Texas Pest Control License: Requirements, Costs, and How to Get Certified

Does Texas require a pest control license?

Yes. You need a license to apply general or restricted-use pesticides for pay in Texas, whether the job is residential or commercial. The Texas Department of Agriculture’s Structural Pest Control Service (SPCS) enforces this rule, and a structural pest control applicator license lets you legally do the following work for compensation:

• Inspect for and control common pests
• Control termites and wood-destroying pests
• Fumigate structures and commodities
• Treat lawns and ornamental plants
• Control weeds
• Preserve wood

A license also lets you advertise, bid, contract, estimate, and report on those services. Working without one is illegal and carries real penalties, which we cover in the renewal section below.

Who issues pest control licenses in Texas?

The Texas Department of Agriculture issues pest control licenses in Texas. Structural work is handled by the TDA’s Structural Pest Control Service (SPCS), and agricultural pesticide work is handled by the TDA’s pesticide applicator program.

You’ll see older articles say structural pest control is regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). That’s out of date. Structural pest control moved to the TDA years ago, so the TDA is who you apply to, test with, and renew through today. When you research requirements, stick to texasagriculture.gov to avoid conflicting information.

Types of pest control licenses in Texas

Texas offers several license types because pest control pros handle a wide range of regulated and limited-use products. Your license depends on the service you provide, the products you use, the structures you work on, and your role in the business. 

As you build experience, you can add category certifications across both the structural and agricultural programs.

Under the Texas Administrative Code (Title 4, Chapter 7, Subchapter H), the TDA splits structural licenses into these types.

Structural Pest Control Service license types

The TDA also runs a separate agricultural pesticide applicator program.

Agricultural (AG) pesticide applicator license types

Each program is also broken into categories based on the type of work you want to do.

Structural pest control categories

The agricultural program adds more categories, including:

• Agricultural pest control
• Forest pest control
• Landscape maintenance
• Nursery plant control
• Seed treatments
• Vegetation management
• Aquatic pest control
• Aerial application
• Soil fumigation
• Public health pest control. 

You can review all of them on the TDA website.

Not sure which one you need? Most people who treat homes and buildings want a structural license through the SPCS. If your work involves crops, rangeland, forests, or other agricultural production, you’re in the agricultural pesticide program. Some operators end up holding both.

Texas pest control license requirements

To get certified, you follow the requirements set by the TDA’s Structural Pest Control Service or its agricultural pesticide program, depending on the work you do. Here’s what each structural license type requires.

Structural Pest Control Service requirements

Agricultural (AG) pesticide applicator requirements

How to get a pest control license in Texas

Start by registering as an apprentice, then build the experience and exams needed to move up to technician and certified applicator. Here are the steps to get a structural license through the SPCS.

1. Apply for apprentice registration through the Texas Agriculture Portal (TAP). Do this within 10 days of starting training, and have your employer confirm the date your training began.
2. As an apprentice, attend an SPCS-approved technician training course.
3. Build the experience or certifications you need to apply for the technician exam. You can qualify by holding an SPCS technician license for at least 6 months with 12 of the past 24 months of experience, holding a biological sciences degree from an accredited college, showing 12 of the past 24 months of industry experience, or having previously held a certified applicator license.
4. Apply to take the SPCS technician exam and pass with a score of at least 70%.
5. Confirm you’re eligible to apply for a certified applicator license by meeting one of these:
   1. 12 months of verifiable pest control experience in the past 2 years plus at least 6 months holding a technician license
   2. A transcript showing a biological sciences degree
   3. Proof of 12 of the last 24 months of industry experience
   4. Proof you previously held a certified applicator license
   5. A training course certificate for noncommercial licenses.
6. Apply to take both the general certified applicator exam and the category exam for the work you want to do.
7. To open a business, review the insurance and business requirements and apply for a business license through TAP.

To get an agricultural commercial or noncommercial pesticide applicator license instead, follow these steps.

• Contact the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to get the pesticide exam study manuals.
• Complete the correct commercial or noncommercial applicator application and submit it with the required fees to the TDA.
• After the TDA processes your application, use your account number to schedule your exam with the state’s testing vendor, Metro Institute. As of May 19, 2025, Metro Institute replaced PSI as the TDA’s exam vendor.
• Take the exam at a testing site and pass with a score of at least 70%.

You can submit all forms online through the Texas Agriculture Portal or by mail to P.O. Box 12847, Austin, TX 78711.

Texas pest control license exam

Each license category has its own exam, and you need a 70% to pass. Structural technician candidates take the technician exam for each category they want, while certified applicators take a general standards exam plus a category exam. 

As of May 19, 2025, exams are scheduled and administered through Metro Institute, the TDA’s current testing vendor, at sites across Texas. You apply and pay the TDA first, receive an account number, then register for your exam.

The TDA also offers continuing education courses for structural and agricultural applicators who want to earn credits toward future licensing or renewal. These cover topics like vector control, vegetation management, pesticide safety, crop production, weed control, and forest pests. 

