Chapter 94

94.67(23) (23) “Person of limited English language ability” means a person whose ability to use the English language is limited because of the use of a non-English language in his or her family or in his or her daily surroundings and who has difficulty performing in English as a result of limited English language ability.

94.67(24) (24) “Pest” means any insect, rodent, nematode, fungus, weed or any other form of terrestrial or aquatic plant or animal life or virus, bacteria or other micro-organism, except viruses, bacteria or other micro-organisms on or in living persons or other living animals, declared to be a pest under the federal act or rules of the department.

94.67(25) (25) “Pesticide” means any substance or mixture of substances labeled or designed or intended for use in preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest, or as a plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant.

94.67(25m) (25m) “Pesticide product” means a pesticide, all of the containers in commerce of which are labeled with a unique combination of all of the following:

94.67(25m)(a) (a) The brand name.

94.67(25m)(b) (b) The pesticide registration number assigned to the pesticide under the federal act.

94.67(25m)(c) (c) The name of the pesticide labeler.

94.67(26) (26) “Plant regulator” means any pesticide labeled or designed or intended for use, through physiological action, in accelerating or retarding the rate of growth or maturation, or for otherwise altering the behavior of plants or the produce of the plant, but does not include substances to the extent labeled or designed or intended for use as plant nutrients, trace elements, nutritional chemicals, plant inoculants and soil amendments. The term also excludes nutrient mixtures or soil amendments commonly known as vitamin-hormone horticultural products intended for improvement, maintenance, survival, health and propagation of plants, if they are not labeled, designed or intended for use for pest destruction and are nontoxic and nonpoisonous in the undiluted packaged concentration.

94.67(26m) (26m) “Private applicator” means a person who uses or directs the use of any pesticide for the purpose of producing any agricultural commodity on property owned or rented by the person or the person’s employer, or on property of another person if the pesticide is used without compensation other than the trading of goods or services between producers of agricultural commodities on an exchange basis. “Private applicator” does not include a veterinarian or veterinary technician who uses a pesticide only while lawfully practicing within the scope of his or her license or certificate.

94.67(27) (27) “Produce” or “manufacture” means to manufacture, formulate, prepare, compound, propagate, package, label or process any pesticide.

94.67(28) (28) “Producer” or “manufacturer” means the person who produces or manufactures any pesticide.

94.67(29) (29) “Protect health and the environment” means protection against any unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.

94.67(30) (30) “Registrant” means a person who has registered any pesticide under the federal act or rules of the department.

94.67(31) (31) “Restricted-use pesticide” means a pesticide for which certain or all of its uses are classified as being for restricted use under the federal act.

94.67(33) (33) “Unreasonable adverse effects on the environment” means unreasonable risk to persons or the environment, taking into account the economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of the use of any pesticide.

94.67(33m) (33m) “Veterinarian” means an individual who is licensed as a veterinarian under ch. 89.

94.67(33t) (33t) “Veterinary technician” means an individual who is certified as a veterinary technician under ch. 89.

94.67(34) (34) “Weed” means any plant which grows where not wanted.

94.67 History History: 1975 c. 94 s. 91 (10); 1977 c. 106, 273; 1985 a. 135; 1987 a. 27; 1989 a. 279; 1993 a. 16, 112; 1995 a. 321; 2005 a. 441; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 100; 2019 a. 68.

94.67 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. ATCP 29, 30, and 31 and ss. ATCP 160.19 and 160.21, Wis. adm. code.

94.675 94.675 Pesticides; adulteration. A pesticide is adulterated:

94.675(1) (1) If its strength, quality, purity or effectiveness falls below the standards expressed on the label.

94.675(2) (2) If any substance has been substituted wholly or in part for the articles.

94.675(3) (3) If any valuable constituent of the article has been wholly or in part abstracted.

94.675(4) (4) If it does not bear an identifying label or it does not conform to the name or description of ingredients given on the label.

94.675 History History: 1999 a. 83.

94.675 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. ATCP 29, 30, and 31 and ss. ATCP 160.19 and 160.21, Wis. adm. code.

94.676 94.676 Pesticides; misbranding. A pesticide is misbranded if:

94.676(1) (1) Its labeling bears any statement, design or graphic representation relative to the pesticide, or to its ingredients, which is false or misleading in any particular.

94.676(2) (2) It is an imitation of, or is offered for sale under, the name of another pesticide.

