# California schoolsite pesticide records: method codes and NOI times

URL: https://leafwrit.com/us/california-pesticide-records-near-schoolsites/
Reviewed: 2026-10-23

California's January 1, 2026 amendments added method and timing information to the pesticide paperwork for agricultural production within one-quarter mile of a schoolsite. DPR's ENF 25-16 separates the restricted-material permit application, the Notice of Intent, and the pesticide use report. Prepare those documents around the actual application method and the allowable dates and times rather than carrying forward a generic prohibition statement. [^1]

## Three documents have different roles

DPR explains that the restricted-material permit application includes the anticipated application method specified in section 6691. The NOI includes that method plus the allowable application dates and time ranges. The PUR includes the application method. Keep these documents connected to the same field and product references, but distinguish planned work from the completed treatment. [^1]

| Document | Information addressed by the amendment | Preparation task |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Restricted-material permit application | Anticipated application method | Identify the intended equipment or formulation category |
| Notice of Intent | Method and allowable dates and time ranges | State when the application may occur |
| Pesticide use report | Method of application | Carry the correct method into the completed-use report |

The table summarizes DPR's letter. It concerns agricultural production near schoolsites. Keep the field's schoolsite relationship and the document type visible when reviewing an entry. DPR's production-agriculture report form also provides application-method and timing fields, making the method distinction part of the reporting preparation. [^1][^3]

## An NOI needs allowable windows

DPR says an NOI is valid for the application day and the following four days only when delays result from uncontrollable conditions such as equipment breakdown or adverse weather. For any portion of a field within one-quarter mile of a schoolsite, the NOI specifies dates and time ranges during which the intended application is allowed. [^1]

The letter explicitly says this is not a schedule of applications. It identifies when work may occur if an uncontrollable delay prevents the intended date. Build the preparation worksheet with separate spaces for the proposed application and the allowed alternatives. Preserve the reason for a later change in the job documentation so the final application record can be compared with the correct version of the NOI. [^1]

A statement saying only that applications are prohibited from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on school days is no longer sufficient in the circumstances described by the letter. DPR wants the permitted dates and time ranges stated positively. Its examples include overnight windows and changes accounting for a known evening event at the schoolsite. [^1]

## Match the method to the equipment and formulation

DPR modified the existing four-digit field-fumigation method-code field to accommodate the additional methods and formulations in section 6691. The letter provides a table connecting the relevant subsection, method designation, method code, and description. Read the description alongside the number; several entries contain exclusions for dust, powder, or fumigants. [^1]

| Selected description in DPR's table | Method code | Limitation to retain with the description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Airblast or air-carrier sprayer | 5102 | No dust or powder application |
| Ground-rig sprayer | 5101 | No dust, powder, fumigant, or airblast sprayer |
| Manual placement, such as twist ties | 5121 | No dusts, powders, or fumigants |
| Backpack sprayer | 5123 | No dust or powder and no airblast sprayer |
| Hand pump sprayer | 5122 | No dust, powder, or fumigant |

These examples come from DPR's table and do not prescribe a method or establish that a particular application is permitted. In your record preparation, retain the equipment description and formulation that justify the selected category. Do not infer the category from the product name alone or substitute the most familiar code. [^1]

## Distance categories and time restrictions interact

DPR's letter groups methods under a minimum one-quarter-mile distance restriction, a minimum 25-foot distance restriction, or no distance restriction under the listed subsections. These categories depend on the described method and formulation. For applications covered by section 6691(b) occurring more than 25 feet from the schoolsite, and for applications with no distance restrictions, the letter says the NOI indicates that applications are allowed at any time or without time restrictions. [^1]

Document the basis for the category you are using: field reference, schoolsite reference, method description, and relevant application paperwork. Keep any map supplied with the permit or job instructions alongside the record. If a field includes several operational sections, explain which section the actual treatment covers rather than relying only on the name of the entire property.

The letter separately states that fumigants cannot be applied when school classes are scheduled, or a child day care facility is open, within the 36 hours following fumigation. That consideration must be reflected in the allowable NOI dates and time ranges. Keep the fumigant review distinct from the generic overnight-window example. [^1]

## The permit method and NOI method must connect

DPR explains how section 6434(a) addresses information absent from the restricted-material permit: the information required by section 6428(h) is included on the NOI when it is not on the permit. The letter states that including the specified method on the NOI fulfills the anticipated-method requirement in the circumstance it describes. [^1]

For an office handover, assemble the permit application, the current NOI, and the field's method-selection note in one review bundle. Identify their dates and any superseded version. Ask the reviewer to explain which document contains the anticipated method and which contains the allowed windows. Resolve discrepancies before preparing the completed-use report from the actual application notes.

