California Food and Agricultural Code - Division 6: Pest Control Operations (11401-12408)

This division of the California Food and Agricultural Code regulates pest control operations. Specifically, it provides for pest control - licenses and permits, registration, report of damage from pesticides, and violations and penalties; aircraft operation regulation; agricultural pest control advisors; and pest control dealer. Among others, the purpose of the division is to provide for the proper, safe, and efficient use of pesticides essential for production of food and fiber and for protection of the public health and safety; to protect the environment from environmentally harmful pesticides by prohibiting, regulating, or ensuring proper stewardship of those pesticides; to assure the agricultural and pest control workers of safe working conditions where pesticides are present; to permit agricultural pest control by competent and responsible licensees and permittees under strict control of the director and commissioners; to assure consumers and users that pesticides are properly labeled and are appropriate for the use designated by the label and that state or local governmental dissemination of information on pesticidal uses of any registered pesticide product is consistent with the uses for which the product is registered; and to encourage the development and implementation of pest management systems, stressing application of biological and cultural pest control techniques with selective pesticides when necessary to achieve acceptable levels of control with the least possible harm to nontarget organisms and the environment.