School & Child Care Sensitive Sites 

California has adopted regulations that address agricultural pesticide applications near public K-12 schools and licensed child day care centers (collectively referred to as school sites). These regulations provide minimum distance standards for certain agricultural pesticide applications near school sites and require annual notifications to school sites. The goal is to reduce the chances of unintended pesticide exposure to children and increase communication between growers, County Agricultural Commissioners, and school sites. The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has a separate School and Child Care Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program to address pesticide applications at school sites

School Pesticide Use Reports

The deadline for submitting school pesticides use reports is January 30 for the previous year. We hope the following set of links and information will help make complying with the Healthy Schools Act reporting requirements easier for you. If you have further questions, please email the School IPM.

Currently, we only accept reports via mail:
School Pesticide Use Reporting
Department of Pesticide Regulation
P.O. Box 4015
Sacramento, CA 95812

Our 20 Question School Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) FAQ

The School PUR Report form for School Staff

The School PUR Report form for Businesses/Contractors

School Pesticide Use Report Instructions

  • Each line is an individual pesticide application. Report only one school site, date/time, and pesticide per line. Multiple pages will be needed if you need to report more than 5 pesticide applications.
  • A name and address is required for each school site. A cover sheet with all school site names/addresses can be included with your report to prevent repetitive writing/typing.
  • Applicators: If you are mixing a concentrate with a liquid, report the amount of concentrate applied. For products that do not require dilution, report the amount of finished product applied.

School Pesticide Use Report Tips and Tricks:

  • You only need to submit page 1 (front) of the report to meet the reporting requirements.
  • California Notary County Codes (1-58) are easier to write than county names.
  • To reduce repetitive writing/typing: You can use quotation marks or other obvious notation to indicate that the information is the same as the box above.

To reduce repetitive writing/typing: You can include a cover sheet with all school names/addresses where you apply pesticides. On the cover sheet give each school a number or letter, or simply refer to it by name for the rest of the report. We will keep the cover letter with your report. This will prevent you from having to write school names and addresses repeatedly on the form.

School & Child Care Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

 The California Healthy Schools Act (HSA) was enacted in 2000. It is a right-to-know law that provides parents and staff with information about pesticide use taking place at public schools and child care centers (except family day care homes). The law encourages the adoption of effective, lower risk pest management practices, also known as IPM. The goals of the HSA are to address the health and environmental concerns associated with the use of pesticides at schools and child care centers and to assure healthy learning environments for California children. The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is charged with carrying out the HSA.  

 What the Healthy Schools Act Requires for Schools

  • Identify an IPM Coordinator: The IPM Coordinator is a school district employee who helps to ensure that the district is meeting the requirements of the HSA.   
  • Create an IPM plan: An IPM plan provides information about how pests are managed at each school district. The IPM Plan must be posted on the school district website; if a school district does not have a website, then the IPM plan must be sent home to all parents and staff.   
  • Provide annual written notification: Each school district must send all parents and staff a written notification of pesticide products expected to be applied during the school year. Pesticides to be applied by contracted pest control businesses need to be included in the notice.   
  • Create a registry: Parents and staff that want to be notified 72 hours before every pesticide application must be given the opportunity to register with the school district.   
  • Post warning signs: Warning signs provide information about when, where, and why a pesticide application was made. Warning signs must be posted around the treatment area 24 hours before pesticide application and must remain posted for 72 hours after application is complete.   
  • Keep records: Records of pesticide use must be kept on site for four years and this information must be made available to the public, if requested.   
  • Report pesticide use: All pesticides, (even herbicides) applied by school staff must be annually reported to DPR. This can be reported more frequently. Schools and child care centers do not have to submit reports for pesticides applied by contractors. Contractors are responsible for submitting their own reports.   
  • Complete training: All staff who apply or use pesticides, including disinfectants, and sanitizers, and herbicides, must complete DPR-approved HSA training each year prior to any pesticide application that year. Training must be completed before any applications take place.   

School Resources

Child Care Center Resources