How to become a pest control technician in Montana

The path in Montana, step by step

Montana licenses pest control work at the state level through the Montana Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Program. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Study the core manual and Montana pesticide laws.
2. Pass the core exam and your category sections with 80 percent.
3. Get liability insurance of at least $30,000.
4. Apply and pay the $85 license fee.
5. Renew every year before December 31.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Montana

Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana

The license to aim for: Commercial pesticide applicator license.

Trade exam. A core exam plus the sections for your pest categories, passed with 80 percent or better.

Keeping it. Every year. Licenses expire December 31 and must be renewed before you apply pesticides.

What the Montana license costs

The fees the Montana Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Program lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What pest control technicians earn in Montana

The median pest control technician in Montana earned $20.06 an hour in May 2025, 35th of 50 states, with 100 on payrolls. The national median was $21.75.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of pest control technicians in Montana earned under $18.84 an hour and a tenth under $18.44. At the top, a quarter earned over $22.71 and a tenth over $29.01.

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

Starting your own pest control technician business in Montana

To contract on your own in Montana, the license is the Commercial pesticide applicator license.

Insurance. Liability insurance of at least $30,000 for ground applicators ($50,000 for aerial), kept in force the whole license period.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Montana median of $20.06 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $105.82 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.