In New Mexico the licence for pest control work is issued by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture under the Pesticide Control Act. A caller in Rio Rancho can ask the technician for the licence details at booking, check the number with the Department, and ask who the firm is and who holds its obligations. This guide sets out each step, and what it can and cannot show.
Key takeaways
- The licence is issued by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture under the Pesticide Control Act.
- Ask for the technician’s licence details when you book, and again when the technician arrives.
- Check the number with the Department, not with a website that claims to hold it.
- A licence shows the person is licensed to apply pesticides. It does not show the quality of the work.
- The firm carries the obligations for its licences, permits and insurance, and you can ask it for them in writing.
- If a number cannot be given, do not agree to work until you understand why.
Who issues the pest control licence in New Mexico?
The New Mexico Department of Agriculture issues the licence for pesticide applicators under the Pesticide Control Act. The Department is the office to check a licence with, and the office a caller can ask about the rules for the trade.
The Pesticide Control Act is the state law under which pesticides are regulated in New Mexico. The Department of Agriculture administers it, and its licensing covers people who apply pesticides for pay. A technician who visits a home in Rio Rancho to apply a product, rather than only to inspect, is working under that licence. The Department is therefore the authority for the question a caller most often needs answered: is this person licensed to do this work?
The sources reviewed for this site do not describe the Department’s application process or its current fees, so this guide does not describe either. A caller who wants to know how a licence is obtained, or what it costs, should ask the Department directly. The guide is about checking a licence that a technician already holds.
What do you ask for when you book?
Ask for the technician’s name, the licence number, the firm’s name and who within the firm is responsible for the work. Ask for those details in writing if you can, and keep them with your records.
The first request is simple. Ask the line which technician will attend and what licence number that person holds. A line that answers the question directly is giving you the information you need to check it. A line that says the details will be given later, or that they are not needed, has not answered the question, and you should ask again or decline the booking.
Ask also for the firm’s name and the name of the person who holds the firm’s licence obligations, where that applies. Some firms operate under one or more licensed applicators, and the caller is entitled to know which of them is on the job. Write the details down with the date and the name of the person who gave them.
How do you check the number with the Department?
Use the Department’s own contact points to check the licence number and the name on it. Do not rely on a copy of the licence that you have been sent by the firm, and do not rely on a verification that comes through a third-party site.
The Department of Agriculture’s own website and telephone line are the route for a check. Give the name and the number exactly as the technician gave them, and ask whether the licence is current and what categories it covers. A licence that has lapsed, or that does not match the name, is a reason not to agree to the work until the question is settled.
A check takes a few minutes and is worth doing before any product is applied. It is also worth doing again if a different technician arrives for a later visit, because the person who attends may be different from the one on the booking.
What does a licence show, and what does it not show?
A licence shows that a named person is authorised to apply pesticides under the state law for the categories it lists. It does not show that the work is good, that the person is punctual or that the firm will do what it said. Those things are judged on the visit and the report.
A licence is a minimum. It tells you the person has met the state’s requirement to apply pesticides, and it gives the Department a way to act if the person does not follow the rules. It does not tell you how thorough the inspection will be, how well the sealing will be done, or whether the report will be useful. Those are the questions the rest of this guide addresses.
A licence also does not say what the firm is responsible for beyond the state’s rules. The firm carries its own insurance and its own obligations, and a caller can ask for proof of insurance in the same way as the licence. This site does not hold that proof for any firm, and it does not claim to have checked it.
What if the technician cannot give the number?
Do not agree to the work until the number has been given and checked. A technician who is licensed will know the number, and a firm that cannot produce it should be asked to explain why before anything is applied.
There are ordinary reasons a number might not be available on the phone, such as a call from a dispatcher who does not hold the details. In that case, ask for the number to be sent to you in writing before the visit, and say that the visit will not go ahead without it. A firm that is operating properly will send it.
If the number is refused, or if the technician is unable to show a licence on arrival, do not allow treatment to start. Note the name, the time and the words used, and contact the Department.
What should the licence details be recorded against?
Record the licence details against the visit in the written report, with the technician’s name, the number and the date checked. A future visit can then be compared with the same records.
A report that includes the licence details shows the homeowner or the manager exactly who did the work and under what authority. It is also the first place a second technician or an inspector would look. A report without the details is a reason to ask for them again before the next visit.
