Agricultural Plant Pest Control: for use of pesticides in the production of agricultural crops, on grasslands, and non-crop agricultural land.

Agricultural Animal Pest Control: for use of pesticides on agricultural animals, and to places on, or in which such animals are confined, for control of pests directly affecting such animals.

Fumigation of Soil and Agricultural Products: for use of pesticides for soil fumigation in the production of an agricultural commodity and/or for fumigation of agricultural products.

Chemigation: application of pesticides through an irrigation system.

Forest Pest Control: for use of pesticides in forest, forest nurseries and seed orchards.

Ornamental Pest Control: for use of pesticides in the production and/or maintenance of ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers in and out-of-doors.

Turf: for use of pesticides in the production and/or maintenance of turf such as on golf courses, residential lawns, parks and cemeteries.

Seed Treatment: for application of pesticides to seeds.

Aquatic Pest Control - General: for use of pesticides in, or on standing or running waters for the express purpose of controlling pests, excluding those applicators engaged in activities relating to public health.

Marine Anti-Foulant Paints (TBT): for use of marine antifoulant paints containing tributyltin. Persons wishing to become certified in this sub-category are exempt from the core examination for commercial applicators.

Right-of-Way Pest Control: for use of pesticides in the maintenance of public rights-of-way such as roads, electric power lines, telephone lines, pipelines and railways; and in the maintenance of fence lines, structural perimeters and other similar areas.

General Pest Control: for use of pesticides to control household pests, including pests that infest structures, stored products, and residential food preparation areas, and pests that infest or contaminate food and any stage or processing in food processing facilities. This includes treatment of food processing areas and control of vertebrate structural invaders. This category does not include control of wood-destroying pests, or the use of fumigants.

Wood-Destroying Pest Control: for use of pesticides other than fumigants to control organisms that destroy structures made of, or containing wood.

Fumigation (Non-Agricultural): for use of fumigant pesticides to control pests in structures and items other than soils and raw agricultural commodities.

Vertebrate Pest Control (Excluding Structural Invaders): for use of pesticides to control vertebrate pest animals outside of human dwellings or other structures.

Public Health Pest Control: for use of pesticides to manage or control pests of medical significance that pose a risk to public health. Federal, state and local employees involved in public health pest control are included in this category.

Regulatory Pest Control: for use of pesticides by federal, state and local governmental employees to control regulated pests.

Demonstration and Research Pest Control: for persons, including federal, state and local government employees, who teach proper pesticide use, application techniques, and/or make pesticide recommendations; for research application of pesticides in field plots. Persons certified in this category must be knowledgeable of the competency standards required of commercial applicators in the category or categories appropriate to the type of pesticide application(s) being recommended, studied or demonstrated.

Aerial Pesticide Application: for application of pesticides by fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft.

Wood Preservation and Wood Products Treatment: for use of pesticides at wood treatment plants and sawmills for preservation of wood and wood products by pressure, dipping, soaking and/or diffusion processes to protect the wood and wood products from damage by insects, fungi, marine borers and/or weather.