94.676(3) (3) It is contained in a package or other container or wrapping which does not conform to the standards established under the federal act or rules of the department.

94.676(4) (4) Its label does not bear the registration number assigned to each establishment in which it was produced as required under the federal act or rules of the department.

94.676(5) (5) Any word, statement or other information required under the authority of the federal act or ss. 94.67 to 94.71 to appear on the label or labeling is not prominently placed on the label or labeling with conspicuousness, compared with other words, statements, designs or graphic matter in the labeling, and in terms so as to render it likely to be read and understood by the ordinary person under customary conditions of purchase and use.

94.676(6) (6) The labeling does not contain directions or instructions for use which are necessary for effecting the purpose for which the product is intended and which, if complied with, are adequate to protect health and the environment.

94.676(7) (7) The label does not contain a warning or caution statement which may be necessary and which, if complied with, is adequate to protect health and the environment.

94.676(8) (8) The label does not bear an ingredient statement on that part of the immediate container which is presented or displayed under customary conditions of purchase and on the outside container or wrapper of the retail package, if there is one, through which the ingredient statement on the immediate container cannot be clearly read, except that a pesticide is not misbranded under this subsection if:

94.676(8)(a) (a) The size or form of the immediate container, or the outside container or wrapper of the retail package, makes it impracticable to place the ingredient statement on the part which is presented or displayed under customary conditions of purchase; and

94.676(8)(b) (b) The ingredient statement appears prominently on another part of the immediate container, or outside container or wrapper, when authorized under the federal act.

94.676(9) (9) The labeling does not contain a statement of the use classification under which the pesticide is registered under the federal act or rules of the department.

94.676(10) (10) There is not affixed to its container and to the outside container or wrapper of the retail package, if any, through which the required information on the container can be read clearly, a label bearing:

94.676(10)(a) (a) The name and address of the producer, registrant or person for whom produced;

94.676(10)(b) (b) The name, brand or trademark under which the pesticide is sold;

94.676(10)(c) (c) The net weight or measure of the contents subject to variations as authorized under state or federal law; and

94.676(10)(d) (d) The registration number and use classification assigned to the pesticide when required under the federal act.

94.676(11) (11) The pesticide contains any substance or substances in quantities highly toxic to persons, unless the label bears, in addition to other required labeling:

94.676(11)(a) (a) The sign of the “skull and crossbones”;

94.676(11)(b) (b) The word “POISON” prominently in red on a background of distinctly contrasting color; and

94.676(11)(c) (c) An antidote statement of a practical treatment, first aid or otherwise, in case of pesticide poisoning.

94.676(12) (12) Its labeling contains statements, claims or directions for use which, if complied with, would violate any laws of this state or the federal act relating to the sale or use of pesticides.

94.676 History History: 1975 c. 94 s. 91 (10); 1977 c. 106.

94.676 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. ATCP 29, 30, and 31 and ss. ATCP 160.19 and 160.21, Wis. adm. code.

94.68 94.68 Pesticides; licensing of manufacturers and labelers.

94.68(1) (1) No person may manufacture, formulate, package, label or otherwise produce pesticides for sale or distribution in this state, or sell or offer to sell pesticides to purchasers in this state, whether or not the sales are made wholly or partially in this state or another state, without a license from the department. A license expires on December 31 annually and is not transferable. No license is required of persons engaged only in the following:

94.68(1)(a) (a) The sale or distribution of pesticides at wholesale or retail in the immediate, unbroken container of licensed manufacturers as manufactured, produced, packaged or labeled by them.

94.68(1)(b) (b) The sale of pesticides or active ingredients to licensed manufacturers for use as a basic ingredient in the manufacture or formulation of another pesticide or for further processing, packaging or labeling.

94.68(1)(c) (c) The blending of fertilizer-pesticide mixtures in accordance with the registered pesticide label at the customer’s request for use on property owned, rented or controlled by the customer, or blending mixtures according to registered pesticide label uses for custom application by the blender. The mixtures may not be resold or redistributed.

94.68(1)(d) (d) The sale or application, as certified commercial applicators of pesticides or pesticide-fertilizer mixtures, mixed or blended by them for their own use in the commercial application of pesticides if the pesticides used for mixing and blending were obtained from a licensee under this section.

94.68(2) (2) An application for a license under sub. (1) shall be made on a form prescribed by the department. An applicant shall submit all of the following with the application:

94.68(2)(am) (am) All fees and surcharges required under s. 94.681.

