2017 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 46 - Agriculture
CHAPTER 13 - PESTICIDE CONTROL ACT
Section 46-13-60. Standards for certification of pesticide applicators; applicators' licenses.

The director may prescribe standards for the certification of applicators of pesticides. The standards must conform with the standards for certification as specified by Section 4, Public Law 92-516. The standards for certification of private applicators of restricted use pesticides do not become effective except as becomes necessary under Section 4, Public Law 92-516 and the resulting regulations established under that law.

(1) Private applicators:

(a) No "private applicator" may use or supervise the use of a "restricted use pesticide" which is restricted to use by "certified applicators" without that private applicator first complying with the certification requirements necessary to prevent unreasonable adverse effects on the environment, including injury to the applicator or other persons, for that specific pesticide use.

(b) Certification standards to determine the individual's competency with respect to the use of the pesticide or class of pesticides the private applicator is to be certified to use must be promulgated by the director.

(i) To be certified as a private applicator to use "restricted use pesticides" (categorized for this examination requirement) the applicant is required to pass a written or oral examination or otherwise demonstrate his competency with respect to the use of the pesticide or category of pesticides covered by his certification before purchase and use of the product.

(ii) Applications for a private applicator's license must be in the form and must contain the information prescribed by the director. Each application must be accompanied by a fee equaling two dollars a valid year. All licenses issued under this chapter expire on December thirty-first of the year that the license is dated to expire.

(iii) Private applicator licenses, issued by the director, are valid for a period as prescribed by the director in regulations. The director may renew a private applicator license without reexamination. The director by regulation shall establish provisions, which do not include reexamination unless required to do so by federal law, to ensure that private applicators continue to meet the requirements of changing technology and to ensure a continuing level of competence and ability to use pesticides safely and properly.

(iv) If the director does not issue or renew a private applicator's license, he shall inform the applicant in writing of the reasons therefor. The applicant is eligible for reexamination after thirty days.

(2) Other applicators:

(a) Application for a license must be made in writing to the director on a designated form obtained from the director's office. Each application for a license must contain information regarding the applicant's qualifications and proposed operations, the type of license (commercial or noncommercial), the license classification for which the applicant is applying, and must include the following:

(i) the full name of the person applying for the license;

(ii) the principal business address of the applicant in the State and elsewhere;

(iii) the name and address of a person, who may be the Secretary of State, whose domicile is in the State, and who is authorized to receive and accept services of summons and legal notice of all kinds for the applicant;

(iv) the type of equipment (excluding manually powered equipment) used by the applicant to apply pesticides.

(b) The director may not issue a commercial or noncommercial applicator's license until the individual who uses or supervises the use of a restricted use pesticide is certified by passing an examination to demonstrate to the director his knowledge of how to use and supervise the use of pesticides under the classifications he has applied for, and his knowledge of the nature and effect of pesticides he may apply under those classifications.

(c) If the deputy director finds the applicant qualified to use and supervise the use of pesticides in the classifications he has applied for, and if an applicant applying for a commercial applicator license files the evidence of financial responsibility required under Section 46-13-100, and if the applicant applying for a license to engage in aerial application of pesticides has met all of the requirements of the Federal Aviation Agency, the Division of Aeronautics of the Department of Commerce for the State, and any other applicable federal or state laws or regulations to operate the equipment described in the application, the deputy director shall issue a pesticide applicator's license limited to the classifications for which he is qualified, which shall expire at the end of the calendar year of issue unless it has been revoked or suspended prior thereto by the deputy director for cause. The deputy director may limit the license of the applicant to the use of certain areas, or to certain types of equipment if the applicant is only so qualified.

(d) An applicator license issued to an individual representing a government entity or a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or other juridical person, is valid only so long as that individual satisfying the examination requirement of Section 46-13-60(2)(b) is employed by the business, or is an official or employee of the governmental entity. A licensee shall notify the director within thirty days of the date of invalidation of a license pursuant to this provision. Supervision required by a licensee pursuant to this chapter must be performed only by an individual satisfying the examination requirement of Section 46-13-60(2)(b).

(3) All persons:

(a) No person (including officials or employees of federal, state, or local government) may use or supervise the use of a restricted use pesticide without a private, commercial, or noncommercial applicator license issued by the director.

(b) An annual fee of fifty dollars for each pesticide applicator's license issued to each office at which records relative to the sale or application of pesticides are maintained is required. Payment of this annual fee permits the certification of one individual under any or all of the classifications. A five dollar annual fee is required to certify each additional applicant who desires to be certified in any one classification. Noncommercial applicators are exempt from all fee requirements.

(c) If a license is not issued as applied for, the director shall inform the applicant in writing of the reasons for the denial.

(d) An applicant is eligible for reexamination after thirty days.

(e) The license of an applicator whose financial responsibility, as required by Section 46-13-100 lapses, expires, or otherwise ceases to comply is suspended automatically until proof of continuing responsibility is provided by the applicator. It is unlawful for the person to engage in the business of applying pesticides until the financial responsibility is brought into compliance with the requirements of Section 46-13-100, and his license is reinstated by the director. If the applicator fails to reinstate his financial responsibility within three months or his applicator's license expires sooner, his license automatically is revoked and must not be restored until he has complied with the requirements of this section.

HISTORY: 1975 (59) 284; 1979 Act No. 180 Sections 8, 9; 1990 Act No. 491, Section 1, eff May 29, 1990; 1992 Act No. 467, Section 2, eff July 1, 1992; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1163, eff July 1, 1993; 2008 Act No. 353, Section 2, Pt 30A.4, eff July 1, 2008.