Vermont pesticide and fertilizer record rules for lawn care companies

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 · 8 min read

The short answer

In Vermont, certified commercial applicators keep operational records of all pesticides they apply, general use as well as restricted use, maintained on a daily basis: the customer’s name and address, the pest treated for, the location, the size of the area treated, the site, the time and date, the product name, the EPA registration number, the total amount per location, and the certified applicator’s name and certification number with the names of noncertified applicators working under direct supervision. Keep records three years and file an annual application report with each renewal. Before any outdoor application to turf or ornamental plants, give the customer each pesticide’s common name, EPA number and proposed rate; post a sign of at least four by five inches at each conspicuous point of access before starting; and leave a statement with the customer when the job is done. No fertilizer may go on turf before April 1, after October 15 or on frozen ground.

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

Who regulates lawn care applicators

The Secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets regulates the sale, use, storage, treatment and disposal of pesticides in Vermont under 6 V.S.A. chapter 87. The Agency’s rule for applicators, notice, posting and records is the Vermont Rule for Control of Pesticides (CVR 20-031-012), effective February 24, 2023, the amended and retitled form of the Vermont Regulations for Control of Pesticides first promulgated in 1991.

Under the rule, “use” of a pesticide includes mixing and loading, applying (including supervising a noncertified applicator), transporting or storing opened containers, cleaning equipment, disposing of excess pesticide, spray mix, wash water and containers, and recommending a pesticide.

Vermont sorts pesticides into Class A (federally or State restricted use), Class B (controlled sale, which includes all turf products, with Bacillus thuringiensis and potassium fatty acid products excepted) and Class C (homeowner). The Agency says neonicotinoid pesticides labeled for outdoor use are State restricted use pesticides, so only certified applicators may buy and apply them. Since July 1, 2025, applying a neonicotinoid pesticide to ornamental plants (perennials, annuals and groundcover purposefully planted for aesthetic reasons) is prohibited unless the Secretary issues a written exemption order, and the Agency reads “perennials” to include trees and shrubs. The Agency’s neonicotinoid best management practices rule (effective February 7, 2026) is recommendations only and does not change the Rule for Control of Pesticides.

The Secretary may enter any premises to inspect application sites, records and equipment. A violation of the pesticide chapter or its rules can bring a fine of up to $25,000 or up to six months’ imprisonment, or both, with each violation a separate offense, and the Secretary may assess an administrative penalty of up to $5,000 per violation against a certified commercial applicator or licensed company, including for failing to submit a required report.

Sources: Vermont Rule for Control of Pesticides, Chapter 012, CVR 20-031-012, effective February 24, 2023, 6 V.S.A. chapter 87, Control of Pesticides (full chapter, §§ 1101–1113), VAAFM: Pesticide Programs, VAAFM: Summary of 2023 Vermont Rule for Control of Pesticides, VAAFM: Neonicotinoids in Vermont, VAAFM: Best Management Practices for the Use of Neonicotinoid Treated Article Seeds and Neonicotinoid Pesticides, Rule 26-005, effective 02/07/2026

Licenses you need

Company license: a business that applies pesticides on the land or home of another, paid or free, must hold one. It expires on December 31 of the year it was issued and is renewed every year; the fee is $75 a year.
Commercial certification: anyone who uses or supervises the use of any pesticide on the lands and homes of others must be certified as a commercial applicator, unless working under the direct supervision of a certified applicator. The Agency says the applicator must be affiliated with a licensed pesticide applicator company.
Categories: lawn and landscape work falls under Category 3, Ornamental and Turf Pest Control: 3A Ornamental & Shade Trees (flowers, shrubs and trees) and 3B Turf. Both exams cover State-required posting.
Exams: a candidate must be at least 18 and pass a written core exam and an exam for each category they will work in. The passing score on all Vermont applicator exams is 75%, the examination fee is $25, and since July 1, 2026 the statute sets no limit on how often an exam may be retaken.
Fees: commercial certification is $30 per category or subcategory a year, up to $120. Licenses and certificates run January 1 to December 31.
Renewal: certification may be renewed each year for up to five years, then the applicator recertifies by training or re-examination. Within each five-year cycle, earn sixteen recertification credits in your categories (one credit is 60 minutes of approved subject matter). A certificate not renewed within 365 days lapses and requires re-examination.
Staff changes: a licensed company notifies the Secretary in writing within 30 days when a certified commercial applicator leaves, and the applicator notifies the Agency within 30 days of leaving or changing employers.
Direct supervision: the rule calls an uncertified person applying under a certified applicator a “commercial applicator”. Direct supervision means physical, on-site supervision by a certified applicator able to calibrate equipment, select a pesticide, calculate an application rate and respond to an emergency. It is not allowed for a federally restricted use pesticide: only a certified applicator may use one.

