by training must attend the whole training (more than 15 minutes late means being rescheduled).
Costs: NDSU Extension’s registration form lists a commercial/public/dealer certification cost of $75 per training season plus $25 for each class, with a $25 late fee after the pre-registration deadline.
Financial responsibility: before a commercial applicator certificate is issued the applicant must furnish proof of financial responsibility of $100,000, by a notarized letter from a financial institution officer or a CPA attesting to net assets of that amount, a performance bond, or a general liability insurance policy; NDSU’s form lets the applicant instead sign an attestation that they hold it and will give further proof immediately when the Commissioner asks. The bond or policy must require the issuer to notify the Agriculture Commissioner at least 10 days before it is cancelled, ended or changed.
A commercial applicator must show proof of financial responsibility immediately when the Commissioner asks; without it the Commissioner may stop an application, and the certification is suspended if coverage is not kept. An employee of a commercial applicator that meets the rule does not need coverage of their own.
Nonresidents: North Dakota grants reciprocal commercial certification to nonresidents certified in a substantially similar program, for a $75 base fee plus $25 per category and a one-time $25 appointment of agent fee, and does not grant reciprocity to North Dakota residents. A nonresident applying for certification must file a power of attorney naming NDSU Extension (or a resident agent) to accept service of process.

Certification is not required for an individual applying non-restricted use pesticides under the direct supervision of a certified applicator, unless the label requires a certified applicator to apply it personally. “Under the direct supervision” means a competent person applies under the instructions and control of a certified applicator who is responsible for that person and available when needed, need not be on site, and must be able to reach the supervised applicator’s location within thirty minutes. “Competent” means properly trained to know and understand the label, the product name and application rate, proper application techniques, recordkeeping requirements, worker protection standards and emergency response, and able to identify workplace hazards. The exemption covers non-restricted use pesticides only, so anyone applying a restricted use pesticide for a lawn care business must be certified.

Sources: NDCC chapter 4.1-33, Pesticide Control, NDAC chapter 60-03-01, Pesticide, Distribution, Handling, and Use (article 60-03, amended eff. April 1, 2026), NDSU Extension, “Commercial/Public Applicator and Dealer Certification Offerings 2026-2027” (PDF), NDSU Extension, “Applicant Acknowledgment of Proof of Financial Responsibility” form (PDF), NDSU Extension, “Reciprocal Request for Pesticide Certification – Certification Year 2026” package (PDF)

What to record for each application

Under NDAC 60-03-01-07(2), commercial applicators must keep a record of all pesticide applications, general use and restricted use alike, and of the use or disposal of all pesticide rinsate. The record must be made within twenty-four hours of the application (or of the use or disposal of the rinsate). Each record holds:

The name and address of the person for whom the pesticide was applied
A legal description of the land, the specific crops or commodities and the total acreage or other common unit of measure, or another description of where the pesticide was applied
The pest or pests controlled
The start and completion time of the application (month, day, year and hour)
The person who supplied the pesticide, if other than the person making the application or that person’s employer
The specific trade name and EPA registration number of the pesticide applied
The wind direction and estimated wind velocity and the estimated outdoor air temperature at the time of application (not required for seed treatments, baits or indoor applications)
The amount of pesticide used, as pounds or gallons of formulated product per acre and pounds or gallons of tank mix applied per acre
The specific crops or commodities and total acreage or other unit of measure to which the pesticide was applied
A description of the equipment used in the application
The signature and number of the applicator, if any

The Department publishes a Pesticide Application Record form (SFN 53456) with fields for equipment used, product, EPA number and rate, commodity and pest, pesticide supplier, water per acre, acres, legal description, wind speed and direction, temperature, start and stop time, and the applicant’s certification number and signature; the rule does not require this form.

During the application, the labeling, a legible copy of it or a specimen label for each pesticide being applied must be at the application site. Applications must not be made when the weather favors off-target drift, and the applicator must take reasonable precautions not to apply while unprotected people are in the application site or in adjacent areas when drift may occur. Applying a pesticide to another person’s property without the permission of the owner or lessee is a violation, unless done under the direction of a government entity.

A commercial applicator who mixes, fills application equipment or otherwise uses pesticides must have immediate access to a spill kit at the filling site (enough absorbent for five gallons, impervious containers totaling at least ten gallons, and tools), unless only ready-to-use pesticides are used. Empty nonreturnable containers must be triple-rinsed or the equivalent on the day they are used. Any person involved in or causing a pesticide incident that could harm people, animals or the environment must report it to the Commissioner within twenty-four hours, with the product, amount, location, time, wind and temperature if outdoors, actions taken and the reporter’s contact information.

Sources: NDAC chapter 60-03-01, Pesticide, Distribution, Handling, and Use (article 60-03, amended eff. April 1, 2026), NDCC chapter 4.1-33, Pesticide Control, NDDA Pesticide Application Record form, SFN 53456 (PDF), NDDA: Pesticide Enforcement Program

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Keep application records for three years from the date of the application.
On request, submit all or any requested part of the records to the Commissioner.
Give a copy of each application record to your client as soon as possible and within thirty days, unless you have on file a signed letter from the client waiving the right to a copy.
The Commissioner may access and copy application records at any reasonable time; those records are confidential except when used as an exhibit in an enforcement action.
Refusing or neglecting to keep the required records, or making false records, invoices or reports, is a violation of the pesticide law.
Before suing over property damage from a pesticide application, a person must notify the applicator by certified mail within 28 days of learning of the damage (or before 20 percent of the crop or field is harvested or destroyed, if earlier) and let the applicator and up to four representatives inspect it.

