Licensed pesticide applicators must become recertified to renew their pesticide applicator licenses. To become recertified, you must either retake the certification exams or earn the required number of Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

In rare situations, reexamination may be required for recertification, with no option of using CEUs. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) will notify all applicators affected by this requirement.

How to Earn CEUs

CEUs are earned by attending approved CEU classes or completing approved online or correspondence courses that award CEUs.

If you have more than one license, the same CEUs can be used to renew both licenses, provided the CEUs were earned during the license period for each license or within one year after expiration.

Number of CEUs Required

Licensees who renew their licenses with CEUs must earn four Core CEUs plus the number of Category CEUs shown in the table. Only four Core CEUs are required per license — not four Core CEUs per category. All Category CEUs must be approved for the specific category.

No substitutions of Core/Category CEUs are allowed.

Using a Combination of CEUs and Exams to Renew

Licensees have the option of taking the certification exams again if they do not have enough CEUs for renewal. If a licensee has earned the required Category CEUs but not enough Core CEUs, the Core Exam may be taken instead of using Core CEUs for renewal. Licensees may also choose to take the Category Exam(s) and earn four Core CEUs.

If you are licensed in more than one category, you may choose to renew some categories with CEUs and other categories by exam. The licensee must also earn four Core CEUs or retake the Core Exam, in addition to either earning the number of Category CEUs shown in the table above or retaking the Category Exam for each category renewed.

• Example 1: A private applicator who has four Private Applicator CEUs and only two Core CEUs may either take the Core Exam or earn two additional Core CEUs to renew.
• Example 2: A commercial applicator who would like to renew in the Agricultural Row Crop and Agricultural Tree Crop categories will need to earn four Core CEUs, eight Agricultural Row Crop CEUs, and eight Agricultural Tree Crop CEUs or take the three corresponding exams.

Find CEU Classes

Training programs that provide CEU credits are offered by county extension offices and many other education providers. To locate training programs offering CEUs, licensees may use the CEU Class Search or call us at (850) 617-7870.

Keeping Records of CEUs Earned

Each licensed applicator is responsible for keeping track of CEUs earned and for submitting CEU documentation at license renewal time.

The following are acceptable methods of documenting CEUs:

• Earned CEU Database — CEU providers can enter CEUs earned by individual licensees into FDACS's online CEU database. This is an optional procedure for CEU providers. If earned CEUs are entered into the database, FDACS will accept this as an official record; it is not necessary for licensed applicators to submit CEU Record of Attendance forms for those CEUs. Licensees may check to see how many earned CEUs have been entered by using the Earned CEU Search. 
• CEU Record of Attendance Forms — For each CEU class attended, licensed applicators should obtain an official CEU Record of Attendance form that has been signed by both the CEU provider and the licensee. The CEU Record of Attendance form must be filled out completely. Keep the forms until it is time to renew your license, then mail them to FDACS with the completed renewal notice and license renewal fee.

Information for CEU Providers: Getting Approval to Grant CEUs

Any private company, public entity, professional association, or other organization or training provider may apply to have a program approved by FDACS to award CEUs to program attendees.

One CEU is awarded for each 50 minutes of applicable classroom lecture time. Program segments consisting of field trips, demonstrations and other non-lecture instruction are generally awarded 0.5 CEUs for each 50 minutes.

To be approved for CEU credit, requests for CEU program approvals plus the program agenda and speaker resumes must be received by FDACS at least two weeks before the program is held. Also, the program material must relate directly to the competency standards [ 86 kB ]  for the general standards (Core) or the categories of license for which CEUs are requested. 

If you have questions about approval to grant CEUs, call us at (850) 617-7870.

Submit Program Requests Electronically

To submit program requests electronically, CEU providers can use our CEU database. A program agenda and a brief resume for each speaker will need to accompany each program request.