Pest control technician screening questions: state licensing, labels, routes and customers
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Pest control technician screening questions should confirm, early, that the candidate holds or can get the license your state requires and can drive a company vehicle, then test whether they follow the pesticide label, think in terms of inspection and prevention rather than spraying, handle spills and customers well, and can run a route. Ask them to walk you through a general pest service at a home, how they read a label, what they do about a restaurant with German cockroaches, and how they answer "Is this safe for my dog?". A strong technician talks about inspecting first and about the label. A weak one talks about spraying.
The job combines driving, chemical handling and customer service in someone's home, so it borrows from several other screens. For the driving side, compare delivery driver screening questions; for the background and driving record process, see the FCRA background check process for recruiters.
Licensing: three states, three systems
Federal law sets a floor and the states run licensing. As of October 2026, EPA's certification standards classify the most hazardous products as restricted use pesticides, which may be applied only by a certified applicator or someone under their direct supervision, and set 18 as the minimum age for certified applicators and for people applying restricted use pesticides under supervision. Structural pest control licensing then differs by state:
| State | How it works for new technicians | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | The Department of Agriculture's apprentice and technician rules require an apprentice registration within 10 days of employment, 20 hours of general classroom training plus 8 classroom and 40 on-the-job hours in each category, and a technician exam before the 12-month apprentice card expires. An apprentice may not work alone until training is complete. | Apprentice or technician? Which categories? Card expiry date? |
| Florida | Section 482.091 of the Florida Statutes requires each employee who performs pest control for a licensee to carry an employee identification card. New employees get at least 5 days of supervised field training in the category, and 4 hours of classroom training within 6 months of the card being issued. | Current ID card, and with which company? Which categories have they worked? |
| California | The Structural Pest Control Board's entry-level Applicator license covers household pests (Branch 2) and wood-destroying pests (Branch 3), and an Applicator can work only for a registered structural pest control company. | Applicator license number, branches, expiry. |
Other states differ again, and lawn and ornamental work is often licensed separately. Look the license up on the regulator's public search before you place anyone.
Eligibility and knockout questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Are you at least 18? (Ask where the role applies restricted use pesticides or the state requires it.) | A yes or no. Do not ask for a birth date. | None; it is a legal line. |
| 2. Do you hold a pest control license or registration in [state]? If not, are you willing to complete the training and exam on [the state's timeline]? | A license type, number and expiry, or a clear yes to training. | Describes another state's license as valid here. |
| 3. You will drive a company truck daily. Do you have a valid license, and will you authorize a driving record check? | Yes to both, and mentions anything on the record now. | Vague about a suspension. |
| 4. The work includes [attics in summer, crawlspaces, ladders, carrying a backpack sprayer]. Can you do that, with or without accommodation? | Yes, often with a past example. | None from the answer. Do not ask about health. |
Technical questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 5. Walk me through a general pest service at a house. | Talks to the customer, inspects inside and out, identifies the pest and conditions, treats per label, seals or recommends exclusion, documents, explains what was done. | "Spray the baseboards and the perimeter, done." |
| 6. What do you look for on a pesticide label before you use a product? | Site and pest it is labeled for, rate and mixing, required PPE, signal word, re-entry and pet or child precautions. "The label is the law." | Mixes "a bit stronger" when it is a bad infestation. |
| 7. A restaurant has German cockroaches in the kitchen. What is your plan? | Inspection with a flashlight and monitors, finds harborage, sanitation report for the manager, baits and growth regulators per label, follow-up visits. | Sprays the kitchen during service. |
| 8. How do you handle rodents in a commercial account? | Exclusion and sealing, tamper-resistant stations placed and secured, trap and station logs, sanitation notes. | Loose bait placed where children or pets can reach it. |
| 9. You spill concentrate in the truck or on a customer's driveway. What do you do? | Stops, contains with the spill kit, keeps people and pets away, follows company procedure and reporting, tells the supervisor. | Hoses it into the storm drain. |
Customer and route questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 10. A customer asks, "Is this safe for my kids and my dog?" What do you say? | Explains the label's instructions honestly: where it is applied, how long to keep them away, what to expect. Does not promise "completely safe". | "It's totally harmless, don't worry." |
| 11. How many stops did you run a day, and how did you plan the route? | A number and a method: routing app, grouping by area, calling ahead. | No idea, after a year on a route. |
| 12. A customer is unhappy that ants came back a week after service. What do you do? | Schedules a callback per the service agreement, inspects for the cause, explains how long treatment takes. | Blames the customer or refuses. |
| 13. Have you sold or renewed service agreements, and how? | Recommends based on what they found, explains the plan honestly, knows any commission terms. | Uses scare tactics. |
| 14. What goes on your service ticket? | Products, amounts, areas treated, target pests, conditions found and recommendations, as the company and state require. | "Just the date and price." |
| 15. Nobody is home and the gate is locked at a scheduled stop. What do you do? | Follows the company's no-access policy, leaves a notice, calls the office. | Climbs the fence. |
| 16. What would make you stay in pest control for the long term? | Licensing path, a steady route, moving to termite or commercial work. | Only the truck. |
A 12-minute phone-screen flow
- Minutes 0 to 1: the company, service lines (general pest, termite, rodent, lawn), territory, pay and any commission.
