Pesticide Laws and Regulations

The primary federal statutes that give the EPA the authority to regulate pesticides are the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). This page includes a brief overview of the major rules and regulations pertaining to pesticides. New and proposed rules are published in the Federal Register and are then codified into the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). For more information, see the resources below or contact NPIC for assistance.

• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA): Gives the EPA authority to regulate the sale, use and distribution of pesticides.
• Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA): Gives the EPA authority to set limits on the amount of pesticide residues allowed on food or animal feed. These limits are called tolerances.
• Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA): This act amended FIFRA and FFDCA by increasing the safety standards for new pesticides used on foods. FQPA also required older pesticides and previously established tolerances to be periodically re-assessed using the new, tougher standards.
• Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA): Establishes the fees and time-lines associated with pesticide registration actions.
• Endangered Species Act (ESA): Requires the EPA to assess the risk of pesticides to threatened or endangered species and their habitats.

Additional Resources:

• Pesticide Related Regulatory Guidance - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Pesticide Laws and Regulations - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) - Cornell University
• Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) - Cornell University
• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40 - Pesticide Programs - Government Printing Office (GPO)
• The United States Code Collection - Cornell University
• The United States Code Database - Government Printing Office (GPO)
• The Federal Register Database - Government Printing Office (GPO)
• Introduction to the Clean Water Act - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Endangered Species Fact Sheets - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 800-858-7378 (8:00am - 12:00pm PST), or email at npic@ace.orst.edu.