94.68(2)(bm) (bm) A report identifying each pesticide that the applicant sells or distributes for use in this state.

94.68(3) (3) At least 15 days before a person holding a license under this section begins to sell or distribute for use in this state a pesticide product that was not identified in the person’s most recent annual license application, the person shall file a supplementary report with the information required under sub. (2) (bm) and any fees and surcharges required under s. 94.681. The department may not disclose sales revenue information submitted under s. 94.68 (2) (a) 2., 2015 stats.

94.68(5) (5) Manufacturers or labelers of pesticides shall submit to the department on request, product samples, copies of labeling or any other data or information which the department requests concerning composition and claims and representations made for pesticides manufactured or labeled by them in this state.

94.68(6) (6) The department may require a person licensed under sub. (1) to submit to the department any information which is needed in the administration of ss. 94.67 to 94.71 or ch. 160. The licensee may designate any information submitted under this subsection as a trade secret as defined in s. 134.90 (1) (c). The department may require the licensee to substantiate that the information is in fact a trade secret. Any information which the department determines to be a trade secret shall be kept confidential by the department. The department may enter into agreements with any person to allow for the review of trade secret information if the department ensures that the trade secret information will be kept confidential. The department may require a licensee to submit a summary of trade secret information for the purpose of providing information to the public.

94.68(7) (7) A license under this section does not constitute a registration of individual pesticide products within the meaning of the federal act, nor does it authorize any pesticide sale or distribution otherwise prohibited by law.

94.68 History History: 1977 c. 106; 1983 a. 410; 1985 a. 236; 1987 a. 27; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39, 112; 1993 a. 16; 1997 a. 27; 2017 a. 59.

94.68 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. ATCP 29, 30, and 31 and NR 80 and ss. ATCP 160.19 and 160.21, Wis. adm. code.

94.681 94.681 Pesticide manufacturers and labelers: fees and surcharges.

94.681(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

94.681(1)(a) (a) “Household pesticide” means a pesticide that is any of the following:

94.681(1)(a)1. 1. A sanitizer.

94.681(1)(a)2. 2. A disinfectant.

94.681(1)(a)3. 3. A germicide.

94.681(1)(a)4. 4. An insect repellant that is applied to the human body or to clothing.

94.681(1)(a)5. 5. A pesticide that is used exclusively for the treatment of household pets.

94.681(1)(a)6. 6. A pesticide product that is labeled exclusively for household, lawn or garden use if the product either is sold in ready-to-use form or is sold exclusively in container sizes of less than one gallon.

94.681(1)(a)7. 7. A solid or liquid pesticide product that is used exclusively for the treatment of swimming pools, spas or hot tubs.

94.681(1)(b) (b) “Industrial pesticide” means a pesticide that is not a household pesticide and that is one of the following:

94.681(1)(b)1. 1. Solely labeled for use on wood and contains pentachlorophenol, coal tar creosote or inorganic arsenical wood preservatives.

94.681(1)(b)2. 2. Labeled for use in controlling algae, fungi, bacteria, other microscopic organisms or mollusks in or on one or more of the following and for no other use except for a use described in par. (a) 6. or 7.:

94.681(1)(b)2.a. a. Textiles, paper, leather, plastic, vinyl or other synthetic materials, metal or rubber.

94.681(1)(b)2.b. b. Paints, varnishes, other coating products, lubricants or fuels.

94.681(1)(b)2.c. c. Commercial, construction, manufacturing or industrial fluids, including adhesives, additives and pigments.

94.681(1)(b)2.d. d. Commercial, construction, manufacturing or industrial processes, equipment, devices or containers, other than those used in the production or storage of human food or animal feed.

94.681(1)(b)2.e. e. Air washing, cooling or heat transfer systems.

94.681(1)(b)2.f. f. Medical equipment.

94.681(1)(b)2.g. g. Drinking water or wastewater systems.

94.681(1)(c) (c) “Nonhousehold pesticide” means a pesticide that is not a household pesticide or an industrial pesticide.

94.681(1)(e) (e) “Primary producer” means a person who manufactures an active ingredient that is used to manufacture or produce a pesticide.

94.681(2) (2) Annual license fee. An applicant for a license under s. 94.68 shall pay an annual license fee for each pesticide product that the applicant sells or distributes for use in this state during the license year. Except as provided in sub. (5) or (6), the amount of the fee for each pesticide product is $500.