- A Pennsylvania business that applies pesticides with commercial applicators needs a pesticide application business license from the Department of Agriculture, with at least one certified applicator.
- Plan for a trade exam.
- Pay runs from about $17.74 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of pest control technicians to $28.85 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2022 to 2032, about the same as the 3.2% projected nationally.
The path in Pennsylvania, step by step
Pennsylvania licenses pest control work at the state level through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Programs. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Pass the certification exams for your categories.
- Use the business license application the department sends after your exams.
- Have your insurer send a certificate naming the department as holder.
- Pay the $35 fee, and renew each year.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: pest control license in Pennsylvania.
Finding an apprenticeship in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
The license to aim for: Pesticide application business license, with a certified commercial applicator.
Trade exam. Certification exams. After you pass, the department sends instructions and a business license application.
Keeping it. Every year, with the $35 fee.
What the Pennsylvania license costs
The fees the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Programs lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Business license application, first year and each year after | $35 |
What pest control technicians earn in Pennsylvania
The median pest control technician in Pennsylvania earned $21.98 an hour in May 2025, 19th of 50 states, with 2,260 on payrolls. The national median was $21.75.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of pest control technicians in Pennsylvania earned under $18.84 an hour and a tenth under $17.74. At the top, a quarter earned over $23.00 and a tenth over $28.85.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.74 | $36,910 |
| 25th percentile | $18.84 | $39,190 |
| Median | $21.98 | $45,720 |
| 75th percentile | $23.00 | $47,840 |
| 90th percentile | $28.85 | $60,000 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: pest control technician salary in Pennsylvania.
Jobs ahead in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's labor market office projects jobs for pest control technicians growing from 1,680 in 2022 to 1,730 in 2032, a change of 3%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 220 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2022 to 2032, about the same as the 3.2% projected nationally, ranking 33rd 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 Pennsylvania
To contract on your own in Pennsylvania, the license is the Pesticide application business license, with a certified commercial applicator.
Insurance. Meet the financial responsibility rules. Your insurer issues a certificate of insurance naming the Department of Agriculture as certificate holder.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Pennsylvania median of $21.98 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $109.19 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 Pennsylvania'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.
- Pesticide application businesses (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.