Looking for Montana pest control CEUs online? Montana pesticide applicators can complete approved continuing education to earn pesticide recertification credits toward maintaining qualifying pesticide classifications.

American Pest CEUs provides online pest-management continuing education through PestSchool.com.

Montana approves hundreds of continuing education opportunities each year, including more than 200 online courses through outside training vendors. Before using an American Pest CEUs course for Montana recertification, verify that the individual course currently appears in the Montana Department of Agriculture’s MTPlants Course Locator for the classification you need.

Updated September 2026. Montana pesticide license requirements, recertification cycles and individual course approvals may change. Always verify your current license classification, credit total and individual course approval with the Montana Department of Agriculture before completing training for credit.

Who Regulates Pest Control Licensing in Montana?

Pesticide applicator licensing, certification and continuing education in Montana are administered by the Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA).

MDA administers:

• Commercial pesticide applicator licensing
• Noncommercial applicator licensing
• Government applicator licensing
• Public Utility applicator licensing
• Private applicator permits
• Operator licenses
• Pesticide examinations
• Continuing education approvals
• Recertification schedules
• MTPlants course and credit records

How Many CEUs Does a Montana Commercial Applicator Need?

A Montana commercial pesticide applicator generally needs:

12 approved recertification credits for each pesticide classification during the applicable four-year cycle.

The requirement applies per classification.

If an applicator maintains more than one Montana pesticide classification, each classification must satisfy its own recertification requirement.

How Long Is the Montana Commercial Recertification Cycle?

Montana commercial, noncommercial, special utility and government applicators generally recertify each pesticide classification on a:

4-year cycle.

Montana uses pre-established statewide recertification cycles for each classification rather than starting a brand-new four-year period on the date every individual first becomes licensed.

Montana Structural Pest-Control Recertification Cycle

Montana’s primary structural pest-control classification is:

Category 7 — Industrial, Institutional, Structural, and Health Related Pest Control.

The current recertification cycle for this classification is:

January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2027.

Can Montana Pest Control CEUs Be Taken Online?

Yes. Montana allows qualifying Commercial, Government, and other applicable license holders to earn recertification credit through approved online training.

However, Montana limits the amount of online credit that may count toward a classification.

Commercial and Government Applicators can currently earn:

Up to 6 approved online credits per classification during each recertification cycle.

Can I Complete All 12 Montana Commercial Credits Online?

No.

Montana currently requires commercial applicators to obtain:

• 12 total credits per classification
• No more than 6 through approved online training
• At least 6 through qualifying in-person training

How Long Is One Montana Pesticide Credit?

Montana currently defines:

1 recertification credit as 50 minutes of approved pesticide training.

Montana approves training only in whole-credit increments.

How Many Montana Credits Can One Training Program Award?

Current MDA course-approval guidance limits a single pesticide training program to:

A maximum of 6 credits per classification per training.

This applies regardless of how long the overall training event lasts.

How Does Montana Approve Pesticide CE Courses?

All training offered for Montana pesticide continuing education must be submitted to the Montana Department of Agriculture for approval before the training occurs.

MDA reviews:

• Training agenda
• Presentation descriptions
• Instructor names and affiliations
• Course dates and times
• Relevant pesticide classifications
• Attendance-verification procedures

Once approved, MDA assigns:

• A Meeting ID
• Approved classifications
• Credits awarded for each classification

How Does Montana Online Training Attendance Get Reported?

Montana requires approved training providers to report applicator attendance.

Current MDA guidance states that online course sponsors must report attendance:

At least monthly and no later than five days after the end of the month.

Applicators should still maintain their own course-completion records.

When Should I Finish Montana Online Courses?

MDA currently recommends completing online pesticide courses by:

December 1

when credits need to be posted by December 31.

This is particularly important when a pesticide classification is approaching the end of its four-year recertification cycle.

Where Can I Find Approved Montana Online CEUs?

The Montana Department of Agriculture operates the MTPlants Course Locator.

MDA states that nearly:

• 400 in-person pesticide training opportunities
• 250 online courses

are approved each year for Montana continuing education credit.

The Course Locator allows applicators to identify approved training and determine which Montana classifications receive credit.

Where Can I Take Montana Pest Control CEUs Online?

American Pest CEUs provides online pest-management education through:

PestSchool.com

Before completing a course specifically for Montana license credit, verify the current course approval through the Montana Department of Agriculture’s MTPlants Course Locator.

What Is Montana Category 7 Structural Pest Control?

Montana’s primary professional structural pest-control classification is:

Category 7 — Industrial, Institutional, Structural, and Health Related Pest Control.

This classification includes applicators who use or supervise pesticides in, on or around:

• Human dwellings
• Food-handling establishments
• Food-manufacturing establishments
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Industrial establishments
• Warehouses
• Other public or private structures
• Adjacent areas
• Stored or manufactured products

What Pest-Control Subjects Are Relevant to Montana Category 7?

Approved structural pest-management education may include subjects such as:

• Ant identification and control
• Cockroach management
• Rodent biology and control
• Bed bugs
• Fleas
• Flies
• Stored-product pests
• Fabric pests
• Integrated Pest Management
• Pesticide labels
• Pesticide safety
• Pesticide formulations
• Application equipment
• Structural pest inspections
• Environmental protection

Why Does Montana Sometimes Show Category 40 Instead of Category 7?

Montana’s licensing pages currently identify the structural classification as:

Category 7 — Industrial, Institutional, Structural, and Health Related Pest Control.

However, some MTPlants continuing education listings and training records may display:

40 — Ind Inst Struct & Health Related

for the same general structural pest-control classification within the training database.