Sources: NDCC chapter 4.1-33, Pesticide Control, NDAC chapter 60-03-01, Pesticide, Distribution, Handling, and Use (article 60-03, amended eff. April 1, 2026)

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

North Dakota’s pesticide statute and the Board’s rules contain no customer pre-notice, neighbor notice, registry, school notice or lawn-sign posting requirement for turf applications; the only posting rule is marking the entrances of pesticide storage areas. Label-required posting still applies. The customer’s copy of the application record, described above, is the one paper the client is owed.

The Board has adopted the federal Worker Protection Standard (40 CFR part 170 as of January 1, 2016), which covers agricultural plant production on farms and in nurseries, greenhouses and forests rather than lawn care.

Fertilizer rules

North Dakota’s fertilizer law requires each fertilizer brand and grade to be registered ($50 per product, for two years ending June 30 of each even-numbered year) and each distributor location to hold a $100 distributor’s license. A licensed distributor reports tonnage and pays an inspection fee of $10 or 20 cents a ton, whichever is greater, by January 31, and keeps purchase and sales records for three years.

The fertilizer statute and rules deal with registration, licensing, labeling, guarantees, inspection fees and deficiencies, and set no applicator license, application record, phosphorus or nitrogen limit, blackout dates or setbacks for lawn fertilizer. We could not confirm whether a lawn care company that only applies fertilizer bought from a licensed distributor needs a distributor’s license.

Sources: NDCC chapter 4.1-40, Fertilizer and Soil Conditioner, NDAC article 7-15, Fertilizer Regulation (chapters 7-15-01 and 7-15-02), NDDA: Fertilizer Program, NDDA “Fertilizer Registration and Licensing Guidelines” (PDF)

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

North Dakota record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
North Dakota asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
Name and address of the person for whom it was applied	Customer name and mailing address	Recorded
Description of where it was applied (legal description or other)	Address, city, state, ZIP and county, and where on the property (offered on North Dakota jobs)	Recorded
Specific crops or commodities and total acreage or other unit	Where on the property, and area treated in sq ft	Recorded
Pest or pests controlled	Target pest, set for each chemical on the job	Recorded
Start and completion time (month, day, year and hour)	The job’s start and finish times, recorded when the crew starts and finishes it (the office can correct them), and “Start and finish time for each chemical”, offered on North Dakota jobs	Recorded
Person who supplied the pesticide, if other than the applicator or employer	“Bought or supplied from” on each chemical line, offered on North Dakota jobs and filled from the chemical’s usual supplier	Recorded
Trade name and EPA registration number	Product name and EPA Reg. No., from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Wind direction, estimated wind velocity and estimated air temperature	The nearest weather station’s reading at the start and finish of the job, and conditions on site (offered on North Dakota jobs)	Recorded
Pounds or gallons of formulated product per acre	Total used and area treated, exported as formulated product per acre in North Dakota’s layout	Recorded
Pounds or gallons of tank mix applied per acre	Gallons of mix applied (offered on North Dakota jobs) and area treated, exported as tank mix per acre in North Dakota’s layout	Recorded
Description of the equipment used	Equipment used, set on the job; required on North Dakota jobs	Recorded
Signature and number of the applicator	Applied by, with license or certification numbers when license-keeping is switched on; no signature is captured	Partly
Record made within twenty-four hours	Finish job saves the record when the job is finished and shows the 24-hour deadline; the Schedule lists North Dakota chemical jobs finished without a record	Recorded
Record of rinsate use or disposal	A disposal entry in the chemical logs, and a reminder on Finish job; not tied to the job or the 24-hour deadline	Partly
Copy of the record to the client within 30 days, or a signed waiver letter on file	The application statement (print, leave or email) and signed waivers kept with the customer’s notices, with a reminder on Finish job; GroundsQuote does not track who has received a copy or the 30-day deadline	Partly

On North Dakota jobs, keep a signature on the record if you want one. Outside GroundsQuote, report incidents to the Commissioner within twenty-four hours, keep the label at the site, the spill kit and container rinsing, certification and renewal, and the $100,000 proof of financial responsibility.

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 (and product and tank mix per acre in the export), 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), where the pesticide was bought or supplied from, 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 North Dakota 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.

Start your 30-day free trial

Chemical records are on the Pro and Business plans.

Questions

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

Both. North Dakota’s rule requires commercial applicators to keep a record of all pesticide applications, general use and restricted use alike, and of the use or disposal of all pesticide rinsate, made within twenty-four hours and kept three years from the application.

Do I have to give the customer a copy of the record?

Yes. A copy of each application record must be given to the client as soon as possible and within thirty days, unless you have on file a signed letter from the client waiving the right to a copy.

Can uncertified crew members apply pesticides in North Dakota?

Only non-restricted use pesticides, under the direct supervision of a certified applicator who is responsible for them and able to reach their location within thirty minutes, and only when the label does not require a certified applicator to apply it personally. Anyone applying a restricted use pesticide for a lawn care business must be certified.

Do I need lawn signs or to notify neighbors in North Dakota?

No. North Dakota’s pesticide statute and the Board’s rules contain no customer pre-notice, neighbor notice, registry, school notice or lawn-sign posting requirement for turf applications, and the law bars cities and counties from adopting their own pesticide ordinances (city zoning excepted). Label-required posting still applies.

What proof of financial responsibility does a commercial applicator need?

Proof of $100,000, by a notarized letter from a financial institution officer or a CPA attesting to net assets of that amount, a performance bond, or a general liability insurance policy. The bond or policy must require the issuer to notify the Agriculture Commissioner at least 10 days before it is cancelled, ended or changed.

Does North Dakota have a turf fertilizer law for lawn care companies?

We found none. The fertilizer law requires product registration and distributor licenses; its statute and rules set no applicator license, application record, phosphorus or nitrogen limit, blackout dates or setbacks for lawn fertilizer.