About Pesticide Registration
Pesticide Registration Process
The process of registering a pesticide is a scientific, legal, and administrative procedure through which EPA examines
- the ingredients of the pesticide;
- the particular site or crop where it is to be used;
- the amount, frequency, and timing of its use; and
- storage and disposal practices.
In evaluating a pesticide registration application, EPA assesses a wide variety of potential human health and environmental effects associated with use of the product. The company that wants to produce the pesticide must provide data from studies that comply with our testing guidelines.
EPA develops risk assessments that evaluate the potential for
- Harm to humans, wildlife, fish, and plants, including endangered species and other non-target organisms.
- Contamination of surface water or ground water from leaching, runoff, and spray drift.
Potential human risks range from short-term toxicity to long-term effects such as cancer and reproductive system disorders.
EPA also evaluates and approves the language that appears on each pesticide label to ensure the directions for use and safety measures are appropriate to any potential risk. Following label directions is required by law and is necessary to ensure safe use.
Companies submit an application for a registration action, such as to register a new pesticide active ingredient, new product for an existing pesticide, or adding a new use to an existing product.
The company's application typically includes:
- Service fee(s) required by the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA).
- Forms describing the requested action.
- The identity and quantity of all chemicals in the product.
- Data on potential risks to human health and the environment, including the potential for pesticide residues on food (if applicable).
- Proof that the product manufacturing process is reliable.
- Labeling, including directions for use, contents, and appropriate warnings.
- Evidence of meeting all legal and financial obligations.
EPA publishes a notice of receipt in the Federal Register for each application for registration of a new product that contains a new pesticide active ingredient or that proposes a new use for an existing pesticide.
Applications are assigned to the appropriate pesticide division, where it is processed and tracked. A project manager is then assigned to:
- Complete a detailed review of the application
- Assign and coordinate the appropriate scientific review
- Implement priorities and timetable as set by PRIA
- Coordinate the administrative action
- Communicate with applicant, otherwise known as the registrant, about the review
The Evaluation Process
- EPA evaluates human health risks (including sensitive groups such as children and immune-suppressed individuals), by reviewing data on:
- Aggregate risks–through food, water, and residential uses
- Cumulative risks–from different pesticides with the same effects
- Occupational risks to those applying the product during their work
- EPA evaluates environmental risks by reviewing data on:
- Potential for surface and ground water contamination
- Risks to non-target organisms (such as wildlife, plants, fish and other aquatic organisms) as well as impacts to endangered and threatened species
- EPA implements risk assessment and peer review:
- EPA reviews the scientific data on the pesticide product and develops comprehensive risk assessments that examine the potential effects of the product or ingredient on the human population and environment.
- The risk findings in EPA risk assessments provide information on the “economic, social, and environmental” costs of the use of a pesticide by evaluating the potential effects on human health and the environment from legal use of a pesticide. The human health and environmental risk assessments undergo a process of peer review by scientific experts, generally within EPA.
- As appropriate, EPA evaluates the benefits of the use:
- EPA reviews submissions from the registrant describing who will use the pesticide and how it will potentially improve outcomes (e.g., agricultural production, urban and recreational land management, public health) as compared to available existing controls
- EPA benefit assessments provide information on the “economic, social, and environmental” benefits of the use of a pesticide, such as improvements in agricultural production, urban and recreational land management, and public health.
- EPA does not consider benefits in determining whether a tolerance covering use of a pesticide in or on food is safe under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Nor does EPA consider benefits when assessing effects under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
- EPA makes risk management and regulatory decisions, where EPA:
- Considers the results of the risk assessments (which provide information on the environmental costs of the use of a pesticide).
- Considers the results of any benefit assessments (which provide information on the economic, social, and environmental benefits of the use of a pesticide).
- Determines if the proposed uses of the pesticide generally cause unreasonable risks under the FIFRA mandate (taking into account the costs and benefits of the use of the pesticide), or if the proposed uses do not meet the FFDCA safety standard. EPA's FIFRA decisions must also be consistent with other applicable statutes, such as ESA.
- Determines whether additional mitigation measures on the pesticide product label can address any risks deemed unreasonable (considering the impacts of mitigation on the benefits of the pesticide, as appropriate).
- If risks are reasonable, or can be reduced to no longer be unreasonable with additional mitigation measures:
- Discuss with the applicant modifications to the product or labeling that can mitigate unreasonable risk.
- Establish new food tolerances if needed, after publishing notices for comment in the Federal Register.
