Continuing Education Classes

Private Applicator Card Renewal

To renew your Private Applicator Card, you must complete your continuing education classes before the expiration date on your card. You must have 6 hours of continuing education (2 hours must be in Laws & Regulations, and the remaining 4 hours can be in any subject). Providing you have completed the required hours, you can renew your card no earlier than 120 days prior to expiration date, but you must renew before March 31st of the following year your PAC card expires. If you fail to renew between those dates, you will have take a Re-Certification Exam to get your card.  There is no fee to obtain your Private Applicator Card initially and no fee to renew.

Listed below are websites you can visit to earn Continuing Education hours. Please make sure the class is accredited in California. Print out a confirmation that you took the class and send us a copy. There may be fees for some of the classes.

New Private Applicator Testing Requirements

DPR revised regulations related to certification and training of pesticide applicators.  DPR is requiring all PAC holders to retest with the newly revised PAC exam.  If your last name ends R-Z, you can either renew with CE Hours, then retest in 2026 or retest this cycle.  All other PAC holders must retest once your PAC expires.  Beginning January 1, 2024, PAC holders will need the Burrowing Vertebrate Pest Fumigation Certification (BVF) prior to using or supervising the use of restricted materials labeled to control burrowing vertebrate pests.  These products contain aluminum phosphide or magnesium phosphide for this use.  If you plan on using any of the previously mentioned products, you must take the extra category test before using the product.  BVF Certification will expire and require renewal at the same time as PAC.

Expiration Dates for Private Applicator Card

  • A - H Expires December 31, 2024 - will need to take the newly revised test when PAC expires
  • I - Q Expires December 31, 2025 - will need to take the newly revised test when PAC expires
  • R - Z Expires December 31, 2023 - can renew with either CE hours or take the newly revised test

Available Classes for Earning Continuing Education Hours

Study Material for taking the Private Applicator test: