Checking Pesticide Registration in California

Use the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) product registration records. DPR now runs a public search in CalPEST, its newer registration system, alongside the older Product/Label Database. Find the product, then read its status: only an "active" status means it is currently registered in California. I can also run the check here if you give me a product name or registration number.

Approach: I searched the DPR product registration records in our datasets, which come from DPR's own product export file, and opened DPR's official pages for the search tools and the meaning of the status codes.

Where to search (official DPR tools)

• CalPEST public search: DPR says the public can "Search for pesticide products, scientific studies, active ingredients, and special regulatory actions" and get current accepted labels through the product information report. Search portal (CalPEST page)
• Product/Label Database: You can search by product name, registration number, single chemical code, single site code or several fields at once. DPR says the data is updated at midnight each business day. (Product/Label Database) DPR also warns that registration search results "may not be fully up to date during the transition to CalPEST." For the most recent information it points users to CalPEST or a Public Records Act request. (Product/Label Data Tables)
• Related lists: restricted materials, new registrations and registrant companies. These are all linked from Registered Products in California.
• Bulk data: All 38 tables can be downloaded as a zip file. The file layouts are described in the Table Formats PDF.

How to read the result

1. Search by registration number where you can. One brand name can match many records, some active and some inactive. For example, "Roundup Herbicide" product 27065 is inactive, with an inactivation date of 21 Oct 2002 ^[1]. "Roundup Pro Herbicide" product 74315 is active ^[2].
2. Check the status code. DPR's status table defines these codes (product_status.dat):

Code	Meaning
A	Active
B	Inactive
C	Inactive, not renewed
D	Inactive, voluntary cancellation
E	Inactive, cancellation
F	Inactive, suspended
G	Inactive, invalid data
H	Active, suspended
I	Inactive, conditional

3. Look at the inactivation date. In the samples I pulled, the inactive records have one and the active records do not. For example, "Roundup ReadyMax" (524-544-ZA) is inactive as of 31 Dec 2007 ^[3].
4. Watch for "Master Label" products. DPR marks these with "Master Label" before the brand name and the code "ML". DPR says such products, "while registered with DPR, may not be sold or used in California." (Table Formats PDF, p.1)
5. Check the approved use sites and restricted-use status. These are kept in separate DPR tables from the product record: use sites (including special local need (SLN) and Section 18 uses) and restricted or conditional status (Table Formats PDF, pp.3, 5).

Contacts

For questions about the database, DPR lists Registration.Databases@cdpr.ca.gov and (916) 324-3466 (Product/Label Database). For CalPEST, the address is CalPEST@cdpr.ca.gov (CalPEST page).