Tip: The Secretary may require a licensee to show financial responsibility of at least $1,000,000 by surety bond, liability insurance or cash deposit; the rule itself sets no insurance requirement for lawn work.

Sources: Vermont Rule for Control of Pesticides, Chapter 012, CVR 20-031-012, effective February 24, 2023, 6 V.S.A. chapter 87, Control of Pesticides (full chapter, §§ 1101–1113), VAAFM: Pesticide Applicator Types & Certification, VAAFM: Applicator Training & Recertification, VAAFM: Notice to Vermont Pesticide Applicators and Pesticide Dealers (updated 12/07/2023), Act No. 178 (2026), S.323, An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects, as enacted (signed June 18, 2026)

What to record for each application

Certified commercial applicators keep operational records of all pesticides they apply, general use as well as restricted use, maintained on a daily basis. Each record holds:

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

Every paid application must also come with a bill, invoice or other written or electronic document given to the customer at the time of application, listing each pesticide’s common or trade name and EPA registration number, the address and sites treated, the date and time, the amount of each pesticide, the total dilution used if applicable, the pest treated for, the applicator’s name and certificate number, the applicator’s or company’s name, address and phone number, any Worker Protection Standard information and any post-application label safety precautions.

Sources: Vermont Rule for Control of Pesticides, Chapter 012, CVR 20-031-012, effective February 24, 2023, VAAFM: Summary of 2023 Vermont Rule for Control of Pesticides

How long to keep records and who can ask for them

Keep application records for three years and make them available to the Secretary on request. A licensed company collects its certified applicators’ records, holds them three years and makes them available on request.
Certified commercial applicators file an annual pesticide application report giving each product’s EPA registration number and name, the amount applied, the general purpose and the county. It goes in with the certification renewal, a certificate is not renewed without it, and it is required even in a year with no applications.
A licensed company files its own annual application report with its license renewal before January 1 of each year. The report is still required for the last year a certificate or license was held when it is not renewed.
All applicators and licensed companies must completely and accurately maintain, submit and report the use and sales data the Secretary requires, including weekly spray reports, invoices, sales records, training records, application records and annual usage.
The Agency publishes yearly usage reports from the data applicators report at renewal and audits records through announced and unannounced inspections.

Sources: Vermont Rule for Control of Pesticides, Chapter 012, CVR 20-031-012, effective February 24, 2023, VAAFM: Pesticide Usage Reported

Customer notice, posting and lawn signs

Golf courses aside, these duties apply to commercial and non-commercial applicators alike for outdoor applications to turf or ornamental plants:

Before any outdoor application, give the customer each pesticide’s common name and EPA registration number and the proposed application rate, plus the label and safety data sheet if they ask. The rule says “prior to any outdoor pesticide application” and offers no once-a-season or once-a-year notice in its place.
When the customer asks, tell them in advance when each application will take place.
Before starting, post at least one sign at each conspicuous point of access to the treated area (the usual entrance where a person is likely to enter it), at least 12 inches above the ground.
The sign is at least four by five inches, of sturdy, weather-resistant material, in contrasting colors. The front carries the rule’s design only: “CAUTION”, “Pesticide Application”, the symbol and “KEEP OFF UNTIL DRY”, with “CUSTOMER: Please remove after 24 Hours.” beneath, and no additional words or symbols. The back shows the date and time of the application.
Immediately after each application, leave with the customer, resident or occupant (or, if no one is there, in a notable place at the site) a statement with the applicator’s or company’s name, address and phone, the applicator’s name and certification number, each pesticide’s common or trade name, EPA registration number, amount used and pest treated for, any post-application label safety precautions, the date, time and location, and instructions to remove the sign after 24 hours.
Provide a copy of the pesticide label and safety data sheet when the customer or an adjoining landowner asks for it.

