Skip to Main Content

State chemist’s office issues temporary regulatory compliance guidance in response to pandemic

The Office of Indiana State Chemist (OISC) is releasing new temporary guidance regarding compliance with state pesticide and fertilizer regulatory requirements in Indiana. This is in consideration of disruptions to normal operations being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The following modifications are being implemented immediately but may be subject to change, as the COVID-19 issues continue to evolve. For updates, please visit https://www.oisc.purdue.edu/pesticide/:

  1. All pesticide and fertilizer applicator certification training and examining sessions scheduled at Purdue University through May 17 have been canceled.
  2. Group training and examining sessions at Purdue scheduled to occur after May 17 also may be subject to cancellation. However, for now these sessions are being evaluated on a week-to-week basis in the event that current guidance regarding COVID-19 changes.
  3. Pesticide applicators using or supervising the use of restricted use pesticides (RUPs) during 2020 must be certified and licensed, just as has been required previously. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not suspended or modified this legal requirement; therefore, OISC will not either.
  4. OISC will suspend the Registered Technician requirements for pesticide and fertilizer applicators operating under the supervision of a certified applicator when using only general use pesticides (GUPs). The requirement to pass the Core exam and apply for a Registered Technician credential will be suspended through Dec. 31 unless another date is determined to be necessary by legal counsel.
  5. All supervision requirements for noncertified applicators and registered technicians will remain in place. But new technicians will not be required to obtain a credential as long as the current situation exists.
  6. Nothing in this temporary regulatory guidance shall exempt any applicator from complying with all other existing requirements, such as using a pesticide in a manner consistent with the product label directions.

Featured Stories

Dog outdoors drinking water
Keeping your pets safe during the dog days of summer

As temperatures and humidity rise across the U.S., Candace Croney, director of the Center for...

Read More
Eastern hellbender salamanders feeding on bloodworms in their raceway at the Purdue Hellbender the Hellbender lab.
Metazoa Beer to Benefit Help the Hellbender Lab

Metazoa Brewing Company and the Indiana Lakes Management Society have teamed up to collaborate on...

Read More
Sonling Fei in front of digital trees
Digital forestry can help mitigate and prevent wildfires

The National Interagency Fire Center reports that, as of this writing, 19,444 fires have burned...

Read More
tomas hook next to boat
What you can do this summer to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species

In 2020, an alligator was captured in a lagoon of Chicago’s Humbolt Park. The reptile out...

Read More
Researcher uses pipette on parsley plant
Researchers examine nanotechnological methods for improving agriculture

Nanoscale particles could potentially help address agricultural and environmental sustainability...

Read More
Fairgoers ride a tractor, sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance, and browse food tents during the 2023 Indiana State Fair. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo)
Purdue Extension to present engaging art and nature demonstrations at Indiana State Fair

The Indiana State Fair kicks off Aug. 2 and highlights the theme “The Art & Nature of...

Read More
To Top