CEPEP’s Pesticide Applicator Study Guides provide information to prepare pesticide applicators to meet Colorado’s written test requirements. Individuals seeking to be licensed in Colorado must pass the General test and at least one category where they will be making pesticide applications.
The guides published by CEPEP are described below. Click on the title to order a copy from the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC) online, or visit the NPSEC page to order multiple study guides.
In addition to the study guides that are needed for the pesticide applicators’ exam (general and categorical), test takers are encouraged to understand the Colorado Pesticide Applicators’ Act along with their Rules and Regulations. The PDF file of both documents are provided through the links below:
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides on agricultural plant, including applications performed on pastures, croplands and non-crop agricultural lands, to control invertebrate pests, including insects, mites, slugs, snails and nematodes.
This category does not qualify you to perform any type of fumigation. If you are looking to qualify for structural fumigation — such as fumigation in railcars, storage containers, grain storage silos, or other enclosures — you must obtain Category 303. If you are looking to qualify for soil fumigation or burrowing rodent fumigation you must obtain Category 309.
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to agricultural plants, including applications performed on pastures, croplands and non-crop agricultural lands, to control plant diseases.
This category does not qualify you to perform any type of fumigation. If you are looking to qualify for structural fumigation — such as fumigation in railcars, storage containers, grain storage silos, or other enclosures — you must obtain Category 303. If you are looking to qualify for soil fumigation or burrowing rodent fumigation you must obtain Category 309.
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to agricultural lands, including pastures, croplands and non-crop agricultural lands, to control weeds.
This category does not qualify you to perform any type of fumigation. If you are looking to qualify for structural fumigation — such as fumigation in railcars, storage containers, grain storage silos, or other enclosures — you must obtain Category 303. If you are looking to qualify for soil fumigation or burrowing rodent fumigation you must obtain Category 309.
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to seeds on agricultural establishments as defined at 40 C.F.R. § 170.3 (as incorporated herein by reference) or seed treatment facilities. |
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to livestock. |
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides in forests, forest nurseries, forest seed producing areas managed for the production of timber and other forest products or maintained as wood vegetation for such indirect benefits as protection of catchment areas or public recreation, including windbreaks and downed timber.
For applications in forested areas within 50 ft of a residential or commercial structure, an applicator must also hold the ornamental pest control category in accordance with Part 9 of these rules and comply with all of the posting and notification requirements in section 35-10-112, C.R.S., of the Pesticide Applicators’ Act.
This additional certification in the ornamental pest control category shall not apply to aerial applicators or ground applications made by federal, state, or local governments on property they own. This category does not apply to pesticide applications made to control vertebrate pests.
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to land which is not managed for turf, pasture or forest on which the vegetation is predominantly native plant species of introduced species managed as native species such as grasses, grass-like plants, forbs or shrubs.
Rangelands include but are not limited to natural grasslands, shrublands, deserts, tundras, and meadows.
For applications performed in rangeland areas within 50 ft of a residential or commercial structure, an applicator must also hold the turf pest control category in accordance with Part 9 of these rules and comply with all of the posting and notification requirements in section 35-10-112, C.R.S., of the Pesticide Applicators’ Act.
This additional certification in the ornamental pest control category shall not apply to aerial applicators or ground applications made by federal, state, or local governments on property they own. This category does not apply to pesticide applications made to control vertebrate pests.
| The application of pesticides to standing or running water when made to control aquatic weeds, amphibians, fish and other pests in water, except for pesticide applications which are included in the Public Health Category 110. |
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides on right-of-way areas involved in common transport such as federal, state and county highways and roads; electric utility lines (including transformer stations and substations); roadside rest areas and parks; pipelines; equipment yards; railroads; public surface drainage ways; irrigation ditchbanks; and bicycle, bridle, and snowmobile trails. |
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides for the control of pests having medical or public health importance, except vertebrates. This category applies to non-government commercial applicators who use pesticides for the management and control of pests having public health importance. |
| The application of restricted use pesticides in government-sponsored public health programs for the control of pests having medical or public health importance. |
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides in the course of conducting field research or demonstration. No license or certification will be issued in this category unless the applicant also obtains licensing or certification, in the specific category listed in the Rules, which is appropriate to the research activity. |
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of metam sodium in sewers to control roots. For purposes of this sub-category, “sewer” shall mean any artificial conduit for the transmission of wastewater to a wastewater treatment plant. |
The application of pesticides by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), fixed or rotary wing aircraft.