For condominiums and apartment buildings (not owner-occupied dwellings), first give the customer a notice template with the company’s contact details and headings for the manager’s contact and the planned date, time, product and location. Both the customer and the applicator post the written notice in a central area accessible to all occupants at least 24 hours but no more than seven days before the application, or send it to occupants electronically.

No one may apply a pesticide to a flowering crop such as clover without at least 48 hours’ notice to a beekeeper with an established apiary on the premises. A pesticide highly toxic to bees must be applied when exposure is least, such as early morning or late evening, in winds under nine mph, with a 50-foot buffer from pollinator foraging sites (or a qualifying vegetative barrier). A pesticide applied to soil or vegetation must keep at least 50 feet from any potable water source, 100 feet from public non-community groundwater drinking water sources, and 200 feet from public community drinking water sources and intakes and from surface-water intakes of public non-community systems, unless the label prescribes more.

Source: Vermont Rule for Control of Pesticides, Chapter 012, CVR 20-031-012, effective February 24, 2023

Fertilizer rules

Vermont’s turf fertilizer law applies to turf, meaning closely mowed, managed grass on residential, commercial and public land, parks and recreation areas, not pasture, cropland, sod land, other agricultural land or golf courses. Its phosphorus and nitrogen limits cover fertilizer labeled for turf.

No fertilizer may be applied to turf before April 1 or after October 15 in any year, or at any time the ground is frozen.
No fertilizer may be applied to turf within 25 feet of a water of the State, or to an impervious surface such as a driveway, walkway or road; any that lands there must be collected at once and returned to a container.
Phosphorus fertilizer (more than 0.67 percent available phosphate by weight; compost and manipulated manure excepted) may not go on turf unless a soil test done no more than 18 months before shows a deficiency, or it is starter fertilizer for new grass from seed or sod in its first growing season.
No “nitrogen fertilizer” may go on turf, meaning turf fertilizer whose nitrogen is less than 15 percent slow-release nitrogen.
A person who knowingly and intentionally violates the turf fertilizer law faces a civil penalty of up to $500 per violation.

Vermont’s fertilizer law requires each brand and grade sold in the state to be registered, at $85 per grade a year, and sets no applicator license and no application records for lawn work. Golf courses instead need a nutrient management plan as a condition of their pesticide permit.

Sources: 10 V.S.A. § 1266b, Application of phosphorus fertilizer, 6 V.S.A. chapter 28, Fertilizer, Lime, and Beneficial Substances Law (full chapter), VAAFM: Fertilizer and Beneficial Substances Programs

