Broward local guide

How to Verify a Pest Control License in Florida

Updated November 4, 2026

Florida requires every pest control business to be licensed by FDACS and run under a certified operator. Here's what Chapter 482 requires, what to ask a provider in Broward, and the current rules on rat poison.

Florida Statute 482.071 makes it unlawful to run a pest control business that isn't licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The business has to operate under a certified operator in charge, every employee doing pest control needs an ID card, and rodent work inside buildings falls under the general household pest control category.

Before anyone sets a trap or a bait station at your house, ask for the business license, the certified operator's name and the technician's ID card, and confirm them with FDACS. The call you make through this site goes to an independent provider, so this check is yours to do. This guide explains what each credential means and covers the rules on rodenticides.

The business license

Section 482.071(1) says it is unlawful for anyone to operate a pest control business that isn't licensed by the department. The same section sets insurance minimums. A licensee must carry bodily injury coverage of at least $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence, and property damage coverage of at least $250,000 per occurrence and $500,000 in the aggregate, or combined single-limit coverage of $500,000 in the aggregate. Fumigation requires more.

Ask for a certificate of insurance, especially if you're a condo board, an HOA or a business.

The certified operator in charge

Under section 482.152, the certified operator in charge must be a full-time employee whose main occupation is with the licensee. That person is responsible for the work done under the license. Ask who it is. A small company often has the owner as its certified operator. A larger one may have several.

Which category covers rats and mice

Section 482.111 lists certification categories including fumigation, general household pest control, and lawn and ornamental pest control, along with termite work. The statute defines general household pest control as pest control in any structure, not including fumigation. UF/IFAS's guide to Florida licensing gives the control of rats and mice in buildings as an example of general household pest control.

You may also see a narrower credential. Section 482.157 creates a limited certification for commercial wildlife trapping, which allows nonchemical methods, including traps, to control commensal rodents. A trapper with only that certificate can trap rats and mice but isn't licensed to place rodenticide bait.

The technician's ID card

Section 482.091 says each employee who performs pest control for a licensee must have an identification card, and requires at least 5 days of field training in the right category before an employee does pest control. It's reasonable to ask the technician at your door to show the card.

What to ask before hiring

Ask these on the phone or at the first visit:

1. What's your FDACS business license number?
2. Who is your certified operator in charge, and in which categories?
3. Will the technician carry an FDACS ID card?
4. Can you send a certificate of insurance?
5. What will you use, where, and is any of it rodenticide?
6. Will I get a written quote and a written description of the work?

How to confirm it

FDACS issues the licenses and certifications, so it's the place to confirm what a company tells you. Its Bureau of Licensing and Enforcement handles Chapter 482 licensing and lists (850) 617-7997 for questions. The department's licensing site is aeslicensing.fdacs.gov. Check the business name, the license number and the certified operator's name before work starts, and make sure the name matches the company on your invoice.

If something doesn't match, or a company won't give a license number, move on. There are plenty of providers working in Broward.

Doing it yourself is allowed

Section 482.211 says the chapter doesn't apply to pest control, other than fumigation, that a person does on their own individual residential property. So you can set traps or use consumer bait stations at your own home without a license. You still have to follow product labels. Doing pest control for someone else for pay requires a license. Best rat traps covers the do-it-yourself side.

Current rodenticide rules

Federal rules from EPA's 2008 decision still shape what consumers can buy. EPA says consumer rodenticides must be sold with bait stations that securely contain the poison, loose bait forms are no longer permitted for consumers, and consumer packages are limited to one pound or less. Consumer products can no longer contain the second-generation anticoagulants brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum or difethialone, though pest control professionals can still use them in homes.

EPA has proposed more limits. In November 2022 it issued proposed interim decisions for 11 rodenticides that would make all second-generation anticoagulants, strychnine and zinc phosphide products restricted use pesticides, along with first-generation anticoagulant, bromethalin and cholecalciferol products sold in packages over one pound. EPA's page describes these as proposals, so check their current status before relying on them. UF/IFAS's pesticide information office covered the changes in 2023.

In Florida yards, UF/IFAS says outdoor bait must go in a tamper-resistant bait station, that it is illegal to place rodenticide where children, pets, livestock or wildlife can reach it, and that wiring bait blocks to tree branches is illegal. Many providers prefer traps indoors so rodents don't die inside walls.

Red flags

Be careful with anyone who:

• Won't give a license number or the certified operator's name
• Shows up without an ID card
• Gives a firm price before seeing the property
• Wants cash up front for the whole job
• Plans to put loose bait inside the house or attic
• Can't explain what they'll seal and with what

For businesses and condo boards

Businesses and associations should ask for more: a certificate of insurance naming the business or association, a written scope of work, a device map and a visit log. Restaurants should keep records where a manager can find them during a state inspection. See restaurant rodent violations and commercial rodent control.

Wildlife trappers vs pest control companies

In Broward you'll find both pest control companies and wildlife removal companies advertising rat work. Either can be legitimate. A pest control company with a general household pest control certification can trap, seal and use rodenticides. A wildlife trapper working under the limited certification in section 482.157 can trap rats and mice with nonchemical methods. Both should be able to give you a license or certificate number. Ask which one you're dealing with and what they're allowed to use. Either way, compare written quotes. Rodent control cost in Fort Lauderdale lists published ranges.

Related services: Rodent Inspection, Commercial Rodent Control, Restaurant Rodent Control