Earlier this month, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) rolled out updates to the California Pesticide Electronic Submission Tracking (CalPEST) system. This second and final implementation of the CalPEST system includes enhancements that expand access to pesticide registration information.

DPR must register any pesticide before it can be sold or used in California to evaluate impact on human health or the environment. The department launched CalPEST in September 2024 to improve its registration process by increasing internal efficiency and providing a centralized location for real-time status updates. The system has been well adopted since its debut; last month, 83 percent of all submissions were received directly through CalPEST.

New CalPEST features and functionality include:

Special Local Need (SLN) registrations and Section 18 Emergency Exemption requests can be submitted electronically, streamlining key regulatory processes for applicants.

Expanded search capabilities improve public access to CalPEST information, including the ability to search for pesticide products, scientific studies, active ingredients, and special regulatory actions.

Access to product information reports is now available through the new search function. The reports will provide direct access to currently accepted product labels.

“With this second phase of CalPEST, DPR is delivering on its promise to make pesticide registration more accessible, efficient and transparent,” said Director Karen Morrison. “These enhancements are part of a broader effort to modernize how we serve the public and support innovation in pest management.”

Streamlining the state’s registration process was identified as a priority action in the Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap. The CalPEST system is designed to reduce the time associated with the processing of registration actions, improve transparency into DPR’s evaluation and registration process, and facilitate approval of safer alternatives needed to transition California to more-sustainable pest management.

DPR continues to reduce pesticide registration backlogs. In April, the department released the annual timeline notice detailing average processing times for scientific review and notice of decisions on new and amended pesticide product applications.

Through the registration process, pesticide products are reviewed by scientific evaluation stations throughout the department including ecotoxicology, chemistry, microbiology, etc. Several of these evaluation stations have historically had large backlogs. With efficiencies in its processes, DPR reported up to 40 percent reduction in backlogs over 2023 and backlogs in evaluation stations continue to decline. For example, the microbiology station now has 22 products in queue, down from more than 140 in January 2025.

Progress is possible in part to budget investments in 2023 and 2024, which provided a total of 37 new positions to support DPR’s registration program over the course of four years. DPR is prioritizing hiring for these positions to continue improving the registration process and meeting statutory obligations.

For more information about CalPEST, visit DPR’s website.