Applicants who’ve completed certain 2-year or 4-year biology-related degrees can apply their studies in place of work experience.

Texas pest control training programs and schools

You can complete required training through employer-provided courses, SPCS-approved technician training, and state-approved continuing education providers. 

Technician candidates need 20 hours of classroom training in general standards plus 8 hours of classroom and 40 hours of on-the-job training per category, so most people train while working for a licensed business.

For study materials and coursework, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service publishes the official pesticide exam manuals and runs training used across the state. 

To find approved continuing education and technician training courses, search the TDA’s CEU course directory, which lists live and online options by category.

How long does it take to get licensed in Texas?

Plan on about 2 years to reach certified applicator status, since the fastest route requires 6 months as a technician plus at least 12 of the past 24 months of experience. 

If you qualify through a biological sciences degree or prior industry experience, you can move faster because you can skip part of the experience requirement.

Your total timeline also depends on training and exam scheduling. Apprentices must register within 10 days of hire, complete their required training hours, then pass exams at 70% or higher before moving up. 

The TDA doesn’t publish a single official timeline, so treat 2 years as a realistic baseline, not a guarantee.

Texas pest control license costs

Expect to spend roughly $189 to $489 depending on your license type and how many categories you carry. Here’s how the main structural costs break down, according to the TDA fee schedule.

Structural apprentice costs

SPCS technician / certified applicator costs

SPCS business license costs

AG pesticide applicator costs

For the full breakdown of structural and agricultural fees, visit the TDA fee page.

How much do pest control workers earn in Texas?

Pest control pays well for a trade you can enter without a four-year degree. Pest control workers nationwide earn a median annual wage of $44,730, or about $21.51 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024 data). 

In Texas, Indeed reports pest control technicians average about $19.40 an hour, or roughly $40,000 a year, though pay varies widely by region and experience.

Several factors move your pay up or down:

• Experience and license level. Certified applicators generally out-earn technicians and apprentices.
• Specialization. Termite, fumigation, and commercial accounts often pay more than general pest work.
• Location. Wages differ across Texas metros and rural areas.
• Ownership. Business owners set their own rates and keep the profit, so they can earn well above the technician average.

Demand supports those wages. The BLS projects 5% employment growth for pest control workers from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 13,400 openings a year.

Does your Texas pest control license work in other states?

Reciprocity lets licensed applicators from certain states apply directly for the equivalent Texas license instead of starting over. Texas has reciprocity agreements with these states for specific agricultural pesticide applicator categories.

Texas pest control license renewal

Renew before your license expires to keep working legally. Expiration dates depend on your license type:

• Commercial technician and applicator licenses expire annually on the same day as the business license.
• Commercial business licenses expire annually on the last day of the month, 12 months after they were issued.
• Noncommercial technician and applicator licenses expire annually on the last day of the month, 12 months after they were issued.

Renew online through the Texas Agriculture Portal (TAP). 

1. Structural certified applicators need 3 continuing education units (CEUs) per year to renew, which includes 2 general credits plus 1 per category. 
2. Agricultural commercial and noncommercial applicators need 5 CEUs a year, including one credit each from two of these areas: laws and regulations, integrated pest management, and drift minimization. 
3. Private applicators need 15 CEUs per five-year cycle. No CEUs are required during the first calendar year your license is issued.

You can find approved renewal courses in the TDA’s CEU course directory.

What happens if your pest control license expires?

Stop all work immediately and check your license status through the Texas Agriculture Portal. Working on any structural or agricultural pest control job with an expired license is illegal in Texas and can lead to license suspension, revocation, and financial penalties.

Late renewals also cost more. A renewal filed within 90 days runs 1.5 times the normal fee, and one filed between 91 days and a year runs 2 times the normal fee. You can review the actions that affect your license in Title 4, Chapter 7, Subchapter H of the Texas Administrative Code.

Requirements for pest control business owners

A license lets you work, but owning a business is how you raise your ceiling. If you want to start your own pest control business, the SPCS and the Texas Governor’s economic development office lay out what it takes to operate legally:

• Apply for a business license and pay the $300 fee.
• Designate a responsible certified commercial applicator for the business.
• Secure financing for your operations.
• Choose your business location and structure.
• Carry insurance of no less than $500,000 in bodily injury and property damage and $1,000,000 in total aggregate, with the care, custody, and control exclusion removed.
• Identify any county or city permits you need.

Once you’re licensed and insured, the day-to-day challenge shifts to running the business: quoting jobs, scheduling crews, invoicing, and getting paid on time. 

Jobber helps pest control operators handle those tasks in one place, so you can send quotes, book recurring treatments, dispatch technicians, and collect payments without drowning in paperwork.

For a full walkthrough on launching your company, read our pest control business guide.

Originally published in March 2023. Last updated September 16th, 2026.