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Ontario Pesticide Exam overview

Ontario Pesticide Exam: Licences, certification and the exam

How Ontario licenses vendors, exterminators and operators, the land, structural and water licence types, OPT&C certification, the two-part exam and licence rules.

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Licences, certification and the exam · Question 1Score 0/0

Who delivers exterminator certification training and exams for the ministry?

Study reference: Ontario Pesticides Act, O. Reg. 63/09, OPT&C and Health Canada (Oct 2026), Ch. 1 Licences, certification and the exam — OPT&C Exterminator Information Guide 2025; ontario.ca Pesticide licences and permits; O. Reg. 63/09 ss. 35–36, 49

All 14 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. Who delivers exterminator certification training and exams for the ministry?

    1. Ontario Pesticide Training and Certification (OPT&C)
    2. Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency in Ottawa
    3. ServiceOntario centres in each region
    4. The Canadian Pest Management Association

  2. You fail the exam on your first try. What are the rewrite rules?

    1. Unlimited tries over any period, as long as you pay a new fee each time
    2. Two more tries within 12 months, no more than two per six months
    3. One more try only, within 30 days of the first attempt
    4. You must wait one full year before any second attempt

  3. Which provincial ministry regulates the sale, storage, use, transport and disposal of pesticides in Ontario?

    1. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness
    2. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
    3. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills
    4. The Ministry of Health and its public health units

  4. Your structural licence does not cover herbicides. A client asks you to quote a lawn weed spray. What does the regulation say?

    1. You may quote it if the herbicide is a Domestic product
    2. You may not offer work your licence does not authorize
    3. You may quote it if the job is under one hectare
    4. You may quote it if a land exterminator does it later

  5. When do you need a pesticide exterminator licence in Ontario?

    1. To apply pesticides commercially on property you don't own or farm
    2. Only when you work for a municipality or school board
    3. Only when you spray more than one hectare in a day
    4. Only to buy and resell Domestic-class products at a hardware store

  6. What must a licensed exterminator do with the licence while working?

    1. Carry it or a copy, or keep it readily available on site
    2. Show it only if the customer asks for it in writing beforehand
    3. Post it on the customer's front door during the job
    4. Leave it at the office and give the number by phone

  7. How is the exterminator certification exam structured?

    1. One 100-question exam covering all licence types
    2. A practical spraying test followed by a short oral exam
    3. Two 50-question parts: the Core and a category module
    4. Three 30-question parts taken on separate days

  8. Your mailing address changes. How soon must you update your pesticide licence information?

    1. Within 90 days
    2. At the next licence renewal
    3. Within 10 days
    4. Within 30 days

  9. Which statement about the Core Manual exam is correct?

    1. It is untimed and done at home online
    2. It is two hours long and open book
    3. It is one and a half hours long and open book
    4. It is one hour long and closed book

  10. What are the three types of exterminator licence in Ontario?

    1. Residential, industrial and agricultural
    2. Indoor, outdoor and aerial
    3. Domestic, commercial and restricted
    4. Structural, land and water

  11. What mark is needed to pass each part of the exterminator exam?

    1. 70% or more
    2. 80% or more
    3. 60% or more
    4. 75% or more

  12. What is the minimum age to hold an Ontario exterminator licence?

    1. 16
    2. 18
    3. 21
    4. 19

  13. How long is an Ontario exterminator licence valid?

    1. One year, to December 31
    2. For life, once issued
    3. Five years
    4. Three years

  14. After passing the certification exam, how long do you have to apply for your exterminator licence?

    1. 30 days
    2. 90 days
    3. One year
    4. Five years

Licences, certification and the exam: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

OPT&C Exterminator Information Guide (2025) and ontariopesticide.com (reviewed 2025-09-02)

  • The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) regulates the sale, storage, use, transport and disposal of pesticides in Ontario under the Pesticides Act and O. Reg. 63/09.
  • A pesticide must be registered under the federal Pest Control Products Act before it can be sold or used in Ontario.
  • Ontario requires licences to sell pesticides (vendors), apply them commercially (exterminators) and run a business that employs applicators (operators).
  • You need an exterminator licence to apply pesticides commercially on property you do not own or farm.
  • There are three types of exterminator licence: structural, land and water, with 12 licence categories plus limited fumigation categories.
  • Structural categories include Structural, Termite, Greenhouse/Interior Plant and the fumigation classes (General, Soil, Commodity, Vault).
  • New exterminators certify through Ontario Pesticide Training and Certification (OPT&C) at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus.
  • Applicants receive a Core Manual (for all exterminators) and a Licence Category Specific Module.
  • The exam has two parts of 50 multiple-choice questions each: the Core exam is 1 hour and closed book; the category module exam is 1.5 hours and open book.
  • A mark of 75% or more is needed on both parts.
  • After a failure, rewrites are allowed within 12 months: at most two more attempts, and no more than two attempts in any six-month period; the rewrite fee is $82.
  • The initial fee (Core plus one category) is $214; each additional category is $192 if taken within 12 months of passing the Core exam.
  • Results are sent within 10 working days and are not released by phone.
  • You must apply to MECP for the exterminator licence within one year of certification; the licence costs $90 and lasts five years.
  • To hold an exterminator licence you must be at least 16 with Grade 10 standing or equivalent.
  • Out-of-province licence holders may apply for equivalency instead of retraining.

Pesticide licences and permits (updated 2026-06-02)

  • Exterminator licences are valid for 5 years from issue; operator licences expire on December 31 each year.
  • An operator licence is needed to run a pesticide extermination business or employ people who apply pesticides commercially.
  • Operators must be at least 18 and hold insurance.
  • Vendor licences: Limited class (Class D and controlled sales products), General class (Classes A to D) and Treated Seed class (Class E seed).
  • Inaccurate licence information must be updated within 10 days; renewal opens 90 days before expiry.

ss. 49, 89, 93

  • A licensed exterminator must carry the licence or a copy, or have it readily available at the site.
  • No one may offer to perform an extermination they are not authorized to perform.
  • Every vehicle used to transport or apply pesticides for an operator needs the year's ministry identification marker on the rear (a temporary marker inside is allowed for the first 21 days after issue or renewal).
  • Operators must carry at least $1,000,000 employers' liability, $2,000,000 commercial general liability and $1,000,000 pollution liability coverage (lower amounts apply only to aerial-only businesses).

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