About East Tennessee Pest & Wildlife Guide

East Tennessee Pest & Wildlife Guide is an independent local guide that helps homeowners in Knoxville, Tennessee and the surrounding East Tennessee region connect with licensed pest control and nuisance wildlife removal providers. We are not a pest control or wildlife removal company ourselves, and we don't send technicians to your home. We're a referral service that connects you to independent, locally operating providers.

Pest control licensing

Tennessee requires a state license to apply pesticides for hire or offer structural pest control services, administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Regulatory Services Division (advised by a governor-appointed Pest Control Board). Structural pest control falls under certification category C07 (General Pest and Rodent Control), one of 15 licensing categories; applicants need TDA-approved training or two verified years working under a licensed applicator, then must pass a core exam plus the category exam. Businesses need a pest control charter, and new General Pest and Rodent Control companies must carry a $50,000 surety bond for their first three years (dropping to $10,000 in year four) plus liability insurance of at least $250,000 per incident / $500,000 aggregate. No additional Knoxville- or Knox County-specific pest control license beyond the state one and a standard local business license has been confirmed.

Source: Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture, Rules Ch. 0080-09-02 and 0080-09-04 (publications.tnsosfiles.com), 2021/2016; Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture, "Pesticides" (tn.gov/agriculture), 2026

Wildlife removal licensing: a different system

Nuisance wildlife removal (bats, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, snakes) is not covered by the same license as household pest control. It's regulated separately:

Nuisance wildlife removal in Tennessee is regulated separately from pest control: not by the Dept. of Agriculture, but by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) under Rule Chapter 1660-01-21, "Nuisance Animal Damage Control." Operators need what's commonly called an Animal Damage Control (ADC) permit, and may only trap or remove nuisance wildlife with the property owner's written permission and only on that specific property. Permits run on an annual cycle renewing July 1, and operators must keep records of each job (client, method, species, and disposition of the animal) and report them to TWRA by June 30 each year.

Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Rules Ch. 1660-01-21 and 1660-01-16 (publications.tnsosfiles.com / law.cornell.edu), 2026; TN.gov, "TWRA Wildlife Damage Control" (tn.gov/twra), 2026

How we're different from a pest control or wildlife removal company

We don't perform pest control or wildlife removal work, employ technicians, or guarantee any provider's work. Full details are in the disclaimer at the bottom of every page on this site.