STATE LICENSE
RequiredOregon Department of Agriculture — Pestic…
Oregon licenses pest control through ODA under ORS chapter 634. The business holds a Commercial Pesticide Operator license (fee capped at $90 for the first class, $15 per additional class) and must employ at least one licensed Commercial Pesticide Applicator; for a sole proprietorship or partnership an owner must hold the applicator license, for a corporation an officer or employee (ORS 634.116(4)). Applicators pass the Laws and Safety exam plus at least one category exam.
Financial responsibility is statutory: at least $25,000 bodily injury and $25,000 property damage, and structural pest work must also cover damage to the property being treated. A lapse automatically suspends the operator license. Licensed pesticide operators are exempt from CCB licensing unless they inspect for wood-destroying organisms for real estate transfers (ORS 701.010(8)(f)).
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Pesticide regulation is exclusively state-level: ORS 634.057 bars cities and counties from regulating pesticide licensing, use, notification, or training (they may set policy for their own property under ORS 634.060). Local general business licenses still apply.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Oregon county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
If financial responsibility lapses, the operator license is automatically suspended until ODA verifies compliance; insurers must give ODA 30 days' notice of cancellation (ORS 634.116(7)).
ODA licenses expire December 31; applications received November 17–December 31 are processed for the following year.
If no owner, officer, or employee holds an applicator license, the operator license is automatically suspended until fixed (ORS 634.116(4)).
A practical sequence for a new pest control contractor in Oregon. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Violating any provision of ORS chapter 634, or ODA rules on restricted-use pesticides, is a crime.
Failing to maintain the required financial responsibility suspends the operator license automatically, without a prior hearing.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
| County · City | Permit office | Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Multnomah County Portland | City of Portland — Portland Permitting & Development ↗ Unincorporated: Multnomah County Land Use Planning (Department of Community Services) ↗ | Development Hub PDX (DevHub) ↗ |
| Lane County Eugene | City of Eugene — Planning and Development, Building and Permit Services ↗ Unincorporated: Lane County Public Works — Land Management Division, Building Program ↗ | eBuild |
| Marion County Salem | City of Salem — Permit Application Center (Building and Safety Division) ↗ Unincorporated: Marion County Public Works — Building Inspection ↗ | Permit Application Center Portal |
| Deschutes County Bend | City of Bend — Community Development, Building Safety Division ↗ Unincorporated: Deschutes County Community Development — Building Safety ↗ | Online Permit Center Portal (CityView) |
| Jackson County Medford | City of Medford — Building Safety Department ↗ Unincorporated: Jackson County Development Services — Building Division ↗ | ProjectDox ↗ |
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Current ODA applicator license and exam fees (ODA fee page did not render; operator fee shown is the statutory cap in ORS 634.116(3)) · Exact ODA license category names for structural/household pest control · ODA civil-penalty amounts for pesticide violations (only the criminal penalty in ORS 634.992 was confirmed)
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.