California Department of Pesticide Regulation product search
How to check if a pesticide is registered with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, find its accepted label and why EPA approval isn't enough
How to check a product with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) evaluates and registers pesticides for sale or use in California (DPR, 24 September 2024). To check a product, search DPR's Product/Label Database by registration number, then open the current accepted label from the product information report in CalPEST.
But an EPA registration is not proof of California registration. DPR runs its own evaluation, including for California-specific uses, and it can reject a product or impose conditions more restrictive than EPA's (DPR, 24 September 2024).
Where to look on the DPR website
The DPR website has two public routes into its registration data: the legacy Product/Label Database for registration records and CalPEST for the current accepted label.
The older Product/Label Database is DPR's pesticide label database. It searches by product name, registration number, single chemical code, single site code or several variables at once. A record shows registration status, registrants, ingredients, product names, uses and dates.
DPR announced the launch of CalPEST, the California Pesticide Electronic Submission Tracking system, on 24 September 2024 (DPR announcement). Its public search covers products, scientific studies, active ingredients and special regulatory actions. DPR points users to the CalPEST product information report for current accepted product labels.
The two systems are in transition. Both the lookup page and the downloadable data tables warn that registration search results may not be fully up to date during the transition to CalPEST. If you need the most recent information, request it through the Public Records Act. Those pages also say to visit CalPEST for more information. Do not treat the legacy search as a real-time record.
Read the pesticide labeling for the right number
Start with the pesticide labeling, on the container or in the label file.
The EPA Reg. No. identifies the registered product. In its ordinary form it's a company number and a product number joined by a hyphen. The EPA Est. number identifies the final site where the product was produced or labeled, not the product registration (EPA label review training, updated 23 January 2026). Don't confuse the two.
A supplemental distributor product carries a third numeric segment identifying the distributor's company number. EPA's label guidance also explains that distributor labels can omit claims but cannot add claims that differ from the parent label. EPA does not receive or review these labels. Keep the product name and distributor in mind when you match records later.
Run the DPR registration search
On the Product/Label Database page, choose the registration number search. The form takes a full or partial number, and you can enter several numbers separated by commas.
For a distributor registration, the form asks for only the first two parts of the number. Leave off the distributor segment (that third segment is the one people paste in by mistake).
The form also has a "Retrieve active products only" option. Use it to narrow results, then read the record and the accepted label. Do not treat the filter alone as proof that a proposed sale or use is allowed.
If you only have a brand name, use the product-name search instead, then match the registrant, ingredients and registration number before you rely on a record whose name merely looks familiar.
Bulk users can download the tables from the Product/Label Data Tables page. The same transition warning applies there.
Get the current accepted label from CalPEST
The legacy database provides registration records, subject to its transition warning. For current accepted product labels, DPR directs users to the product information report in CalPEST.
Open the accepted label rather than relying on the search result alone. Check its use sites, rates and restrictions before you quote them in advice about California use.
California pesticide registration versus EPA registration
DPR's California pesticide registration is a separate state decision from EPA registration. DPR evaluates each product for California, can add California-specific conditions and can refuse a product EPA has registered (DPR).
For any product you sell or recommend in California, line up these checks:
- The EPA Reg. No. on the label matches the product you think it is.
- DPR's register shows a matching California registration and its status.
- The CalPEST product information report holds the current accepted label.
If any of the three doesn't line up, stop and resolve it before the product goes into a quote or a customer letter.
When the record is unclear
Sometimes the legacy search shows nothing, or shows a status that conflicts with what a supplier tells you. Compare the record's registrant, ingredients and registration number with the supplier's label to check that you are discussing the same product (DPR database). Don't guess from an old export. Visit CalPEST for more information. And if you need the most recent official position, request it through the Public Records Act (DPR).
Be careful with inactive or canceled records too. Don't read an inactive status as a ruling on existing stock. Whether that stock can still be sold or used is a question for DPR.
RegAffairs AI's answer on checking California pesticide registration gives a starting point for this lookup.