Pesticide sale requirements

Wholesale vendors selling Schedule 1, 2, or 3 pesticides must hold a wholesale vendor registration.

A wholesale vendor can only sell Schedule 1 and 2 pesticides to a business that holds one of the following:

• wholesale pesticide vendor registration
• retail pesticide vendor registration
• Agrichemical Warehousing Standards Association (AWSA) certificate

Records

Wholesale vendors must record every Schedule 1, 2 or 3 pesticide sale. They must keep these records for 5 years and submit summaries to the Alberta government on request.

Each record must include:

• name and address of purchaser
• the purchaser’s wholesale pesticide vendor registration number and expiry date
• retail purchaser’s pesticide vendor registration and expiry date or AWSA certificate
• name of commercial dispenser, the certification number and expiry date at retail vendor outlet
• product name (including the pest control products registration number) and quantity of pesticides sold
• date of sale

Retail vendor regulations apply to those selling Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 pesticides. Anyone who sells Schedule 1 or 2 pesticides must hold a pesticide vendor registration. Additionally, they must employ at least 1 person at each retail location who holds a commercial pesticide dispenser certificate. The certified dispenser or a dispenser assistant must be working at the outlet whenever it is open for business.

There are a few exceptions to who can purchase Schedule 1 and 2 pesticides, outlined below under “exceptions for buying and selling pesticides.”

• Read the Retail vendor requirements: restricted and commercial class pesticides

Note: Any pesticide with federal certification statement on the product label is considered a Schedule 2 product.

Retail vendors selling Schedule 3 pesticides must employ at least 1 person at each retail location who holds a lawn and garden pesticide dispenser certificate. The certified dispenser or a dispenser assistant must be working at the outlet whenever it is open for business.

No formal training is required for the sale of Schedule 4 pesticides, unless the pesticide has a federal certification statement on the product label. In this case, the product will be sold as a Schedule 2 product and Schedule 2 sale requirements apply.

There are a few exceptions to who can purchase Schedule 1 and 2 pesticides:

1. Rural acreage owners are individuals may have a larger land base, but their primary income is not from agricultural production. This group may require pesticides for:
   • shelterbelts weed and insect control
   • weed control in small fruit plantings
   • vegetable weed and insect control
   • weed control in landscaped areas (trees, shrubs, turf, driveways)
2. Hobby greenhouse operators are operators of small greenhouses (less than 100 m²).

To verify that a purchaser is qualified to buy certain commercial pesticides, the sales record must include the purchaser’s legal land description, including the Alberta township system parcel reference (section-township-range-meridian).

Rural acreage owners and hobby greenhouse operators can only buy specific commercial class pesticides. They must contain active ingredients listed in the latest edition of the:

• Environmental Code of Practice for Pesticides

These products are limited to:

• acetic acid for management of vegetation in shelterbelts and non-cropland areas such as fencerows, parking areas, sidewalks, patios and driveways
• glyphosate for management of vegetation in shelterbelts and non-crop areas such as fence rows, parking areas and driveways
• dichlobenil (Casoron^®) for management of weeds in shelterbelts, woody ornamentals and small fruits
• 2, 4-D alone or in combination with either dicamba or mecoprop, or both, for management of broadleaf weeds in turf
• products for aquatic weed and algae control in farm dugouts
• Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) for management of caterpillar insect pests
• metsulfuron-methyl or aminopyralid for weed control
• federally designated commercial class rodenticides
• mustard seed powder (Rocon^® Concentrate Rodenticide) for control of Richardson’s ground squirrels

Learn more about pesticides available to acreage owners in the Registered Pesticide Product Listing.

Retail vendors that sell Schedule 1 and 2 pesticides must employ at least one person holding a commercial pesticide dispenser certificate. The vendor must also ensure that a dispenser or a dispenser assistant is working whenever the outlet is open.

The Commercial Dispenser Certification Program is a collaborative effort between Lakeland College and the Alberta government.

Connect with Lakeland College about the Commercial Pesticide Dispenser Certificate:

Phone: 1-866-853-8646 
Email: [email protected]

Dispenser assistants

Certified dispensers can train dispenser assistants by completing a dispenser assistant training checklist for every assistant each year. This checklist is in the Environmental Code of Practice for Pesticides. Vendors must keep a copy of the checklist that has been completed for every assistant for 5 years and provide the checklist if requested by the Alberta government.

All retail vendors selling Schedule 3 pesticides must employ at least 1 certified lawn and garden pesticide dispenser.  The Lawn and Garden Dispenser Program is a collaborative effort between Olds College and the Alberta government.

Connect with Olds College for information about the Lawn and Garden Pesticide Dispenser Program:

Phone: 1-800-661-6537