How to become a pest control technician in Illinois

The path in Illinois, step by step

Illinois licenses pest control work at the state level through the Illinois Department of Public Health, Structural Pest Control Program. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Apply for structural pest control technician certification, general use or restricted use.
2. Pick an exam date and pass the exams with 70 percent or better.
3. Submit the Commercial Structural Pest Control Business License Application and fee.
4. Have your insurer send the Certificate of Insurance Form.
5. Renew the license by December 1 each year.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: pest control license in Illinois.

Finding an apprenticeship in Illinois

Illinois has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Illinois Apprenticeship Office as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

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

License levels and exams in Illinois

The license to aim for: Commercial Structural Pest Control Business License.

Trade exam. The General Standards Examination for general use pesticides. Restricted use pesticides also need one or more subcategory exams. You need 70 percent to pass each.

Keeping it. The business license renews every year by December 1. Technician certification renews every 3 years by December 1.

What pest control technicians earn in Illinois

The median pest control technician in Illinois earned $22.33 an hour in May 2025, 16th of 50 states, with 2,470 on payrolls. The national median was $21.75.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of pest control technicians in Illinois earned under $18.44 an hour and a tenth under $17.37. At the top, a quarter earned over $23.73 and a tenth over $30.02.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: pest control technician salary in Illinois.

Jobs ahead in Illinois

Illinois's labor market office projects jobs for pest control technicians growing from 2,330 in 2022 to 2,410 in 2032, a change of 3.4%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 310 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 3.4% from 2022 to 2032, about the same as the 3.2% projected nationally, ranking 31st of the 39 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group pest control workers.

Starting your own pest control technician business in Illinois

To contract on your own in Illinois, the license is the Commercial Structural Pest Control Business License.

Insurance. Your insurance company sends the department a Certificate of Insurance Form showing the coverage the law requires.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Illinois median of $22.33 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $109.80 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in 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.