NOTE. This information is created, published, and updated by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and is shared by PSEP as is, for your information. Please direct any questions to the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. 

Testing Information for Professional Service Examinations

Thank you for your interest in taking the Fumigation Pest Control (FC or FB) exam, which is administered by the Alabama Department of Agriculture (ADAI). Please note that FC is the certified operator category, which an applicator must have in order to own a pest control company performing structural fumigation work.  FB is for those persons wishing to manage a branch office of an already established fumigation business.  (Please note that this category is for structural fumigation,  not agricultural commodity fumigation.)

There are two ways to test in this category:

• The most convenient way to test is to take a computer-based exam at one of our testing Tests are given on a weekly basis, and we have testing centers in Athens, Auburn, Birmingham, Hanceville, Headland, Millbrook , Mobile, and Pelham. The fee for a computer-based exam is $125 per exam ($75 state fee plus $50 administrative fee).  To sign up for an exam, please visit apply.adaitesting.comto submit your application, being sure to include a qualification statement if required (follow onscreen instructions). Once ADAI has approved your application, you will receive an approval email; please save this email and follow the instructions therein.  It is during this second phase that you will pay for and schedule your exam.
• You may take a paper-based exam at the ADAI facility in Professional service exams are given four times a year on the third Tuesday in March, June, September, and December. Preregistration is required; please submit your application and qualification statement (if required) 10 business days prior to exam date.  You may download and print the Professional Services Exam Application at agi.alabama.gov/pesticidemanagement/programs/professional-services/.

For questions related to testing, please contact the Certification & Training Unit at (334)240-7243.

What To Do Once You Have Passed Your Test

Once you have passed the Fumigation Pest Control (FC or FB) exam administered by the Alabama Department of Agriculture (ADAI), you must apply for your Commercial Applicator Permit in order to be certified; the fee for certification is $45 per category.  The Application for Commercial Pesticide Applicator Permit is located under the Certification & Testing for Commercial Pesticide Applicators and Horticulturalists.

Please note that if you do not apply for your certification within one year of passing the exam, your exam will be void and you will be required to retest in order to apply for certification.

If you will be starting a business (FC), you need to apply for an annual Professional Services-Structural permit. This application can be found on the same website listed above, under the Professional Services tab.  This annual permit covers the period of October 1 – September 30 and must be renewed before November 1 each year to avoid being delinquent. If for any reason the permit holder decides to not renew the annual permit, the holder is required to notify the department (in writing) of that decision.  Please mail such correspondence to the above address.

Once you are certified in FC/FB, in order to be eligible to apply for renewal you must obtain a minimum of 30 continuing education points during your three-year renewal cycle; if you do not obtain the required number of points, you will be required to take a recertification exam prior to applying for renewal.  A list of recertification meetings and CEU guidelines is maintained on our website under the Certification & Training tab.

For questions related to certification, please contact the Certification & Training Unit at (334)240-7240.