Pesticide Law Onerous for Applicators

New York state's Erie County enacted a pesticide notification law in 2004 requiring two-day written notification to neighbors when spraying liquid pesticides within150 feet of their homes. The requirement forced some landscaping companies to hire people to handle such notifications, and others to alter spraying practices. Some choose less effective pesticide delivery (granular) to circumvent the regulation, while others did heavier spraying to avoid coming back for spot treatments that would again require notifications.

For 2005, however, pesticide applicators won't have to comply with the law. A legislative SNAFU failed to extend the law into the new year.