Montana Non-Soil Fumigation

Montana also maintains a separate classification for:

Category 9 — Non-Soil Fumigation.

This classification includes applicators using or supervising restricted-use pesticides to fumigate anything other than soil.

Examples include fumigation involving:

• Structures
• Grain elevators
• Stored commodities
• Rodent burrows
• Other qualifying non-soil fumigation sites

Montana Wood Product Pest Control

Montana maintains:

Category 11 — Wood Product Pest Control.

This category includes qualifying pesticide use involving:

• Pole framing
• Silling applications
• Brush-on wood treatments
• Sapstain control
• Non-pressure wood-treatment plants
• Protection of wood products

This should not be confused with the broader structural pest-control classification.

Montana Public Health Pest Control

Category 8 — Public Health Pest Control applies to qualifying governmental employees and contracted commercial applicators using pesticides in public-health pest-control programs.

This can include management of pests with medical and public-health importance.

Montana School Pest Control

Montana also maintains:

Category 15 — School Pest Control.

This classification applies to pesticide use in school environments under approved school Integrated Pest Management programs.

Applicators in the School Pest Control classification must also obtain another appropriate classification, such as Ornamental & Turf or Industrial, Institutional, Structural, and Health Related Pest Control.

Does Montana Require a Core Examination?

Yes.

Montana requires Core certification for pesticide applicators.

A commercial applicant generally must:

• Pass the Core examination
• Pass the applicable classification examination or examinations
• Score at least 80%
• Complete the license application
• Meet applicable financial-responsibility requirements
• Pay required licensing fees

Do Montana Commercial Pesticide Licenses Renew Every Four Years?

No.

This is an important distinction.

Montana commercial applicator licenses are generally:

Annual licenses ending December 31.

The four-year period applies to classification recertification.

Can a Montana Applicator Recertify by Examination?

Yes.

Montana applicators generally may maintain classification certification by either:

• Completing the required MDA-approved continuing education; or
• Passing the applicable classification examination again

What Happens If I Don’t Earn Enough Montana Recertification Credits?

If a Montana applicator does not earn the required continuing education credits before the applicable classification cycle expires, the applicator may need to:

Requalify through examination.

Check your official credit record before the end of your recertification period.

How Many Credits Does a Montana Private Applicator Need?

Montana Private Applicators generally need:

6 approved recertification credits during the applicable five-year cycle.

Private Applicator cycles are organized according to geographic recertification districts.

How Long Is a Montana Private Applicator Permit Valid?

A Montana Private Applicator permit generally operates on a:

5-year district-based cycle.

The permit applies primarily to agricultural producers using restricted-use pesticides in agricultural production.

Is a Montana Private Applicator the Same as a Commercial Pest-Control Applicator?

No.

A Private Applicator generally applies restricted-use pesticides in agricultural production on property owned, rented or leased by the applicator or employer.

A professional pest-control company applying pesticides for customers generally needs the appropriate commercial pesticide credentials.

What Is a Montana Pesticide Operator?

Montana also licenses pesticide Operators working under properly licensed applicators.

Current Montana licensing documents require Operators to receive training according to state pesticide rules.

Operator licensing is separate from the four-year classification recertification requirement that applies to certified applicators.

How Can I Check My Montana Pesticide Credits?

Montana provides MTPlants tools that allow applicators to:

• Look up current recertification credits
• Review classes attended
• Search approved training
• Review current pesticide licensing information

Check your record periodically rather than waiting until the final weeks of the recertification cycle.

Keep Your Montana CEU Records

Pest-management professionals should retain documentation of completed continuing education.

Useful records include:

• Course title
• Training provider
• Meeting ID
• Date completed
• Number of credits
• Classification receiving credit
• Online or in-person designation
• Certificate or proof of completion

Montana Pest Control CEUs for Billings

Pest-management professionals in Billings can use approved online training to earn part of the continuing education needed for Montana structural pest-control recertification.

Common searches include:

• Montana pest control CEUs
• Billings pest control CEUs
• Montana pesticide CEUs online
• Montana structural pest-control CEUs
• Montana Category 7 CEUs
• Montana pesticide recertification

Montana Pest Control CEUs for Missoula

Pest professionals in Missoula follow the same statewide MDA licensing and recertification requirements.

Approved online courses can provide up to six credits per classification during a recertification cycle.

Montana Pest Control CEUs for Bozeman and Belgrade

Pesticide applicators in Bozeman, Belgrade and the Gallatin Valley can combine approved online education with qualifying in-person training to satisfy Montana recertification requirements.

Montana Pest Control CEUs for Great Falls

Pest-management professionals in Great Falls can review approved continuing education appropriate for Category 7 structural pest control and other Montana classifications.

Montana Pest Control CEUs for Helena

Montana’s Department of Agriculture is headquartered in Helena.

Pest professionals in Helena can use MDA and MTPlants resources to review licensing status, approved courses and recertification credits.

Montana Pest Control CEUs for Kalispell

Pest professionals in Kalispell and the Flathead Valley can use approved online training to earn part of the required Montana recertification credits while reducing travel for continuing education.

Montana Pest Control CEUs for Butte and Other Communities

Montana pesticide requirements apply statewide.

Pest professionals in Butte, Havre, Miles City, Livingston, Laurel and other Montana communities can review approved training appropriate for their classifications.

Frequently Asked Questions About Montana Pest Control CEUs

Disclaimer: This guide is provided for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for guidance from the Montana Department of Agriculture. Pesticide licensing requirements, recertification cycles, classification numbers, course approvals, online-credit limits and training policies may change. Always verify your individual Montana pesticide credential requirements and current course approval before purchasing or completing continuing education.