- Grant registration including, as appropriate, measures necessary to mitigate unreasonable risk.
- If risks cannot be reduced to a reasonable level:
- EPA may determine that the new pesticide, or new pesticide use pattern, does not meet the standards for registration.
- Publish in the Federal Register a notice of issuance of the registration.
Federal Pesticide Laws and Associated Statutes
EPA regulates pesticides under broad authority granted in two major statutes, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). These laws have been amended by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) and the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA).
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) - Requires all pesticides sold or distributed in the United States (including imported pesticides) to be registered by EPA.
- Registration is based on evaluation of scientific data and assessment of risks and benefits of a product's use.
- Before EPA may register a pesticide under FIFRA, the applicant must show that the pesticide “when used in accordance with widespread and commonly recognized practice, . . . will not generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment” (7 U.S.C. 136a(c)(5)).
- Label directions control how products are used.
- EPA can authorize limited use of unregistered pesticides or pesticides registered for other uses to address emergencies. States can do the same for special local needs (provided EPA does not disapprove).
- EPA can suspend or cancel a product's registration under certain circumstances.
- Training is required for workers in pesticide-treated areas and certification and training is required for applicators of restricted use pesticides.
- Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) - Requires EPA to set pesticide tolerances for all pesticides used in or on food or in a manner that will result in a residue in or on food or animal feed. A tolerance is the maximum permissible level for pesticide residues allowed in or on human food and animal feed.
- Includes strong provisions for protecting infants and children, as well as other sensitive subpopulations.
- Provides for exemption from the requirement for a tolerance.
- Under the Food Quality Protection Act, of 1996 (FQPA), which amended both FIFRA and FFDCA, EPA must find that a pesticide poses a "reasonable certainty of no harm" before it can be registered for use on food or feed. EPA must review each pesticide registration at least once every 15 years.
- Several factors must be addressed before a tolerance can be established, including:
- the aggregate, non-occupational exposure from the pesticide (exposure through diet and drinking water and from using pesticides in and around the home);
- the cumulative effects from exposure to pesticides that have a common mechanism of toxicity, that is, two or more pesticide chemicals or other substances that cause a common toxic effect(s) by the same, or essentially the same, sequence of major biochemical events (i.e., interpreted as mode of action);
- whether there is increased susceptibility to infants and children, or other sensitive subpopulations, from exposure to the pesticide.
- Several factors must be addressed before a tolerance can be established, including:
- The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2003 (PRIA) (455 pp, 1.23 MB, About PDF) also amended FIFRA and FFDCA. PRIA was reauthorized by the Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act of 2007, the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2012, the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2018, and the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022. Under PRIA:
- Companies must pay service fees according to the category of the registration action.
- PRIA sets decision review time periods, which results in a more predictable evaluation process for companies.
- Shorter decision review periods are provided for reduced-risk registration applications.
- The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires federal agencies to ensure, in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, that any action they authorize, fund, or carry out, will not likely jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species, or destroy or adversely modify any critical habitat for those species. EPA is responsible for reviewing information and data to determine whether a pesticide product may be registered for a particular use. As part of that determination, EPA assesses whether listed endangered or threatened species or their designated critical habitat may be affected by use of the product. All pesticide products that EPA determines “may affect” a listed species or its designated critical habitat may be subject to EPA's Endangered Species Protection Program.
- EPA released an ESA workplan in April 2022, in which the Agency describes challenges and improvements to better protect federally listed species from possible effects of pesticides. In November 2022, EPA released an ESA Workplan Update (pdf) that details how EPA will pursue protections for non-target species, including listed species, earlier in the process for pesticide registration review and other FIFRA actions.
- Regulations implementing the pesticide statues are available at 40 CFR Part 150-189.
Read more about EPA regulations.
The Pesticide Label
We review pesticide product labels as part of the licensing/registration process and must approve all label language before a pesticide can be sold or distributed in the United States. The overall intent of the label is to provide clear directions for effective product performance while minimizing risks to human health and the environment. It is a violation of federal law to use a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. The courts consider a label to be a legal document. In addition, following labeling instructions carefully and precisely is necessary to ensure safe and effective use.
- Guidance on developing product labels
- Search for registered pesticide labels.
Compliance and Enforcement
Anyone applying pesticides must comply with federal and state laws. In general, states have primary authority for compliance monitoring and enforcing against illegal pesticide use. Often, a state's department of agriculture has this responsibility, but it can be a state's environmental or other agency.