Chemigation Program

The Chemigation Program is responsible for protecting the irrigation water source from contamination by fertilizer or pesticides, as established in the Nebraska Chemigation Act. When fertilizer or pesticides (i.e., fungicide, herbicide or insecticide) are being applied through an irrigation system, the Chemigation Program and Nebraska’s 23 Natural Resource Districts (NRDs) work together to ensure that chemigation applicators and irrigation systems comply with the requirements of the Chemigation Act and Title 195, “Rules and Regulations Pertaining to Chemigation.”

The NRDs are responsible for inspecting and permitting the specific safety equipment that must be installed on the irrigation system. The program has been well received, with a high degree of compliance.

The Department certifies all chemigation applicators. To receive certification, the applicators must complete training and testing, which is provided by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension system. Applicators must be re-certified every four years. Information about chemigation applicator training dates and certified applicators is provided at the bottom of this page.

Chemigation Applicator Certification

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) supplies the Chemigation Applicator Certification forms to University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Cooperative Extension Service (UNL). The forms are sequentially numbered to help UNL and NDEE track and match the application with the test forms. Forms normally are available at any County Extension office and at the scheduled training sessions. UNL conducts the training. UNL then forwards the test results to NDEE.

Certification applicants are required to both attend the training and pass the test.

Applicants must correctly answer at least 35 of the 50 questions on the test. Applicants that fail the test are notified by mail and have the option to retake the test without attending another training session. A chemigation applicator certification card is issued to successful applicants. The certification expires on January 1 of the fourth year following the date of issuance.  The sequence number on the application form is generally used for the certification number for new applicants. Those renewing their certification should indicate their current certification number in the appropriate space on the form so a new number will not be assigned. This helps reduce changes on the permit applications for permit renewals.

Here's a searchable list of Nebraska certified applicators.

Chemigation Applicator Certification Training

2025 Chemigation Training Dates are now available

For the online training and exam, go to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Chemigation Training and Certification webpage.

Chemigation Permitting

The Department of Environment and Energy supplies the form used to apply for a Chemigation permit to the Natural Resource Districts (NRD).

The applicant must complete the form, sign and date the application, and submit it with the appropriate fee to the appropriate NRD.

The NRD will assign a number to each permit application. In the case of permit renewal applications, the number from the previous year normally will be used for a particular site; but the portion of the permit number that indicates the previous year will be changed to reflect the current year.

For both renewal and new permit applications, contact the NRD for your area. Here's a directory and state map outlining all the NRD boundaries.