## Carry the completed method into the PUR

The letter says NOIs and PURs for the covered fields include the method code corresponding to the formulation or application method. It also reports that CalAgPermits was updated to accommodate the new codes and that DPR and Calico Solutions contacted third-party submitters about the requirements. A software selection therefore needs an output review showing the code that will actually be submitted. [^1]

Compare the completed record with the equipment and formulation used. Retain the start and completion information and the product identity with the field reference. When a delayed job uses different equipment from the planned operation, resolve the method and paperwork relationship explicitly in your review notes instead of assuming that the original code remains suitable.

## Keep annual notification in its own file

DPR's 2026 citable-sections report identifies the schoolsite annual-notification requirement, the April 30 timing for the following fiscal year, and the property operator's duty to retain a copy for two years. Treat the annual notice as a separate document from a particular NOI or PUR. Preserve the recipient and schoolsite references with the notice copy. [^2]

Before archiving the season, trace one completed application through its field map, method selection, permit or NOI information, and PUR. Then locate the related annual-notification file. Record any corrected transcription with the source that explains it. This is an editorial document review; the method, timing, and retention obligations above remain tied to DPR's cited guidance and provisions.

## Review combinations that a generic equipment label conceals

DPR's table distinguishes sprinkler chemigation from micro-irrigation and surface or gravity-flow chemigation. It also distinguishes enclosed-space applications without fumigants from enclosed-space fumigation. These descriptions matter when a register has only a broad irrigation or greenhouse choice. Preserve enough detail in the application note to identify the category that fits the actual work. [^1]

The table describes aircraft as manned or unmanned and says there is no method code for that aircraft entry. It directs field-soil fumigant applications to the field-fumigation method code. Do not fabricate a four-digit code merely because the neighboring rows have one. For a preparation review, write the exact equipment and formulation description beside the relevant table entry, then compare the resulting data with what the submission interface displays. [^1]

## Prepare an exception-focused handover

Use a short discrepancy list when comparing permit, NOI, and completed report. Describe an equipment substitution, a postponed operation, a partial-field treatment, or a change in the proposed work window in concrete terms. Identify the document, the field concerned, the person who supplied the clarification, and the version that reflects the resolution. Preserve correspondence with the application reference rather than burying it in a general seasonal inbox.

Ask a reviewer unfamiliar with the property to explain the schoolsite relationship from the map and the treatment description. Then have them identify the allowed window, locate the method description, and distinguish planned timing from the work actually recorded. If a heading such as ground hides several possible categories, expand the description before transferring the data. This is a suggested consistency check for the cited requirements; it does not replace the specific method and timing conditions.

For a revised NOI, retain an explicit superseded-version label in your correspondence folder. Match the revision to the equipment description and the proposed window so a dispatcher can distinguish the authorized paperwork being used from an earlier draft.

### What must pesticide application records near California schools include?

For agricultural production within one-quarter mile of a schoolsite, DPR identifies method information on the permit application, method and allowable windows on the NOI, and method on the PUR. [^1]

### How do I complete the pesticide application record method field?

Use the formulation or application-method category in DPR ENF 25-16 and carry the corresponding method code into the covered NOI and PUR. [^1]

### Can a pesticide application record use a general school-hours warning?

DPR says it is insufficient merely to state prohibited school-hour times; the covered NOI identifies allowable dates and time ranges. [^1]

### Is a schoolsite annual notice the pesticide application report?

They are separate documents. DPR identifies annual notice timing and two-year retention of the operator copy alongside the individual application-reporting requirements. [^2][^1]

## Sources

- [California DPR — ENF 25-16 schoolsite requirements](https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/cac-letter/new-notification-and-reporting-requirements-for-pesticide-use-near-schoolsites/), read 2026-10-23
- [California DPR — Citable Sections Report (2026)](https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/citsec.pdf), read 2026-10-23
- [California DPR — DPR-PML-017C, revision 09/2026](https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/dpr-pml-017c.pdf), read 2026-10-23