Utah Administrative Code R68-7 — Utah Pesticide Control Act Rules
Citation
Utah Administrative Code Title R68 (Department of Agriculture and Food), Chapter 7 (Utah Pesticide Control Act Rules). Administered by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF), 4315 South 2700 West, Suite 2100, Taylorsville, UT 84129. R68-7 implements the Utah Pesticide Control Act (Utah Code Title 4, Chapter 14) and establishes the legal framework for pesticide application, applicator licensure, recordkeeping, and enforcement in Utah.
What It Says (Operative Provisions)
R68-7 establishes three applicator classifications and a set of certification categories. The classifications and categories most relevant to healthcare pest management:
Applicator classifications:
- Commercial applicators: Apply pesticides for hire on properties not owned by their employer
- Non-commercial applicators: Apply pesticides as employees of the property owner on property owned, leased, or rented by the employer
- Private applicators: Apply restricted-use pesticides on agricultural land or facilities owned by the applicator
Certification categories relevant to healthcare facilities:
- Category 7 — Structural and Health-Related Pest Control: Applicators using pesticides in, on, or around food handling establishments, human dwellings, institutions such as schools, hospitals, industrial establishments, warehouses, storage units, and any other structures and adjacent areas
- Category 8 — Public Health Pest Control: Applicators conducting pest management programs as governmental employees on public health programs
- Category 12 — Vertebrate Animal Pest Control: Applicators conducting outdoor rodent and bird control
- Category 15 — Wood-Destroying Organisms (WDO): Applicators conducting termite, carpenter ant, and wood-borer control on structures
Examination requirement:
Commercial and Non-Commercial applicators must score 70% or higher on the General Standards examination and at least one category examination. Each category requires a separate examination.
License fees (Commercial Applicator):
- 3-year license: $65
- 1-year license: $55 + $35 for each of the next two years
Continuing Education Unit (CEU) requirement (R68-7-11(10)(b)(ii), verbatim):
“the required amount of 24 total CEU credits during the licensure period. A minimum of two credits in law, six in safety, and ten in pesticide use are required, while any combination of the three categories may be used for the remaining six credits.”
The licensure period for Utah commercial applicators is three years.
What It Means in Plain Language
Utah R68-7 establishes the legal floor for who may apply pesticides commercially in Utah. Any individual applying pesticides for hire in a Utah hospital, skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgery center, or any other healthcare facility must hold current Utah commercial applicator licensure with the appropriate category certification.
The category most directly relevant to healthcare facility pest management is Category 7 — Structural and Health-Related Pest Control. UDAF’s category definition explicitly names “institutions such as schools, hospitals” within the Category 7 scope. Category 7 covers general structural pest management in healthcare facilities — cockroaches, ants, spiders, occasional invader insects, and mice and rats in structural settings.
Category 12 (Vertebrate Animal Pest Control) is relevant for outdoor rodent and bird management at healthcare facility exterior perimeters, loading docks, and roof environments.
Category 15 (Wood-Destroying Organisms) is relevant for termite and carpenter ant management on healthcare facility structures, particularly older buildings and facilities with significant structural wood elements.
The R68-7 framework is the legal baseline — it is not interchangeable with BCE professional credentialing:
- State pesticide applicator licensure confers the legal authority to apply pesticides commercially
- BCE professional credentialing confers the professional credential to design programs, audit operations, supervise other applicators, and sign off on technical documentation
- A healthcare facility can be served by appropriately Category 7-licensed technicians
- What BCE-led programs add is the credentialed professional accountable for program design, infection prevention coordination, and audit-defensible documentation
Who It Applies To
R68-7 applies to all commercial and non-commercial pesticide applicators operating in Utah. For healthcare facility pest management contexts:
- Contracted pest management providers serving Utah hospitals, SNFs, ambulatory surgery centers, and other healthcare facilities
- In-house facility staff who apply pesticides as part of employment (non-commercial applicator licensure)
- Pest management programs in Utah VA medical facilities, IHS facilities, and federal property within Utah (where state licensure interacts with federal jurisdiction)
Out-of-state licensed applicators must obtain Utah reciprocity or Utah licensure before applying pesticides commercially in Utah hospitals.
Documentation Evidence Required
For Utah hospital pest management compliance with R68-7:
- Verification of applicator’s current Utah commercial (or non-commercial) license with appropriate category certification (typically Category 7 at minimum for general healthcare structural work)
- Pesticide application records per R68-7 retention requirements (typically aligned with EPA labeling requirements and exceeded by professional standards)
- Pesticide storage and labeling compliance with UDAF requirements
- CEU compliance documentation for licensed applicators
For healthcare facilities verifying applicator credentials before contracting:
- Request current UDAF license number and verify status at UDAF
- Verify category certifications match the scope of work to be performed (Category 7 for general structural; Category 12 for outdoor vertebrate; Category 15 for WDO)
- Document the verification in the contractor file
How Surveyors Evaluate It
UDAF conducts compliance inspections of licensed pesticide applicators and complaint investigations. UDAF does not survey healthcare facilities directly; the facility’s responsibility is to contract with appropriately licensed applicators and to verify credentials.
Joint Commission, CMS, and DNV-GL healthcare facility surveyors verify applicator licensure indirectly when evaluating pest management contracts and service records. Surveyors look for:
- Named applicator credentials in pest management contracts
- UDAF license verification in contractor files
- Pesticide application records demonstrating that all applications were performed by appropriately licensed applicators
- Coordination between healthcare facility risk management and contracted pest management providers regarding licensure compliance
Common findings: pest management contracts that do not specify applicator credentials, applicator licensure verification gaps in contractor files, and pesticide application records that do not identify the individual applicator and credential.
Confidence Notes
HIGH confidence. R68-7 framework structure, applicator classifications, category definitions, examination requirements, fee schedule, and CEU requirements verified from UDAF primary sources. Category 7 description naming “hospitals” verified verbatim. CEU subcategory requirements at R68-7-11(10)(b)(ii) verified verbatim.
Related Killed Claims
- “Utah pesticide applicator licensure is interchangeable with BCE professional credentialing.” Disconfirmed. State applicator licensure is the legal floor for pesticide application. BCE is a separate voluntary professional credential. The two confer different authorities and serve different purposes.
- “Category 7 certification authorizes pest management program design and oversight in healthcare facilities.” Disconfirmed. Category 7 authorizes commercial pesticide application within the structural and health-related category. Program design, oversight, and sign-off authority are professional credentialing functions (BCE) rather than applicator licensure functions.
Related Authorities
- ESACC Board Certified Entomologist (BCE) Credential — the professional credential distinct from state applicator licensure
- Utah R432-100 Hospital Licensure — the Utah hospital licensure framework that requires a pest-control program
- USDA Rescission of 7 CFR Part 110 — post-rescission, state recordkeeping rules (including Utah) constitute the operative compliance framework for restricted-use pesticide records
- OSHA Hazard Communication Standard — federal pesticide storage and SDS requirements that overlay state applicator licensure