Charters

The Tennessee Application of Pesticides Act (TAPA) requires that a company providing or offering for sale any custom pesticide application must have a pest control charter. A charter is a type of permit issued by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) authorizing a person, firm, or corporation to engage in the business of commercial pest control operations.

A charter is required for each individual location. For example, if a company has an office in Nashville and another in Memphis, each location would be required to have its own charter. 

Requirements for Application for Charter

  1. Completed application (available from TDA).
  2. A $10,000 surety bond (see #4 if WDO, GRC, FUM, or BDC).
    1. Completed Certificate of Surety Bond
  3. Proof of liability insurance with the minimum coverages of $250,000 per incident and $500,000 aggregate.
  4. For new companies holding a WDO, GRC, FUM, or BDC license, a $50,000 surety bond is required for the first 3-years of business, but reduces to $10,000 in the 4th year.
  5. For those firms that have a WDO license, they must carry errors and omissions coverage with minimums of $100,000 per incident and $300,000 aggregate. 
  6. At least one licensee in each category of service offered. A licensee can only be listed on one charter.

Charter Fees

Fees are subject to change.

  • $400 charter fee
  • $50 fee for each licensing category passed to obtain charter
  • $50 fee for each technician or solicitor working under the license listed on a charter

All fees are paid every two years and may be prorated the first year.