Frequently Asked Questions

Chapter 482 is the primary Florida law governing the pest control industry, administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). It establishes who must be licensed, what certified operators are responsible for, what records must be kept, and what penalties apply for violations. Rule 5E-14 of the Florida Administrative Code is the implementing regulation that adds the detailed technical and procedural requirements.

Any person or business that performs pest control for hire in Florida must hold a valid FDACS pest control business license. The "certified operator" responsible for supervising pest control activities must also hold a state-issued license in each category they supervise. Operating without a license is a first-degree misdemeanor under §482.012.

Florida licenses pest control by category under Rule 5E-14.105: General Household Pest (GHP) — structural pests in and around buildings; Lawn & Ornamental (L&O) — turf, trees, and landscape plants; Termite/WDO — wood-destroying organisms; Fumigation — a separate, highly regulated category. Each category requires a separate state examination and license. A company may hold multiple categories.

A certified operator is the individual licensed by FDACS who is legally responsible for all pest control activities performed under a business license. Under §482.111, the certified operator must pass a state exam in each category they supervise and must be available and reachable to supervise employees. The certified operator is personally liable for compliance with Chapter 482 and Rule 5E-14.

Yes. Each category (GHP, L&O, Termite/WDO, Fumigation) requires a separate license and examination. If your company performs GHP and termite work, for example, you need a business license and a certified operator in both categories.

Operating without a license is a first-degree misdemeanor under §482.012. FDACS may also pursue administrative fines, injunctions, and civil penalties. Repeated or aggravated violations can result in permanent prohibition from holding a pest control license.

Under §482.141, pest control companies must maintain records of every pesticide application, including the date, location, target pest, product applied, application rate, and the name of the employee who made the application. These records must be retained for the period specified by rule and must be produced upon FDACS request. Customers may also request copies.

Yes. Under §482.151, FDACS inspectors are authorized to enter pest control establishments and vehicles during business hours to inspect records, equipment, and pesticide storage. They may also observe applications in progress. Refusing a lawful inspection is itself a violation of Chapter 482.

Florida requires licensed certified operators to complete continuing education as a condition of license renewal under §482.131 and Rule 5E-14.113. CEUs ensure that licensed applicators stay current with pest biology, application techniques, and regulatory changes. Failing to complete required CEUs before your renewal deadline means your license lapses.

The number of hours depends on your license category and your renewal cycle. Check your FDACS renewal notice for your specific requirement, or contact FDACS at (850) 617-7997. Generally, each category requires several hours per two-year renewal cycle — contact FDACS for the current exact requirement for your category.

Yes. PestEd is a registered Florida continuing education provider. Every course carries an FDACS approval number and is accepted toward Chapter 482 license renewal in the applicable category. The approval number is printed on your certificate.

Generally, no. Each PestEd course is approved for a specific FDACS category (e.g., GHP or L&O). If you hold licenses in multiple categories, you'll need to complete a course approved for each one. Contact FDACS to confirm which courses satisfy your specific renewal requirements.

Rule 5E-14.113 requires that CEU courses meet a minimum amount of active reading time per CEU hour — you can't just click through a course in minutes and receive credit. PestEd tracks your seat time automatically. The timer only runs while the lesson is your active browser window; it pauses if you switch tabs or step away. You cannot unlock the quiz until you've met the minimum seat time for all lessons.

Under Rule 5E-14.113, the minimum passing score is 75% for all Chapter 482 categories — Core, GHP, Lawn & Ornamental (L&O), Termite/WDO, and Fumigation. PestEd enforces this threshold exactly.

Contact FDACS directly at (850) 617-7997 — they handle reinstatement and can tell you exactly what's required. Completing your CEUs with PestEd is part of the renewal process, but FDACS controls the reinstatement process itself.

No. PestEd Technician Track courses are designed for pest control technicians working under a certified operator's supervision. They are not approved as CEU credit for a certified operator's license renewal. Operators must complete courses in their specific licensed category.

$25 per course, which includes 2 CEU hours. There is no subscription, no recurring fee, and no charge for quiz retakes. Pay once, complete the course at your own pace.

Browse courses at /courses, click on any course to view details, then click "Enroll — $25." Enter your email address, name, license number, license category, address, and payment information. If your email is already on file from a previous course, your profile auto-fills. Payment is processed securely via Stripe.

Once you enroll, the course stays open on your dashboard indefinitely — there's no expiration date. Florida requires a minimum seat time, but there's no maximum. You can work through it in one sitting or over several sessions.

