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California Department of Pesticide Regulation Announces Limited Enforcement Discretion for Licensing Requirements to Support COVID-19 Control for the Next 90 Days
By Lisa M. Campbell, Lisa R. Burchi and Barbara A. Christianson On April 3, 2020, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced it would allow enforcement discretion by County Agricultural Commissioners (CAC) for licensing and certification requirements for pesticide applicators who perform sanitization services to control the spread of COVID-19. DPR states in its announcement that, under normal circumstances, a “Pest Control Business (PCB) must always have a Qualified Applicator License (QAL) holder to supervise pest control services. Generally, where a PCB performs sanitization services, the QAL must also be certified in Category A, P, or K” described as follows:
DPR acknowledges that due to Governor Newsom’s March 4, 2020, “Stay at Home” Executive Order, DPR cannot proctor in-person licensing examinations to certify licensees. DPR thus announced that it will use enforcement discretion by allowing “licensed and registered PCBs to perform sanitization services for the control of COVID-19 if they have a designated individual at each business location with a valid QAL in any category” (emphasis added by DPR). DPR specifies that enforcement discretion applies when all of the following conditions are met:
The announcement states that those who wish to obtain more information should contact Joe Marade, DPR’s County/State Liaison, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). |