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides on turf grass for home lawns, institutional and industrial grounds golf courses, athletic fields, other recreational turf, parks, roadsides, airports, and cemeteries. |
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to ornamental trees, shrubs, beds, flowers and other ornamental plants, except turf or indoor ornamental plants, to control invertebrate pests, including insects, mites, slugs, snails and nematodes, or to control plant diseases. |
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to control termites, carpenter ants, powder post beetles, fungi, and/or other wood destroying organisms in structures and/or adjacent outside areas.
This category does not qualify you to perform any type of fumigation. If you are looking to qualify for structural fumigation — such as fumigation in railcars, storage containers, grain storage silos, or other enclosures — you must obtain Category 303. If you are looking to qualify for soil fumigation or burrowing rodent fumigation you must obtain Category 309.
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any reptile, bird, feral dogs and cats, moles, voles, bats, wild carnivores, rabbits, skunks, amphibian pests not in water and any other vertebrate pest, except rats and mice.
This category does not qualify you to perform any type of fumigation. If you are looking to qualify for structural fumigation — such as fumigation in railcars, storage containers, grain storage silos, or other enclosures — you must obtain Category 303. If you are looking to qualify for soil fumigation or burrowing rodent fumigation you must obtain Category 309.
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of a fumigant to one or more rooms in a structure or to the entire structure at a desired concentration and for a length of time necessary for the control of rodents and/or insect pests, including the application of a fumigant to a localized space or harborage within a structure, including but not limited to railcars, storage containers, grain storage silos or other enclosures, including tarpaulin fumigations, for insect and/or rodent control. This category is required for the use of a fumigant in any licensure category authorized by Title 35, Article 10, when the application of the fumigant is made to or in a structure as defined in Part 1.02(m).
Information contained in both the Structural Fumigation: Colorado Commercial Pesticide Application and Safety Training Study Guide and the Non-soil Fumigation – A National Pesticide Applicator Study Manual is needed in order to obtain this category. This category does not qualify you for soil or burrow fumigation (see Category 309) or sewer root control (see Category 113).
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides, bait stations, or devices intended for use for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating structural pests, including without limitation insects and rodents. |
For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides for the treatment of pests in raw grain stored in facilities which are not used for animal or human habitation; the application of plant growth regulators to agricultural commodities stored in facilities which are not used for animal or human habitation; and the application of pesticides to commodity processing equipment or commodity storage facilities (not including offices or other structures).
This guide contains information on fumigation, but taking this category exam no longer qualifies you to perform any type of fumigation. If you are looking to qualify for structural fumigation — such as fumigation in railcars, storage containers, grain storage silos, or other enclosures — you must obtain Category 303. If you are looking to qualify for soil fumigation or burrowing rodent fumigation you must obtain Category 309.
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate pests in wood or wood products which are, or are capable of being, incorporated into a structure, not including downed timber prior to bark removal or sawing. |
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides to house plants and other indoor ornamental plants kept or located within structures occupied by humans, including, but not limited to houses, apartments, offices, shopping malls, other places of business and other dwelling places. |
| For individuals preparing to be licensed in the application of pesticides for the treatment of pests in raw potatoes stored in facilities which are not used for animal or human habitation; the application of plant growth regulators to potatoes stored in facilities which are not used for animal or human habitation; and the application of pesticides to potato processing equipment or potato storage facilities (not including offices or other structures). |
For the use of fumigant to control pests in soil.
Click here to dowload the free PDF file for the Soil Fumigation Manual, OR
For the use of a fumigant to control pests in non-soil sites, such as burrowing rodent control, not otherwise addressed in Category 303, Structural Fumigation Pest Control.
Any person who uses or supervises the use of a restricted use pesticide for purposes of producing any agricultural commodity on property owned or leased by the applicator or the applicator’s employer or, if the pesticide is applied without compensation other than trading of personal services between producers of agricultural commodities, on the property of another person must be a licensed private applicator. The holder of a private applicator license is only authorized to use restricted pesticides for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity as defined in Part 1.02(q).