Permits and certificates for the sales and use of pesticides

Permits are mandatory for businesses that sell and/or use pesticides.

Certificates are mandatory for sellers and/or appliers of pesticides working in sectors where permits are required. Farmers and forest producers are also required to hold certification.

Permits are valid for three years. They show the type of activity covered and pesticide classes that the holder is authorized to sell and/or apply (French) (PDF 7.31 Mb).

Companies that apply pesticides in Québec but have no facilities in the province may hold temporary permits that are valid for one year.

Identify the permit(s) you need

The following permits for the sales and use of pesticides are available:

• Wholesale pesticide sales;
• Retail pesticide sales for professional use;
• Retail pesticide sales for individual use;
• Aerial application;
• Aquatic application;
• Application on raw land (transportation/transmission corridors);
• Application for ornamental horticulture;
• Application for extermination;
• Application by fumigation;
• Application in forest areas;
• Application on cultivated land;
• Application for control of stinging insects;
• Application in buildings for ornamental horticultural purposes;
• Other applications, such seed coating with a pesticide.

Permits are not required in the following cases:

• Sales of least dangerous domestic pesticides (Class 5);
• Farmers who utilize pesticides but not resell them;
• Forest producers having fewer than 10 employees, not counting management.

Schedule IX of the Guide de référence-Regulation respecting permits and certificates for the sale and use of pesticides (French) (PDF 4.44 Mb) provides more information on this subject.

Cost

The permit costs  vary on the basis of the activities and number of facilities covered. Companies need to hold a permit for each type of their activities (wholesaling, retailing, remunerated or not).

General rules for permit holders

Permit holders must ensure the following:

• Their permit-authorized activities are carried out by employees that are certified or supervised by on-site certified employees;
• They keep a register of pesticide purchases, sales and/or utilizations;
• Their permits are posted in easily viewed locations at each place of business or, for temporary permits, kept on the person of an employee.

For more information on the specific rules for your sector, see the Pesticide Sales or Commercial Pesticide Application webpages.

When applying for a permit use the Vente de pesticides ou exécution de travaux comportant l’utilisation de pesticides (French (DOCX 277 Kb) only) (DOCX 277 Kb) form.

The same form should be used when requesting a change to an unexpired permit due to potentially inaccurate or incomplete information.

Renewal notices are mailed to permit holders to be filled out and submitted no later than 30 days prior to expiry. 

When requesting replacement of a permit, use the Remplacement en cas de perte, de vol ou de détérioration (French (DOCX 182 Kb) only) (DOCX 182 Kb) form.

Paper or electronic forms

Fully executed applications and appropriate documentation such as a copy of the declaration for registration submitted to the Registraire des Entreprises should be submitted by mail or emailed to your regional office of the Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC) (PDF 174 Kb). Digitized copies and clear, legible photos and documentation are acceptable when submitting electronically.

Companies and municipalities may pay by bank transfer. Once your application has been received, you will be sent an invoice number for payment purposes. Payment by cheque or postal money order is also acceptable.

Certificates show the type of activity covered and pesticide classes that the holder is authorized to sell and/or use (French only) (PDF 7.31 Mb). Passing a prescribed or recognized test is a prerequisite for certification. Certificates are valid for five years.

Identify the certificate(s) you need

Certification is required for the following types of pesticide sales and use:

• Wholesale pesticide sales;
• Retail pesticide sales for professional use;
• Retail pesticide sales for individual use;
• Aerial application;
• Aquatic application;
• Application on raw land (transportation/transmission corridors);
• Application for ornamental‑horticulture;
• Application for extermination;
• Application by fumigation;
• Application in forest areas;
• Application on cultivated land;
• Application for the control of stinging insects;
• Application in buildings for ornamental horticultural purposes;
• Other applications, such seed coating.

Farmers and forest producers that apply pesticides but do not resell them also need to be certified.

Subject to specific conditions , certification may not be required to treat lawns if the pesticides used meet specific health and environmental criteria.

Schedule XVI of the Guide de référence-Regulation respecting permits and certificates for the sale and use of pesticides (PDF 4.44 Mb) (French) provides more information on this subject.

Cost

The cost of certificates is invariable, independent of the number of different activities performed.

General rules for certificate holders

Certificate holders must ensure the following:

• Only authorized activities are performed;
• The certificate is in the holder’s possession when pesticides are sold or applied.

For more information on the specific rules for your sector, see the Pesticide Sales or Commercial Pesticide Application webpages.

When applying for a certificate, use the Vente de pesticides ou exécution de travaux comportant l’utilisation des pesticides (French only) (DOCX 241 Kb) form or apply online.

The same form should be used when requesting a change to an unexpired certificate due to potentially inaccurate or incomplete information.

Renewal notices are mailed to certificate holders to be filled out and submitted no later than 30 days prior to expiry. 

For certificate replacements, use the Remplacement en cas de perte, de vol ou de détérioration (French only) (DOCX 182 Kb) form.

Online service

Before applying for a certificate online , we suggest you read the information webpages respecting the use  and security  of the service. You will also need to hold a clicSÉQUR–Citoyens  account. If you do not have an account, you can open it when connecting to the online service. If you have problems registering, contact the Customer Relations Centre. Any applicable fees can be paid online by Visa or MasterCard.

Paper or electronic forms

Fully executed applications and appropriate documentation such as an attestation of a passing exam grade may be emailed or snailmailed to your regional office of the MELCC (PDF 174 Kb). Digitized copies and clear, legible photos and documentation are acceptable when submitting electronically. Payment can be made by cheque or postal money order.

