- In Maine a commercial pesticide applicator needs certification from the Board of Pesticides Control, and a spray contracting firm needs its own certification and license.
- Pay runs from about $22.18 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of pest control technicians to $28.99 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 0% from 2022 to 2032, slower than the 3.2% projected nationally.
The path in Maine, step by step
Maine licenses pest control work at the state level through the Maine Board of Pesticides Control. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Get certified as a commercial applicator by the Board of Pesticides Control.
- If you have employees, fill out the spray contracting firm license application and send it with your commercial applicator license application.
- Mail it with a $300 check payable to Treasurer, State of Maine.
- Renew the firm license each period for $300.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: pest control license in Maine.
Finding an apprenticeship in Maine
Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine
The license to aim for: Commercial applicator license, plus a spray contracting firm license.
What the Maine license costs
The fees the Maine Board of Pesticides Control lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Spray contracting firm license, initial or renewal | $300 |
What pest control technicians earn in Maine
The median pest control technician in Maine earned $23.24 an hour in May 2025, 9th of 50 states, with 320 on payrolls. The national median was $21.75.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of pest control technicians in Maine earned under $22.83 an hour and a tenth under $22.18. At the top, a quarter earned over $27.21 and a tenth over $28.99.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.18 | $46,130 |
| 25th percentile | $22.83 | $47,490 |
| Median | $23.24 | $48,340 |
| 75th percentile | $27.21 | $56,590 |
| 90th percentile | $28.99 | $60,300 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: pest control technician salary in Maine.
Jobs ahead in Maine
Maine's labor market office projects jobs for pest control technicians growing from 280 in 2022 to 280 in 2032, a change of 0%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 40 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 0% from 2022 to 2032, slower than the 3.2% projected nationally, ranking 37th 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 Maine
To contract on your own in Maine, the license is the Commercial applicator license, plus a spray contracting firm license.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Maine median of $23.24 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $111.40 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 Maine'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.
- Applicators and distributors (checked 2026-10-09)
- 22 MRSA 1471-D (checked 2026-10-09)
- Spray contracting firm license application (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.