Oregon Statutes 634.116 – Pesticide operator license; authorized activities; fees; pesticide applicator license; liability insurance; limitation on damages; rules; exemptions
(1) A pesticide operator‘s license, or supplements thereto, shall authorize the licensee to engage in one or more of the classes of pest control or pesticide application business prescribed by the State Department of Agriculture under ORS § 634.306 (2). The department may not issue a pesticide operator license to the United States, the State of Oregon or federal, state or local agencies, instrumentalities, political subdivisions, counties, cities, towns, municipal corporations, irrigation, drainage or other districts, other federal, state or local governmental bodies or an Indian tribe.
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 634.116
- applicator: means an individual who:
(a)(A) Is using, spraying or applying restricted-use or highly toxic pesticides; or
(B) Is spraying or applying pesticides for others;
(b) Is authorized to work for and is employed by a pesticide operator; and
(c) Is in direct charge of or supervises the spraying or other use of pesticides or operates, uses, drives or physically directs propulsion of equipment, apparatus or machinery during the spraying or other application of pesticides, either on the ground or, if certified under ORS § 634. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- City: includes any incorporated village or town. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Department: means the State Department of Agriculture. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- Device: means any instrument or contrivance containing pesticides or other chemicals intended for trapping, destroying, repelling or mitigating insects or rodents or destroying, repelling or mitigating fungi, nematodes or such other pests as may be designated by the department, but does not include equipment used for the application of pesticides or other chemicals when sold separately from such pesticides or chemicals. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Indian tribe: means a federally recognized Indian tribe in Oregon, provided that the tribe engages in applicable pesticide use on lands other than Indian country, as defined in 18 U. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
- Personal property: All property that is not real property.
- Pesticide operator: means a person who owns or operates a business engaged in the application of pesticides upon the land or property of another. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- Pesticide trainee: means an individual who:
(a) Is employed by a pesticide operator; and
(b) Is working and engaged in a training program under special certificate to qualify as a pesticide applicator. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- Public applicator: means an individual who is an employee of the State of Oregon or its agencies, counties, cities, municipal corporations, other governmental bodies or subdivisions thereof, irrigation districts, drainage districts and public utilities and telecommunications utilities, or of an Indian tribe, and who performs or carries out the work, duties or responsibilities of a pesticide applicator. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- Public trainee: means an individual who is an employee of the State of Oregon or its agencies, counties, cities, municipal corporations, other governmental bodies or subdivisions thereof, irrigation districts, drainage districts and public utilities and telecommunications utilities, or of an Indian tribe, and who performs or carries out the work, duties or responsibilities of a pesticide trainee. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
- Trainee: means a pesticide trainee, public trainee or noncommercial pesticide trainee. See Oregon Statutes 634.006
- United States: includes territories, outlying possessions and the District of Columbia. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
(2) During a license period, and after a person has been issued a license to engage in certain classes of pest control or pesticide application business during a license period, the department upon receiving an additional application and applicable fees, may authorize the licensee to engage in additional classes of pest control or pesticide application business for the remainder of the license period as prescribed in ORS § 634.306 (2).
(3)(a) The department shall establish a pesticide operator license fee not to exceed $90 for the first class of pest control or pesticide application business as prescribed in ORS § 634.306 (2) and not to exceed $15 for each additional class.
(b) After a person makes first application for a specific license period, if later during the same license period the person desires to engage in additional classes of pest control or pesticide application businesses, such person shall pay the fee for each additional class established by the department not to exceed $20.
(4) At least one owner or part owner of the pest control or pesticide application business shall also obtain and maintain a pesticide applicator‘s license if the pesticide operator is a sole proprietorship or a partnership. At least one officer or employee shall obtain and maintain a pesticide applicator’s license if the pesticide operator is a corporation. If a pesticide operator is found to be in violation of this subsection, the pesticide operator’s license, notwithstanding ORS Chapter 183, is automatically suspended until the pesticide operator is in compliance. If the business is owned by one individual, the department shall make no charge for the pesticide applicator license issued to the individual under ORS § 634.122.
(5) The department shall not issue or renew a pesticide operator’s license until the applicant or licensee has furnished evidence to the department, in the form of a public liability policy issued by an insurance company qualified to do business in Oregon, protecting the applicant or licensee against liability for injury or death to persons and loss of or damage to property resulting from the application of pesticides, or in lieu of a policy, has furnished a deposit of cash, surety bond or other evidence of financial responsibility acceptable to the department that may be applied by the department to the payment of damages resulting from operator liability. However:
(a) Except as required under paragraph (b) of this subsection, the financial responsibility required by this section shall not apply to damages or injury to crops or real or personal property being worked upon by the applicant.
(b) If the applicant or licensee is to be engaged in the business of controlling or eradicating structural pests, or pests within a public or private place, or pests within private or public places where food is served, prepared or processed or where persons are regularly housed, the financial responsibility required by this section shall apply to damages or injury to real or personal property being worked upon, as well as all the other real and personal property set forth in this section.
(6) The financial responsibility required by subsection (5) of this section must be not less than $25,000 for bodily injury to one or more persons and not less than $25,000 for property damage.
(7) Notwithstanding the provisions of ORS Chapter 183, if the licensed pesticide operator fails to maintain the financial responsibility required by subsections (5) and (6) of this section, the license is automatically suspended until the department again verifies the pesticide operator is in compliance with subsections (5) and (6) of this section. The liability insurance company shall notify the department in writing at least 30 days prior to any cancellation of an insurance policy required by this section.