Application for equivalency recognition of a certificate issued by a regulatory agency from another Canadian province or territory

In order to recognize a certificate issued by a regulatory agency from another Canadian province or territory, the Ministère must ensure that it meets the conditions required for issuance in the requested Québec certificate class or sub-class. Some conditions must be met in order for such certificates to be recognized:

• The activity described on the certificate must correspond to one or more of the Québec regulations respecting the sales and use of pesticides (French) (PDF 7.31 Mb);
• The certificate must not have expired;
• The level of knowledge required for the class or sub-class must match the Standard for Pesticide Education, Training and Certification in Canada . This is a national standard whose purpose is to ensure favourable Canada-wide conditions for training and certification programmes and certified worker mobility;
• The passing grade in the exam required for certification to the national standard was received no more than five years prior to the request for equivalency.

The Reconnaissance d’équivalence d’un certificat relatif à la vente ou à l’utilisation de pesticides délivré par un organisme de réglementation d’une autre province ou d’un territoire canadien (French) (PDF 380 Kb) flowchart illustrates how these conditions are met.

In order to receive a Sub-class CD5 Certificate for Extermination, upgrade requirements include knowledge acquisition in line with bedbug control. Inasmuch as this is specific to Québec, certification associated with this activity issued by a regulatory agency of another Canadian province or territory will be recognized by the Ministère on condition that the applicant has previously passed the upgrade examination.

Applicants should forward requests for recognition to the MELCC Direction régionale de l’analyse et de l’expertise de Montréal, de Laval, de Lanaudière et des Laurentides, along with the following:

• A fully-executed Vente de pesticides ou exécution de travaux comportant l'utilisation de pesticides (French only) (DOCX 241 Kb) form;
• A copy of both sides of the certificate issued by the regulatory agency of another Canadian province or territory that corresponds to the Québec certificate;
• The required fees  for five-year validity of the new certificate.

In order to be certified for the sales and utilization of pesticides, applicants are required to pass the prescribed or recognized examinations respecting the desired activity.

A standard exists in Canada for uniform pesticide training and certification programs. A working group is currently developing learning tools to enable Canadian provinces and territories to prepare manuals for learning and certification examinations.

Applications are entitled to take a training course prior to the examination. While not mandatory for securing certification, it has the following benefits:

• Acquires knowledge needed to pass the prescribed exams;
• Upgrades the applicant’s knowledge level;
• Increases the chances of success and the grade awarded on the prescribed exam.

Two types of training are available:

• Distance training, which includes the learning manual, homework assignments, a tutor and registration for the examination. For more information go to the website of the Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec (SOFAD) ;
• Self-tuition using SOFAD learning products, which are available in the SOFAD website’s Catalogue  section.

Classroom or online training may also be available. Contact your professional association for more information. If you are a farmer, contact your regional agricultural collective  for available options. The following French language learning guides and leaflets are also available for selected activity sectors:

• Guide d’apprentissage sur l’utilisation des pesticides en milieu aquatique (aquatic environments) (PDF 1.97 Mb) (Sub-class CD2 certification);
• Guide d’apprentissage sur l’utilisation des pesticides en terrain inculte (raw land) (PDF 3.82 Mb) (Sub-class CD3 certification);
• Guide d’apprentissage sur l’utilisation des pesticides dans les aires forestières (PDF 1.45 Mb) (forest areas) (Sub-classes CD7, F1, F1.1 and F2 certification);
• Feuillet de formation sur le contrôle des punaises de lit (bedbugs) (PDF 0.99 Mb) (Sub-class CD5 certification).

With respect to the use of pesticides to control stinging insects (Sub-class CD9 certification), some the following will be included in a forthcoming learning guide, usually in French only:

• The MELCC and stinging insects ;
• Local mosquito control (French) 
• Using the Bacillus sphaericus for mosquito control (PDF 406 Kb);
• Using the Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis to control stinging insects in Québec (PDF 2.47 Mb);
• Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and the impact of these treatments on stinging insects–FAQ (PDF 63 Kb);
• Public Health Warning on the use of the Bacillus thuringiensis organic pesticide in forest, agricultural and urban settings (MSSS) .

Required and/or recognized examinations

The exams vary based on the class or sub-class certification sought. See the list of prescribed and recognized exams (PDF 471 Kb) (French).

The SOFAD administers all prescribed exams. They are available online for all activity sectors.

The SOFAD  website  provides more information about exams and how to register for them. Applicants can prepare online with pre-tests to measure whether they are ready for their exam. While the pre-tests are not a guarantee of success, they are useful is assessing how preparation is going.

Recognized exams are provided through Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur or university professional and technical development programs.

Applicants will be personally notified if a renewal upgrade applies to their sub-class certificate renewal. The upgrade requires passing new prescribed or recognized exams for certificate renewal. Upgrade requirements currently apply to the following certificates.

• Aquatic pesticide application (CD2) (PDF 320 Kb), new requirements upgrade valid to October 1, 2025;
• Extermination (CD5) (PDF 56 Kb), new requirements upgrade valid to October 1, 2022;
• Application in forest areas (CD7) (PDF 206 Kb), new requirements upgrade valid to October 1, 2022;
• Certificate for Forest Producer (F1 or F1.1) (PDF 206 Kb),  new requirements upgrade valid to October 1, 2022;
• Forest Producer’s certificate (F2) (PDF 206 Kb), new requirements upgrade valid to October 1, 2022.

For questions of a general nature, contact the regional office of the Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC) (PDF 174 Kb) in your area.

For questions about pesticide approvals, contact the Direction régionale de l’analyse et de l’expertise de Montréal, de Laval, de Lanaudière et des Laurentides.

Guide de référence–Regulation respecting permits and certificates for the sale and use of pesticides, (French) (PDF 4.44 Mb)

Federal, Provincial, Territorial (FPT) Committee on Pest Management and Pesticides