How to become a pest control technician in Virginia

The path in Virginia, step by step

Virginia licenses pest control work at the state level through the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Pesticide Services. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Become a certified commercial applicator, or employ one.
2. Fill out the Application for Virginia Pesticide Business License.
3. Get liability insurance that meets the state minimums.
4. Mail the application, certificate of insurance and fee, or apply online.
5. Renew by March 31 each year.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Virginia

Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

The license to aim for: Pesticide Business License, with a certified commercial applicator.

Trade exam. A written Pesticide Business License exam, waived if you or your employee is a certified commercial applicator.

Keeping it. Every year. All licenses expire March 31. Late renewals pay a 20 percent penalty.

What pest control technicians earn in Virginia

The median pest control technician in Virginia earned $22.09 an hour in May 2025, 18th of 50 states, with 3,040 on payrolls. The national median was $21.75.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of pest control technicians in Virginia earned under $18.60 an hour and a tenth under $17.80. At the top, a quarter earned over $24.01 and a tenth over $29.57.

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

Jobs ahead in Virginia

Virginia's labor market office projects jobs for pest control technicians growing from 3,150 in 2022 to 3,270 in 2032, a change of 3.8%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 420 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 3.8% from 2022 to 2032, about the same as the 3.2% projected nationally, ranking 30th 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 Virginia

To contract on your own in Virginia, the license is the Pesticide Business License, with a certified commercial applicator.

Insurance. Liability insurance of at least $100,000 property damage, $100,000 personal injury or death of one person, and $300,000 per occurrence, covering completed operations.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Virginia median of $22.09 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $109.38 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.