(8) Notwithstanding the provisions of ORS § 105.810 and 105.815 or other laws to the contrary, the amount of damages for which a pesticide operator or pesticide applicator is liable as a result of use of pesticides, or financial responsibility for the same is limited to actual damages only.
(9) The department shall return the deposit required by subsection (5) of this section to the pesticide operator if the pesticide operator at any time establishes exemption from the financial responsibility requirements under this chapter. After the expiration of two years from the date of an injury, death, loss or damage, the department shall return any deposit remaining to the pesticide operator or to the personal representative of the pesticide operator except that the department shall not make a return if the department has received notice that an action for damages arising out of the provisions of this section has been filed against the pesticide operator for whom the deposit was made, and the department has determined that the action is pending or that any judgment resulting from the action remains unpaid.
(10) If the pesticide operator is or employs a pesticide applicator to spray or otherwise apply pesticides by aircraft, in addition to other provisions of this section relating to financial responsibility, the department may by rule allow the pesticide operator to reduce, suspend or terminate the liability insurance, applicable to spraying or otherwise applying pesticides by aircraft, and required by subsections (5) and (6) of this section during certain periods of the year.
(11) The department may by rule allow liability insurance policies required by subsections (5) and (6) of this section to include deductible clauses of amounts to be determined by the department.
(12)(a) The United States, the State of Oregon or federal, state or local agencies, instrumentalities, political subdivisions, counties, cities, towns, municipal corporations, irrigation, drainage or other districts, other federal, state or local governmental bodies or Indian tribes are not required to obtain a license as a pesticide operator or to furnish evidence of financial responsibility to the department when:
(A) Applying pesticides to property under their ownership, possession, control or jurisdiction;
(B) Applying pesticides pursuant to an order issued by the department for purposes of controlling or eradicating noxious weeds or pests; or
(C) Applying pesticides to property under the ownership, possession, control or jurisdiction of another federal, state or local agency, instrumentality, political subdivision, county, city, town, municipal corporation, irrigation, drainage or other district, of another federal, state or local governmental body, of an Indian tribe or of a homeowners association as defined under ORS § 94.550 if:
(i) The land is in a jurisdiction adjacent to property under their ownership, possession, control or jurisdiction;
(ii) The application is done in conjunction with, or as an extension of, an application of pesticides to property under their ownership, possession, control or jurisdiction; and
(iii) The pesticide application is done on a cost recovery, cooperative trade of services or no cost basis, and not as a source for profit.
(b) A public utility or telecommunications utility is not required to obtain a license as a pesticide operator or to furnish evidence of financial responsibility to the department when applying pesticides to property under the ownership, possession or control of the utility.
(c) In addition to any application allowed under paragraph (a) of this subsection, a vector control district is not required to obtain a license as a pesticide operator or to furnish evidence of financial responsibility to the department when applying pesticides for the prevention, control or eradication of a public health vector as defined in ORS § 452.010 to property under the ownership, possession, control or jurisdiction of another federal, state or local agency, instrumentality, political subdivision, county, city, town, municipal corporation, irrigation, drainage or other district or other federal, state or local governmental body or of a homeowners association as defined under ORS § 94.550 if the pesticide application is done on a cost recovery, cooperative trade of services or no cost basis, and not as a source of profit.
(13) Subject to subsection (15) of this section, the employees of the agencies, instrumentalities, subdivisions, counties, cities, towns, municipal corporations, districts, governmental bodies, Indian tribes or utilities described in subsection (12) of this section who perform or carry out the work, duties or responsibilities of a pesticide applicator are subject to the provisions of this chapter, except they shall be issued ‘public applicator’ licenses or, if they carry out the work, duties or responsibilities of a pesticide trainee, shall be issued ‘public trainee‘ certificates, if they otherwise comply or qualify with the provisions of this chapter relating thereto.
(14) The public applicator license or public trainee certificate shall be:
(a) Issued by the department upon payment of the fee for the pesticide applicator license or pesticide trainee certificate.
(b) Valid and used by the licensee or certificate holder only when applying pesticides as described in subsection (12) of this section.
(c) Renewed, suspended or revoked each year in the same manner, under the same provisions and at the same time as other pesticide applicator licenses and trainee certificates are renewed, suspended or revoked.
(15) The provisions of subsection (13) of this section apply only to:
(a) The application of restricted-use pesticides;
(b) The application of any pesticide by using a machine-powered device; or
(c) The application of any pesticide at the campus of a school, as defined in ORS § 634.700, by an employee of the school.
(16) Prior to applying pesticides to land described in subsection (12)(a)(C) of this section, a public applicator shall inform the person requesting pesticide application of the possible availability of alternative sources of assistance, including sources in the private sector that are registered with the department or with industry trade or professional organizations.
(17) A federal, state or local agency, instrumentality, political subdivision, county, city, town, municipal corporation, irrigation, drainage or other district or other federal, state or local governmental body may not solicit or advertise for pesticide application business in areas outside its jurisdiction.
(18) Before issuing any pesticide license or certificate, or the renewal thereof, to an employee of an Indian tribe, to a business entity of an Indian tribe or to an employee of a business entity of an Indian tribe, the department shall enter into a mutually acceptable agreement with the Indian tribe or business entity to enable the department to administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter and rules adopted under this chapter with respect to the Indian tribe or business entity. [1973 c.341 § 15; 1975 c.304 § 11; 1987 c.317 § 1; 1987 c.447 § 135; 1993 c.599 § 1; 2001 c.307 § 2; 2005 c.96 § 1; 2007 c.258 § 9; 2009 c.501 § 10; 2015 c.833 § 5; 2023 c.45 § 2]
[Repealed by 1953 c.117 § 2]