New Grower Information

Welcome Letter - English  Spanish

Grower Guide - English  Spanish

Operator Identification Number (OPID)

All growers who plan to use any material to control any pest for the production of an agricultural commodity must obtain an OPID annually. Permit renewal information can be found here.

Restricted Materials Permit (RMP)

The use of restricted use pesticides requires a Restricted Materials Permit. Please read more about Obtaining a Restricted Materials Permit as well as California Restricted Materials Use Requirements in English and Spanish. 

Please complete the Restricted Materials Permits Alternatives Documentation before applying for a Restricted Materials Permit through our department.

Notice of Intent for Restricted Material Use

Review our Notice of Intent Policy.

CalAg Permits Online Pesticide Use Reporting

California law requires that any pesticide, any material used to control any pest, put on an agricultural commodity in the channels of trade must be reported to the state of California. You must report any use monthly by the 10th of the following month of use. This is done electronically on CalAgPermits.org. Login information is available by contacting our department at (650) 363-4700.

Private Applicator Certificate

Private Applicator Certificates (PAC) allow you to use federal and California restricted pesticides and train employees as pesticide handlers or fieldworkers. PAC are valid for 3 years, expiring on December 31 of the expiration year. Applicants must pass a written examination with a minimum score of 70%. Please find information on the new requirements, certification periods, renewal requirements, and links for study guides for licensing here.

New requirements for licensing beginning on January 1, 2024 will require all existing Private Applicator Certificate holders to retake and pass a revised exam. Exams are given at the San Mateo County Agriculture Department offices by appointment only. Contact us to set up an appointment at (650) 363-4700. A study materials book can be checked out from our department for your convenience. 

Private applicators using fumigants must be certified in fumigant use. CA Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is adopting a new certificate option for PAs for Burrowing Vertebrate Pest Control. If you want to use a restricted material fumigant (Aluminum Phosphide) for burrowing vertebrates, the new certification is required beginning on Jan. 1, 2024 to be in compliance. You must take the revised PAC exam to qualify to obtain the new fumigation certification.

Fieldworker and Pesticide Handler Training Resources

Documents:

Department of Pesticide Regulation Pesticide Safety Information Series in Agricultural Settings: PSIS A Series

Pesticide Handler and Fieldworker Written Training Program

Fieldworker Training Record - English  Spanish

Pesticide Handler Training Record - English  Spanish

Training Resources:

Contact our department at (650) 363-4700 to obtain a thumb drive preloaded with Fieldworker Training materials.

Follow this link to find more information and videos on the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) provided by the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC)

Heat Illness Prevention Video by the California Department of Industrial Relations - English  Spanish

Pesticide Labels and Safety Data Sheet Databases - Agrian  CDMS

Respiratory Protection Program Documents

Respiratory Protection Written Program

The Respirator Program Administrator must be familiar with the American National Standard Practices for Respiratory Protection

Respirator Fit Testing Companies

Department of Pesticide Regulation Guidelines for Required vs. Voluntary Use Respirators

Voluntary Respirator Use Posting - English  Spanish

Applications Near Schoolsites

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) has adopted new regulations which additionally regulate agricultural pesticide applications near public K-12 schools and licensed child day care facilities (collectively called schoolsites). These regulations took effect on January 1, 2018 with a goal of providing additional protections to school children when agricultural pesticide are applied nearby.

California growers with fields that are within a quarter mile of a schoolsite must notify the principal or administrator by April 30th of all pesticides they expect to use for the following July-June school year. Schoolsites do not include family day care homes or private schools. Notification must include all pesticides, even organic materials and those which are exempt from pesticide registration.

These new regulations restrict certain types of pesticide applications made within a quarter mile of a schoolsite during school hours, Monday – Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. These include applications by aircraft; sprinklers, airblast sprayers, fumigants and dust applications, such as sulfur. Pesticide applications involving backpack sprayers and ground rigs without forced air can occur during the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. period as long as they are more than 25 feet from a schoolsite. Greenhouse applications are exempt from the minimum buffer requirement.

Online resources including factsheets, notification templates and training documents can be found below or on CDPR’s website.

Commissioner's Letter to Growers and Nurserymen

DPR's Growers and Applicator's Factsheet

CalAg Permits Step by Step Guide

Annual School Notification Printable Form (Grower Must Keep a Copy for 2 Years)

Amendment to Annual School Notification (Schoolsites Must Be Informed 49 Hours Prior to Application)

What is a Pesticide?

Grower/Pesticide Applicator Responsibilities

California regulations require any person intending to apply any pesticide toxic to bees to a blossoming plant to check for apiaries within one mile of an application site.  Advisors, growers and applicators can now check for apiaries on BeeWhere.  Beekeepers are required by law to register their hives.  During registration, beekeepers choose if they would like to be notified, and how they want to be notified (phone, email, or anonymous email).  

California Code of Regulations 6654 in summary: 

If you use pesticides toxic to bees on a blossoming plant, you need to notify beekeepers who have hives within a ONE (1) mile radius of the application site at least 2 days in advance.  Please provide the following information when notifying:

• Time
• Place
• Crop
• Acreage
• Method of Application
• Pesticide
• Pesticide Dosage

Log in to beewhere.calagpermits.org using your same username and password for CalAgPermits.  BeeWhere DOES NOT notify the beekeeper, only provides the contact information for the Grower/Applicator to do the notification.  Click here for more information.

Pesticide Container Disposal

Please contact our department at (650) 363-4700 to obtain a Pesticide Container Disposal Certificate.

Disposal of Pesticides

The San Mateo County Department of Environmental Health provides a hazardous waste disposal program. More information on the Very Small Quantity Generator (VSQG) program can be found on their website. This is the VSQG fee schedule. 

Certified Producer Certificate

A Certified Producer Certificate, or CPC, is required to sell agricultural goods of your own production at a Certified Farmers' Market. Please find more information here.

Nursery License

A Nursery Stock License is required to sell seedlings, cut flowers, and potted plants. Seeds and cut Christmas trees are exempt. The application to sell nursery stock can be found here on the California Department of Food and Agriculture website.

If you are selling less than $1,000 and only within San Mateo County, you may qualify for a Fee Exempt Nursery License. This must be submitted to San Mateo County's Department of Agriculture for processing.

Organic Registration

If you plan to sell your produce as organic, you need to register with CDFA and/or with a certifying agency. Read more about the state organic program here.

Burn Permit

Information on how to obtain a Permit for Agricultural Fire for Disease and Pest Prevention can be found here. Contact our department at (650) 363-4700 to set up an inspection appointment.