206.6  License for commercial applicators.
  1.  Commercial applicator.  No person shall engage in the business of applying pesticides to the lands or property of another at any time without being licensed by the secretary. The secretary shall require an annual license fee of not more than twenty-five dollars for each license. Application for a license shall be made in writing to the department on a designated form obtained from the department. Each application for a license shall contain information regarding the applicant’s qualifications and proposed operations, license classification or classifications for which the applicant is applying.
  2.  Nonresident applicator.  Any nonresident applying for a license under this chapter to operate in the state shall file a written power of attorney designating the secretary of state as the agent of such nonresident upon whom service of process may be had in the event of any suit against said nonresident person, and such power of attorney shall be so prepared and in such form as to render effective the jurisdiction of the courts of this state over such nonresident applicants. A nonresident who has a duly appointed resident agent upon whom process may be served as provided by law shall not be required to designate the secretary of state as such agent. The secretary of state shall be allowed such fees as provided by law for designating resident agents. The secretary shall be furnished with a copy of such designation of the secretary of state or of a resident agent, such copy to be certified by the secretary of state.
  3.  Examination for commercial applicator license.  The secretary of agriculture shall not issue a commercial applicator license until the individual engaged in or managing the pesticide application business and employed by the business to apply pesticides is certified by passing an examination to demonstrate to the secretary the individual’s knowledge of how to apply pesticides under the classifications the individual has applied for, and the individual’s knowledge of the nature and effect of pesticides the individual may apply under such classifications. The applicant successfully completing the certification requirement shall be a licensed commercial applicator.
  4.  Renewal of applicant’s license.  The secretary of agriculture shall renew any applicant’s license under the classifications for which such applicant is licensed, provided that all of the applicant’s personnel who apply pesticides are certified commercial applicators.
  5.  Issue commercial applicator license.
  a.  The secretary shall approve an application and issue a commercial applicator license to the applicant as follows:
  (1)  The applicant is qualified as found by the secretary to apply pesticides in the classifications for which the applicant has applied.
  (2)  The applicant must furnish to the department evidence of financial responsibility as required under section 206.13.
  (3)  An applicant applying for a license to engage in aerial application of pesticides must demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the federal aviation administration, the United States department of transportation, and any other applicable federal or state laws or regulations to operate the equipment described in the application.
  b.  The secretary shall adopt by rule, additional requirements for issuing a license to a person who is a nonresident of this state engaged in the aerial application of pesticides, which may include but is not limited to conditions for the operation of the aircraft and the application of the pesticides under the supervision of a person who is a resident of this state and licensed as a commercial applicator under this section or as a pesticide dealer under section 206.8. The secretary shall not adopt rules concerning the operation of aircraft when a nonresident person is not engaged in the commercial application of pesticides.
  c.  The secretary shall issue a commercial applicator license limited to the classifications for which the applicant is qualified, which shall expire as provided in section 206.5, unless it has been revoked or suspended by the secretary for cause. The secretary may limit the license of the applicant to the use of certain pesticides, or to certain areas, or to certain types of equipment if the applicant is only so qualified. If a license is not issued as applied for, the secretary shall inform the applicant in writing of the reasons.
  6.  Public applicator.
  a.  All state agencies, counties, municipal corporations, and any other governmental agency shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter and rules adopted thereunder concerning the application of pesticides.
  b.  Public applicators for agencies listed in this subsection shall be subject to certification requirements as provided for in this section. The public applicator license shall be valid only when such applicator is acting as an applicator applying pesticides used by such entities. Government research personnel shall be exempt from this licensing requirement when applying pesticides only to experimental plots. Public agencies or municipal corporations licensed pursuant to this section shall be licensed public applicators.
  c.  Such agencies and municipal corporations shall be subject to legal recourse by any person damaged by such application of any pesticide, and such action may be brought in the county where the damage or some part thereof occurred.
[C66, 71, 73, §206.5; C75, 77, 79, 81, §206.6]
83 Acts, ch 101, §35, 36; 87 Acts, ch 225, §215 – 217; 2008 Acts, ch 1045, §1 – 3; 2009 Acts, ch 133, §80; 2012 Acts, ch 1095, §124, 126
Referred to in §206.13, 206.17, 206.18, 558A.4