- Minutes 1 to 4: knockouts 1 to 4, including the license status.
- Minutes 4 to 8: questions 5, 6 and 9, and 7 or 8 for commercial routes.
- Minutes 8 to 11: questions 10, 11 and 12.
- Minutes 11 to 12: next steps: interview, ride-along, and consent forms for any driving record check.
A half-day ride-along with a senior technician is the best second step, and it should be paid. See how to run a job trial day.
How pest control experience gets overstated
- Lawn care described as pest control. Mowing and fertilizing are not structural pest work, and lawn pesticide work is often licensed separately.
- A helper described as a technician. Ask whether they ran their own route and signed their own service tickets.
- A license held under a former employer. In some states the card or registration is tied to the company; ask whether it is current with any employer.
- Termite experience from watching. Ask what they did on a termite job, step by step.
Scoring the screen
Pass or fail: meets any age requirement; holds the required license or can get it on the state's timeline; can drive the company vehicle; can do the physical work with or without accommodation.
Scored 0 to 2 each (10 possible):
- Inspection before treatment.
- Label discipline and PPE.
- Spill and safety response.
- Honest customer communication.
- Route and documentation habits.
Legal cautions
General information as of October 2026, not legal advice. Pesticide licensing, driving record and background check rules differ by state and change. Confirm with the state regulator and your counsel.
When a driving record or criminal record comes through a background screening company, follow the FTC's guidance on consumer reports: a written notice that is not part of the application, written permission, and pre-adverse and adverse action notices. Many states and cities also delay criminal history questions until after an offer; see ban-the-box interview questions. Drug testing rules vary by state; see drug testing laws in hiring. Ask about physical duties, not conditions, and leave out age beyond the legal minimum, family and national origin. The full list is in illegal interview questions.
Questions people ask
Do pest control technicians need a license?
In most states, yes, in some form, and the rules differ. Texas registers new hires as apprentices within 10 days of employment and requires training before a technician license exam; Florida requires each employee who performs pest control for a licensee to carry an employee identification card; California licenses applicators who work for a registered company. Check the state regulator before you place anyone.
What is the minimum age for a pest control technician?
EPA's certification rule sets 18 as the federal minimum age for certified applicators and for people using restricted use pesticides under their direct supervision, with a narrow family farm exception. State rules for other pesticide work vary, so check the state as well.
Can I hire a pest control technician with no experience?
Yes. Many companies hire for attitude, driving record and customer skills and then train, and state systems are built for it: Texas apprentices, for example, complete classroom and on-the-job training before taking the technician exam. Screen for reading labels, safe habits, reliability and comfort with customers.
Can I check a technician candidate's driving record?
Usually, if driving is part of the job. If the record comes as part of a background report from a screening company, the FTC's guidance on consumer reports applies: a written notice that is not part of the application, the candidate's written permission, and pre-adverse and adverse action notices if you rely on it. State rules may add requirements, so confirm with counsel.