- In Louisiana an individual must be licensed to control pests and fumigate structures, and a pest control company also needs a Place of Business Permit from the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
- Four years in the last six as a registered technician under a licensee, or a 4 year degree in entomology, or a degree with 12 semester hours of entomology plus one year as a registered technician.
- Plan for a trade exam.
- Pay runs from about $13.39 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of pest control technicians to $27.99 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 0.5% from 2022 to 2032, slower than the 3.2% projected nationally.
The path in Louisiana, step by step
Louisiana licenses pest control work at the state level through the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Structural Pest Control Commission. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Meet the education or experience requirement for the license phase you want.
- Send your application at least 30 days before a quarterly Structural Pest Control Commission meeting.
- Once approved, schedule and pass the exam, $50 per phase.
- Get a Place of Business Permit for your company.
- Renew the permit by June 30 each year and recertify every three years.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: pest control license in Louisiana.
Finding an apprenticeship in Louisiana
Louisiana runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Louisiana State Apprenticeship Agency 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 Louisiana
The license to aim for: Structural pest control operator license, plus a Place of Business Permit.
Trade exam. An exam for each license phase, $50 per phase, after the Structural Pest Control Commission approves your application.
Keeping it. The Place of Business Permit renews every year by June 30. Licensees attend an approved recertification program every three years.
Coming from another state. Experience under a licensed operator in another state can count toward the four years, if the commission accepts the proof.
What the Louisiana license costs
The fees the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Structural Pest Control Commission lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Place of Business Permit, yearly, 2 employees or less | $150 |
| Place of Business Permit, yearly, 3 or more employees | $200 |
| License exam, per phase | $50 |
What pest control technicians earn in Louisiana
The median pest control technician in Louisiana earned $21.43 an hour in May 2025, 27th of 50 states, with 1,930 on payrolls. The national median was $21.75.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of pest control technicians in Louisiana earned under $17.14 an hour and a tenth under $13.39. At the top, a quarter earned over $23.30 and a tenth over $27.99.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $13.39 | $27,850 |
| 25th percentile | $17.14 | $35,660 |
| Median | $21.43 | $44,570 |
| 75th percentile | $23.30 | $48,450 |
| 90th percentile | $27.99 | $58,220 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: pest control technician salary in Louisiana.
Jobs ahead in Louisiana
Louisiana's labor market office projects jobs for pest control technicians growing from 1,870 in 2022 to 1,880 in 2032, a change of 0.5%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 240 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 0.5% from 2022 to 2032, slower than the 3.2% projected nationally, ranking 36th 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 Louisiana
To contract on your own in Louisiana, the license is the Structural pest control operator license, plus a Place of Business Permit.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Louisiana median of $21.43 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $108.22 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.
Where this comes from
The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is Louisiana's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.
- Structural pest control licensing and registration (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-2021
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2022 to 2032 (state labor market offices) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship System (Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agencies) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Offices (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Program (checked 2026-10-09)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Pest Control Workers (checked 2026-10-09)
Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become a pest control technician.