§ 106‑65.24.  Definitions.

As used in this Article:

(1) "Animal" means all vertebrate and invertebrate species, including but not limited to man and other mammals, birds, fish, and shellfish.

(1a) "Applicant for a certified applicator's identification card" means any person making application to use restricted use pesticides in any phase of structural pest control.

(2) "Applicant for a license" means any person in charge of any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or any other organization or any combination thereof, making application for a license to engage in structural pest control, control of structural pests or household pests, or fumigation operations, or any person qualified under the terms of this Article.

(3) "Attractants" means substances, under whatever name known, which may be toxic to insects and other pests but are used primarily to induce insects and other pests to eat poisoned baits or to enter traps.

(3a) Repealed by Session Laws 1989, c. 725.

(3b) "Branch Office" means any office under the management of a licensee that is not a home office.

(4) "Certified applicator" means any individual who is certified under G.S. 106‑65.25 as authorized to use or supervise the use of any pesticide which is classified for restricted use.

(5) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of North Carolina.

(6) "Committee" means the Structural Pest Control Committee.

(6a) "Deviation" means failure of the licensee or certified applicator or registered technician card holder to follow any rule adopted by the Committee under provisions of this Article.

(7) "Device" means any instrument or contrivance (other than a firearm) which is intended for trapping, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest or any other form of plant or animal life (other than man and other than bacteria, virus, or other microorganism on or in living man or other living animals); but not including equipment used for the application of pesticides when sold separately therefrom.

(8) Repealed by Session Laws 1975, c. 570, s. 4.

(8a) "Director" means the Director of the Structural Pest Control Division of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

(9) "Employee" means any person employed by a licensee with the exceptions of clerical, janitorial, or office maintenance employees, or those employees performing work completely disassociated with the control of insect pests, rodents or the control of wood‑destroying organisms.

(9a) "Enforcement agency" means the Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

(10) "Fumigants" means any substance which by itself or in combination with any other substance emits or liberates a gas or gases, fumes or vapors and which gas or gases, fumes or vapors when liberated and when used will destroy vermin, rodents, insects, and other pests; but may be lethal, poisonous, noxious, or dangerous to human life.

(11) "Fungi" means wood‑decaying fungi.

(11a) "Home office" means the office identified to the enforcement agency by a licensee as his or her principal place of business.

(12) "Insect" means any of the numerous small invertebrate animals generally having the body more or less obviously segmented, for the most part belonging to the class Insecta, comprising six‑legged, usually winged forms, as for example, beetles, bugs, bees, flies, and to other allied classes of arthropods whose members are wingless and usually have more than six legs, as for example, spiders, mites, ticks, centipedes, and sowbugs.

(13) "Insecticides" means substances, not fumigants, under whatever name known, used for the destruction or control of insects and similar pests.

(14) "Label" means the written, printed, or graphic matter on, or attached to, the pesticide or device or any of its containers or wrappers.

(14a) The term "labeling" means all labels and other written, printed, or graphic matter:

a. Upon the pesticide (or device) or any of its containers or wrappers;

b. Accompanying the pesticide (or device) at any time;

c. To which reference is made on the label or in literature accompanying the pesticide (or device) except when accurate nonmisleading reference is made to current official publications of the United States Department of Agriculture or Interior, the United States Public Health Service, state experiment stations, state agricultural colleges, or other similar federal institutions or official agencies of this State or other states authorized by the law to conduct research in the field of pesticides.

(15) "Licensee" means any person qualified for and holding a license for any phase of structural pest control pursuant to this Article.

(16) "Person" means any individual, partnership, association, corporation, or any organized group of persons whether incorporated or not.

(17) "Pest" means any living organism, including but not limited to, insects, rodents, birds, and fungi, which the Commissioner declares to be a pest.

(18) "Pesticide" means any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.

(19) "Registered pesticide" means a pesticide which has been registered by federal and/or State agency responsible for registering pesticides.

(19a) "Registered technician" means any individual who is required to be registered with the Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division under G.S. 106‑65.31.

(20) "Repellents" means substances, not fumigants, under whatever name known, which may be toxic to insects and related pests, but are generally employed because of capacity for preventing the entrance or attack of pests.

(21) "Restricted use pesticide" means a pesticide which has been designated as such by the federal and/or State agency responsible for registering pesticides.

(22) "Rodenticides" means substances, not fumigants, under whatever name known, whether poisonous or otherwise, used for the destruction or control of rodents.

(23) "Structural pest control" means the control of wood‑destroying organisms or household pests (including, but not limited to, animals such as moths, cockroaches, ants, beetles, flies, mosquitoes, ticks, wasps, bees, fleas, mites, silverfish, millipedes, centipedes, sowbugs, crickets, termites, wood borers, etc.), including the identification of infestations or infections, the making of inspections, the use of pesticides, including insecticides, repellents, attractants, rodenticides, fungicides, and fumigants, as well as all other substances, mechanical devices or structural modifications under whatever name known, for the purpose of preventing, controlling and eradicating insects, vermin, rodents and other pests in household structures, commercial buildings, and other structures (including household structures, commercial buildings and other structures in all stages of construction), and outside areas, as well as all phases of fumigation, including treatment of products by vacuum fumigation, and the fumigation of railroad cars, trucks, ships, and airplanes, or any one or any combination thereof.

(24) "Under the direct supervision of a certified applicator" means, unless otherwise prescribed by its labeling, a pesticide shall be considered to be applied under the direct supervision of a certified applicator if it is applied by a competent person acting under the instructions and control of a certified applicator who is available if and when needed, even though such certified applicator is not physically present at the time and place the pesticide is applied. (1955, c. 1017; 1957, c. 1243, s. 2; 1967, c. 1184, ss. 2, 3; 1973, c. 556, s. 2; 1975, c. 570, ss. 3, 4; 1977, c. 231, ss. 3‑5; 1989, c. 725, s. 1; 1997‑261, ss. 28, 29; 1999‑381, s. 2; 2013‑265, s. 9.)