Subdivision 4. Pesticide Application
Codified through Bill No. CB-018-2026, adopted May 12, 2026, effective July 24, 2026. Source: Municode, Supplement 2026 Update 2. Editorial notes and legislative history omitted.
Subdivision 4. Pesticide Application
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 12-161.01 (2026)
Sec. 12-161.01. Declarations of Findings and PolicyLinkCopy Citation
It is hereby declared that the County Council of Prince George's County, Maryland, has found that the use of pesticides in the County to control common pests of lawns, golf courses, recreation areas, and similar areas is widespread. The County Council is further concerned that health problems may exist for certain individuals sensitive to pesticides and may arise in other individuals who may inadvertently come into contact with a treated area. The Council further finds and declares that requiring public notice before and after pesticide application is necessary to protect and promote the public health, safety, and general welfare.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 12-161.02 (2026)
Sec. 12-161.02. DefinitionsLinkCopy Citation
(a)
The following definitions shall apply in this Subdivision:
(1)
Custom applicator means any person, and his employees, who is engaged in the business of applying, by air, ground, hand, or mechanical equipment, pesticides to property;
(2)
Customer means any person who has entered into an agreement for a custom applicator to apply pesticides for the care of property;
(3)
Pest means any insect, snail, slug, rodent, nematode, fungus, weed, or any other form of terrestrial or aquatic plant or animal life or virus, bacteria, or other microorganism (except viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, on or in living man or any other living animal), which normally is considered to be a pest or which the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture declares to be a pest.
(4)
Pesticide means any substance or mixture of substances intended:
(A)
For preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest;
(B)
For use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant; and
(C)
To be used as a spray adjuvant such as a wetting agent or adhesive.
(5)
Private Applicator means any person who applies pesticides by air, ground, hand, or mechanical equipment to his privately owned or leased property, or property which he otherwise occupies or uses by consent of the owner, and further includes any corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, other business association, condominium association, agency of Prince George's County, Maryland, or any of the municipalities within Prince George's County, Maryland, and similar entities which utilizes its own employees to apply by air, ground, hand, or mechanical equipment, pesticides to property owned or managed by said entity.
(6)
Property means land located in Prince George's County, Maryland, and the water, vegetation, and airspace upon and above said land, but does not include structures or other improvements or areas of land used exclusively for agriculture or commercial forest production.
(7)
Residential Applicator means a private applicator who applies a pesticide for any purpose on any property where he/she resides, excluding such property as may comprise the common area of a multifamily dwelling or associated group of dwellings.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 12-161.03 (2026)
Sec. 12-161.03. SignsLinkCopy Citation
(a)
Sign prior to pesticide application.
(1)
For at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to each application of pesticide by a custom applicator, the customer shall post signs visible from all streets fronting or providing principal access to the property. The sign(s) will be developed or approved by the Health Officer for the purpose of notifying the public of the pending property treatment and will be supplied to the customer by the custom applicator.
(2)
At least twenty-four (24) hours prior to each episode of pesticide treatment by a private applicator, or a residential applicator, the applicator shall either post signs visible from all streets fronting or providing principal access to the property, said sign to be substantially in the form and content as described in paragraph (1) of this Subsection and may be obtained pursuant to Section 12-161.05 of this Subdivision.
(3)
This requirement shall not apply to emergency situations as may be defined by regulation or in which treatment is necessary to protect property or structures from immediate damage from an existing pest.
(4)
The Health Officer shall further have the right, from time to time, to exempt certain properties, such as, but not exclusively, golf courses and public utility rights-of-way, when it is shown that access to the property is sufficiently restricted and proximity to other properties which may be affected by or receive drifting chemicals from the pesticide application is sufficiently removed so as to eliminate the need for prior posting.
(5)
The signs required under this Subsection shall remain posted until replaced by the signs required by Subsection (b) of this Section.
(b)
Sign after pesticide application.
(1)
Immediately after pesticide application, the applicator shall post a sign or signs on the treated property.
(2)
Such sign or signs shall:
(A)
Be clearly visible on the treated area and from all streets fronting or providing principal places of access to the property. If there are more than one principal places of access to the property, a sign shall be placed so as to be visible from each.
(B)
Be of such size and bear such language as developed, approved, or directed by the Health Officer.
(C)
The signs shall remain in place for at least three (3) days, and in no event more than seven (7) days, following application of the pesticide.
(3)
The Health Officer may from time to time exempt certain types of property, such as, but not exclusively, golf courses and public utility rights-of-way, in which access is sufficiently restricted and proximity to other properties which may be affected by or receive drifting chemicals from the pesticide application is sufficiently removed, from the requirements of this Subsection, providing such exempted property has an alternative method of providing the notification set forth in this Subsection to members of the public who may come into contact with the treated area.
(c)
The Health Officer shall provide to the public in a manner deemed appropriate, information which explains the notice provisions. The Health Officer shall compile and make available to the public, upon request, specific information and safety precautions for those lawn pesticides determined by the Health Officer to be most commonly used.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 12-161.04 (2026)
Sec. 12-161.04. Written StatementLinkCopy Citation
(a)
Immediately after application of a pesticide, the custom applicator shall give each customer a brief written statement as set forth in this Section.
(b)
The language of such statement shall be developed or approved by, and revised as necessary by, the Health Officer but shall include, at a minimum:
(1)
Current government agency phone numbers for consumer complaints, further technical information and medical emergencies;
(2)
A list of general customer safety precautions applicable to most pesticide applications; and
(3)
A statement notifying the customer that each custom applicator applying pesticides must be licensed by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and have its employees follow safety precautions.
(c)
As a part of such statement, the custom applicator shall, in addition to the foregoing, list the trade and generic name of each pesticide which is used and any customer safety precautions specific to any of the individual pesticides.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 12-161.05 (2026)
Sec. 12-161.05. VendorsLinkCopy Citation
Every vendor of a pesticide or material containing a pesticide shall be encouraged to display and make available to the buyer with each sale signs for pre- and post-treatment posting and other informational material provided by or approved by, the Health Officer, said informational material to provide, at a minimum, the information required by Section 12-161.04(b)(1) and (2).
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 12-161.06 (2026)
Sec. 12-161.06. Exceptions and RegulationsLinkCopy Citation
(a)
Upon the showing by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and the Prince George's County Department of Public Works and Transportation that the potential for any adverse effect from pesticide application upon the public or to adjoining property is minimal or that compliance with the terms of this Subdivision is excessively burdensome or impractical, the Health Officer may exempt said agencies from the requirements of this Subdivision.
(b)
The Board of Health may adopt by resolution such regulations and establish such exemptions as may be necessary to carry out the intent of this Subdivision.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 12-161.07 (2026)
Sec. 12-161.07. EnforcementLinkCopy Citation
Each violation of this Division shall constitute a civil violation subject to a civil fine of Fifty Dollars ($50.00) in accordance with the procedures of Division 3, Subtitle 28, Prince George's County Code.