Keep the report and the licence note together with the house or business records. If the firm changes, or a different technician is sent, record the new details the same way, so the history stays complete.
What is the homeowner’s part and what is the firm’s?
The homeowner checks the licence and keeps the record. The firm holds the licence, carries its own insurance and answers to the state for its work. Neither can rely on the other to do the check.
The division of responsibility is the honest one for a business that books work it does not perform itself. The firm on site is the firm that must hold whatever licences, permits and registrations the job calls for, keep its own insurance and answer to the office that issues them. This site connects the caller with the nearest independent local company, and it is that company’s obligation to be licensed, not the website’s.
The caller’s part is to ask, to write the answer down and to check the number. That step costs a few minutes and gives the caller the one thing a website cannot give: a licence number that the state can confirm.
What if the firm sends a subcontractor?
A firm may send a technician who works for it under a licence held by someone else in the firm, or who is contracted in for a specific job. Ask who is attending, under whose licence, and how that person relates to the firm you booked.
The chain of responsibility matters when a firm sends a technician from outside its own staff. The caller is entitled to know whose licence covers the work on the day, and whether the firm that took the booking remains responsible for the visit. Ask the firm to say so in writing, and check the licence of the person named.
If the answer is unclear, the visit should wait. A clear answer takes a minute to give, and it protects the caller if a question about the work comes up later. The firm that books the work should be the one that answers for it, and the caller should not have to chase the technician to find out who that is.
How do I keep a record of the check?
Write the technician’s name, the licence number, the date and time of the check, and the result, and file the note with the report. Repeat the check if a different technician attends a later visit.
A record of the check protects both sides. The caller can show that the licence was checked before the work, and the firm can show that it gave the details the caller asked for. A short note on the report, with the date and the name of the person who checked, is enough for most homes and businesses.
Some businesses keep a register of the licence details for each firm they use. A register is useful when several firms are used over a year, because the caller can see at a glance which licence was in force for each visit.
What should a caller do if the licence has lapsed?
Do not agree to work if the licence has lapsed or is not current. Tell the firm, ask for the reason, and ask for a current licence holder to attend. Keep a note of the exchange and check again before any visit.
A lapsed licence is a clear reason to stop. The firm may say the licence is being renewed, or that another person holds the licence for that job. Either answer can be checked with the Department. The caller should not accept a promise that the licence will be sorted out after the visit.
If the work has already been done under a licence that later proves not to have been current, the caller should record the date, the technician and the product used, and contact the Department. The record is what the Department and any insurer will ask for.
How does the licence relate to the report and the warranty?
The licence is named in the report because it shows who did the work. It is not a warranty, and it does not guarantee the result. Any promise about the result is for the firm to make in writing, and the caller should read that promise carefully.
A licence is a legal authority to apply pesticides. A warranty, where a firm offers one, is a separate promise about the result, and its terms are for the firm to state. A caller who reads a licence as a guarantee has misunderstood it.
This site does not offer a warranty on any work done by a firm it connects a caller to, and the footer notice on the site says so. The firm on site is responsible for its own work, and the caller should ask the firm what it will stand behind, in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check a technician’s licence after the work is done?
Yes. It is better to check before any product is applied, but a check afterward still tells you whether the work was done under a current licence, and it is worth recording in the report.
Is a licence the same as a permit?
They are different. The licence is the authority held by the person applying pesticides. A permit or other registration may be needed for some jobs, and the firm holds those obligations. Ask the firm which ones apply to your job.
What if the name on the licence is not the technician who came?
Do not start work. Ask the firm to explain, and check the licence for the person who is actually on site. A different person may hold the licence for the firm, and the firm should say so openly.
Does this site hold a licence for the business?
No. The website does not hold a licence and does not claim one. The firm that attends the visit holds its own licences, and the caller should ask for those details.
Is a licence check the same as a background check?
No. A licence check confirms that the named person is authorised to apply pesticides under the state law. It does not check the person’s history beyond that, and it does not measure the quality of the work.
Sources
- New Mexico Department of Agriculture, pesticide licensing under the Pesticide Control Act
- NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, Sandoval County office (contact to be confirmed before publishing)
This guide is general information for Sandoval County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.