Yes. Your progress — including how much lesson content you've read and your seat time — is saved automatically. Just return to your dashboard at /dashboard and continue where you left off.

PestEd is browser-based and works on desktop, tablet, and mobile. No app or software download is needed. For the best experience taking the final quiz, a larger screen is recommended.

Currently, enrollment requires the student's own email address since the certificate and FDACS-13325 are sent to that address. Your employer can pay for the course, but the enrollment should be completed with your email so the certificate is issued in your name.

Yes — use Team Enrollment at /business/enroll. One Stripe checkout covers the whole team. Each technician receives their own sign-in link by email, and certificates and FDACS-13325 attendance forms are emailed to both the tech and the admin when each person passes. Pricing is $25 per seat.

75% for all Chapter 482 categories — GHP, WDO, Core, Fumigation, and Lawn & Ornamental (L&O). This is the minimum required by FDACS Rule 5E-14.113.

Retake the quiz as many times as you need — there's no extra charge and no waiting period. After each attempt, you'll see a full right/wrong breakdown for every question. You can also open your results in a new tab while retaking the quiz so you can reference what you missed.

FDACS §4.4 requires quiz questions to be presented in randomized order each session. This is an FDACS compliance requirement, not just a PestEd design choice.

Yes. After every quiz attempt — pass or fail — you'll see a complete question-by-question review showing which answers were correct, which you got wrong, and the correct answer for each missed question. On a failed attempt, you can also open the results in a separate tab.

Unlimited, always free. Your best passing score is what counts.

Yes. During the quiz, there's a "Review course material" button that opens the lessons in a new tab so you can look things up without losing your in-progress answers.

The moment you pass the quiz, a signed CEU certificate is emailed to your enrollment email address. It's also saved to your dashboard at /dashboard. The certificate includes the course name, CEU hours, your name, license number, the FDACS approval number, and the date of completion.

The FDACS-13325 is the official "Record of Attendance" form required by FDACS to document your CEU completion. PestEd generates it automatically when you pass a course — it's emailed alongside your certificate. You don't need to fill out any forms yourself; the data from your enrollment profile populates the form.

Go to /records, enter your email address, and all your PestEd certificates and FDACS-13325 forms are re-emailed to you — no login required. PestEd retains your records for 5 years per FDACS requirements.

Five years, consistent with FDACS recordkeeping requirements. Your completion records, certificates, and FDACS-13325 forms are archived in secure cloud storage.

PestEd generates the FDACS-13325 form and emails it to you, but you are responsible for submitting it to FDACS as part of your license renewal. Keep the form in your records. Contact FDACS if you have questions about your renewal submission.

Your certificate is issued digitally and is formatted as a PDF — you can print it at home or at any print shop. We don't mail physical copies, but the PDF is identical to a printed certificate for FDACS purposes.

You don't create a traditional username/password account. When you enroll, your email address becomes your identity on the platform. To sign back in later, scroll to the bottom of any PestEd page and click the "Sign back in →" prompt in the footer. Enter the email you enrolled with and we'll send you a one-time sign-in link — no password needed.

Your progress is saved to your account on our servers — not in your browser — so no work is lost. Scroll to the footer of any PestEd page and click "Sign back in →." Enter the email you enrolled with and click "Email me a sign-in link." Open the email, click the link, and you'll be signed in and dropped straight back at your dashboard where you can resume the course right where you stopped. The link is good for 15 minutes and can be used once.

Same answer: scroll to the footer of any PestEd page, click "Sign back in →," enter your email, and use the sign-in link we send you. The link works from any device. Your course progress, seat time, and any completed certificates are all tied to your email address, not to a particular browser or device.

You don't need one. Student accounts on PestEd are passwordless by design. Whenever you need to sign back in, click "Sign back in →" in the footer of any page and we'll email you a one-time sign-in link. Each link expires after 15 minutes and can only be used once, which is actually more secure than a re-used password.

Your data is stored in an encrypted database. We collect only what's needed for FDACS documentation (name, license number, address, date of birth). We do not sell your data to third parties. Payment is handled by Stripe — PestEd never stores your credit card information.

Contact us directly to update your profile information. Accurate data is important because it populates your FDACS-13325 form.

Your name, license number, address, and date of birth are used solely to generate the FDACS-13325 attendance form and your CEU certificate. Your email is used to send these documents and course-related communications.