Pest control licence

To be eligible for a full pest management technician's licence you must hold the appropriate qualifications.

If you don't hold the necessary qualifications, you may be eligible to apply for a limited pest management technician's licence. The limited licence requires you to:

• work only under the direct supervision (within sight and sound) of a fully licensed person
• not to give advice or make recommendations about the use of pesticides
• commence the appropriate training courses as soon as possible from the date the licence is issued
• have successfully completed all required training courses within a maximum period of two years.

A pest controller's licence is required to operate a pest control business. All pest management technicians must work under a pest controller's licence, either their own or their employer's. To be eligible for a pest controller's licence, you need to meet these criteria:

• hold a full pest management technician's licence or employ someone who does
• have adequate knowledge of all relevant regulations and of the practices that should be followed in the conduct of a pest control business
• have the appropriate equipment to carry out the work.

Pest control licences are not needed if the activities being undertaken:

• involve (only) applying glyphosate using hand-held equipment of a capacity of 15 litres or less
• are only on your property
• have been formally exempted from the requirement to hold a licence.

Mutual recognition recognises that a person who is licensed to undertake pest control work in another state, territory or in New Zealand, is entitled to have their pest control licence recognised by Controlled Substances Licensing (CSL) in SA Health.

To find out more visit Automatic mutual recognition of pest management licensing.