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

Vermont record items and GroundsQuote’s chemical application record
Vermont asks for	In GroundsQuote	Status
Name and address of the person for whom applied	Customer name and mailing address	Recorded
Pest treated for	Target pest (editable on the job)	Recorded
Location of the application	Address, unit number (on the property), city, state, ZIP and county	Recorded
Size of the area treated	Area treated (sq ft)	Recorded
Crop, commodity, stored product or site	Where on the property (front lawn, beds, fence line… or a description), required on Vermont jobs at Finish job	Recorded
Time and date of the application	Date and time applied, with a chemical’s own start and finish time when entered, else the job’s start and finish times, recorded when the crew starts and finishes it (the office can correct them)	Recorded
Brand name or product name	Product name, as entered in the chemical’s setup	Recorded
EPA registration number	EPA Reg. No., from the chemical’s setup	Recorded
Total amount applied per location per application	Total used	Recorded
Name and certification number of the certified applicator who applied or supervised, and the names of noncertified applicators	Applied by: everyone riding with the crew that day starts checked, and the crew unchecks anyone who did not apply it; Supervised by and Trainees offered on Vermont jobs; each person’s certification number when license-keeping is switched on	Recorded
Record maintained on a daily basis	Finish job saves the record when the job is finished, and Vermont jobs are expected the same day	Recorded
Customer’s bill: total dilution used, if applicable	Water or carrier (gallons), required on Vermont jobs for mixed products, with the mix ratio offered and use dilution (%); the application statement prints the mix, use dilution and gallons of water or carrier	Recorded
Customer’s bill and statement: certificate number, company name, address and phone, label safety precautions	The application statement prints your business name, address and phone, everyone who applied it with certification numbers when license-keeping is switched on, and the label’s precautions from the chemical’s setup; switching licenses on and filling in the precautions are yours	Partly
Statement left after the application, with instructions to remove the sign after 24 hours	The application statement carries a Vermont line asking the customer to remove the lawn sign 24 hours after the application; leaving it at the property is yours	Partly
CAUTION sign at each point of access before starting, date and time on the back	GroundsQuote prints a 4 by 5 inch Vermont sign with only the rule’s front wording and a no-entry symbol drawn like the rule’s, and the date and time on the back; check the symbol against the rule’s drawing, and post the signs yourself	Partly
Before each outdoor turf or ornamental application: common name, EPA number and proposed rate	GroundsQuote emails customers with an email address the afternoon before each pesticide job (each chemical’s common name, EPA number and planned rate, re-entry time and precautions) and logs it on the customer’s page; Finish job warns when none is logged; tell customers without an email address yourself	Partly
Neonicotinoids: State restricted, none on ornamental plants	Finish job on Vermont jobs reminds you of the ornamental ban; mark outdoor neonicotinoids restricted use in the chemical’s setup yourself	Partly
Turf fertilizer limits (April 1 to October 15, frozen ground, 25 feet from water, phosphorus soil test, 15 percent slow-release nitrogen)	Finish job and the fertilizer calculator warn on Vermont jobs outside April 1 to October 15 and when less than 15 percent of the nitrogen is slow-release, and a phosphorus fertilizer warns without a soil test from the last 18 months; frozen ground and the 25-foot water buffer are yours to check	Partly
Annual application report by product, purpose and county	The yearly summary export by county or product helps fill it in; filing it with your renewal is yours	Partly
Condominium and apartment notices, beekeeper notice, water buffers	Not handled by GroundsQuote: give these notices and keep the buffers yourself	Not recorded
License renewal and recertification credits	Not handled by GroundsQuote: license numbers, categories and expiry can be kept, but track credits and renew yourself	Not recorded

The records export lays out Vermont’s items in the rule’s order, but nothing has been submitted to the Agency. GroundsQuote emails the notice before each application only to customers with an email address, and does not track label and safety data sheet requests, send condominium or apartment notices, or file the annual report, company license or staff-change notices; give those yourself and keep the company license, permits and recertification credits outside GroundsQuote.

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 Vermont 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. Certified commercial applicators keep operational records of all pesticides they apply, general use as well as restricted use, maintained on a daily basis and kept three years.

Do I have to tell the customer before every application?

Yes, for outdoor applications to turf or ornamental plants (golf courses aside). The rule asks for each pesticide’s common name, EPA registration number and proposed application rate “prior to any outdoor pesticide application”, and offers no once-a-season or once-a-year notice in its place. Give the label and safety data sheet too if the customer asks.

What goes on a Vermont lawn sign?

The front carries only the rule’s design: “CAUTION”, “Pesticide Application”, the symbol and “KEEP OFF UNTIL DRY”, with “CUSTOMER: Please remove after 24 Hours.” beneath, and no other words or symbols, so your business name may not go on the front. The back shows the date and time of the application. The sign is at least four by five inches, in contrasting colors, posted at least 12 inches above the ground at each conspicuous point of access before you start.

What do I leave with the customer after the job?

A statement with your name, address and phone, the applicator’s name and certification number, each pesticide’s name, EPA number, amount and pest treated for, any label safety precautions, the date, time and location, and instructions to remove the sign after 24 hours. Leave it with the customer, resident or occupant, or in a notable place at the site if no one is there.

Can I use neonicotinoids on lawns and landscapes?

The Agency says neonicotinoid pesticides labeled for outdoor use are State restricted, so only certified applicators may buy and apply them. Since July 1, 2025, applying them to ornamental plants is prohibited unless the Secretary issues a written exemption order, and the Agency reads ornamental plants to include trees and shrubs.

When can I fertilize lawns in Vermont?

Not before April 1, after October 15 or on frozen ground, and not within 25 feet of a water of the State. Phosphorus needs a soil test from the last 18 months showing a deficiency, or new grass in its first growing season, and turf fertilizer must have at least 15 percent of its nitrogen as slow-release.