How to become a pest control technician

How to become a pest control technician, step by step

1. Finish high school or get a GED. Many companies also want a driver's license and a clean driving record.
2. Get hired as a technician and complete the company's training, including general training in pesticide use and safety.
3. Study for and pass your state's applicator or technician exam. States certify applicators, and many certify every commercial applicator.
4. Pick up specialties such as rodent control, termite control or fumigation, and keep up with continuing education.
5. With experience, move up to supervisor, or get the business license your state asks for and start your own company.

Apprenticeship and on-the-job training

Pest control is learned mostly on the job rather than in a long apprenticeship. Training can usually be finished in less than 3 months.

Because methods change, technicians often take continuing education classes after they are licensed.

Find registered openings near you in the Apprenticeship Job Finder. In each state page below, we note whether the state runs its own apprenticeship agency or works through the U.S. Department of Labor.

Trade school and other ways in

Company training. Most technicians train with the company that hires them, starting with pesticide use and safety and moving into specialties.

State study programs. Most states run a Pesticide Safety Education Program, which is the place to ask about training and study materials for the exam.

Licenses and exams

Most states require pest control workers to be licensed. Requirements vary, but you usually complete training and pass an exam, and some states add more for applicators.

Federal law requires anyone who applies or supervises restricted use pesticides to be certified, and the certifying is done by states, territories and tribes. You need it in every state where you apply them.

Of the 46 states we have checked against the official boards, 46 require a state pest control license, 0 license only part of the work, and 0 leave it to cities and counties. Every state, with fees and forms: pest control licenses by state.

Certifications

Certified applicator. Required for restricted use pesticides, and many states require it for all commercial applicators, not only those using restricted products. Check whether your state's rules are stricter than the federal ones.

What pest control technicians earn

Pest control technicians earned a median $21.75 an hour in May 2025. The lowest-paid tenth earned under $16.67 and the top tenth over $29.75.

Among the states with a page below, the highest medians are in Washington ($24.66), South Dakota ($24.00) and Nevada ($23.67).

BLS counts 108,700 jobs for pest control workers and projects 6 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,700 openings a year.

Pay in every state: pest control technician salary by state.

From the truck to your own shop

Applicators with several years of experience can become supervisors.

Some pest control workers start their own pest management business, which in most states means a separate business license.

Before you go out on your own, price your hours. At the national median of $21.75, the labor rate calculator gives $108.78 per billable hour on its starting numbers.

The full checklist: how to start a pest control business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.