What Quebec law requires your exterminator to hand you
This is the question we get most often before a job, and it is a fair one. Is the product dangerous, how long do we stay out, how do we know what was applied in our home.
The answer does not depend on a company's goodwill. It is written into the Pesticides Management Code, at section 48.4. Anyone carrying out pesticide application work described under permit subcategory C5 or D5 inside a building used as a dwelling must, after every application, notify all affected occupants of the building.
Note the key word: after. The notice is not handed over beforehand. It comes once the application is done, because that is when the date and time ending the restriction period are known.
What the notice must contain, word for word
The section leaves no room for interpretation. At the top, the heading PESTICIDE TREATMENT, then the warning DO NOT COME INTO CONTACT BEFORE, followed in legible characters by the date and time the restriction period ends.
Then, each one filled in.
- The treated location.
- The pesticide's registration number.
- The pesticide's trade name.
- The permit holder, and the permit number.
- A telephone number.
- The Quebec Poison Control Centre number.
- What to do if someone has been affected: move them to a well-ventilated area, have them lie on their side, contact the Poison Control Centre, and bring the notice to hospital if their condition appears serious.
A treatment that comes with its paperwork
Compliant notice after the application, protocol explained beforehand, written guarantee. From $99.
The two cases where no notice is required
Section 48.4 sets out two exceptions, and knowing them avoids suspecting a company that is in fact following the rule.
The first covers pesticide applied by aerosol treatment or by fumigation in accordance with sections 43 and 46, which fall under separate requirements.
The second covers pesticide used in solid form in traps, stations or containers that prevent any contact with a person or non-target animal. That is the case for sealed bait stations used against rodents. There is no notice because there is no treated surface you could come into contact with.
Put plainly, a rodent job done entirely with sealed stations does not trigger the same notice as a bed bug treatment applied to surfaces.
How to read the notice you receive
- The date and time after DO NOT COME INTO CONTACT BEFORE. That is the only delay that concerns you, and it is specific to the product applied in your home. No general rule replaces it.
- The treated location. It tells you which surfaces the delay applies to, and which it does not.
- The registration number. It identifies the exact product.
Keep the notice. If you ever need to call the Poison Control Centre, it holds the information they will ask for.
What registration means, and what it does not
The registration number on the notice identifies a product assessed by Health Canada before it could be sold. That number, and only that number, tells you exactly what was applied in your home.
What registration does not mean is that a product has no effect. It means the product was judged acceptable under the conditions of use printed on its label, and those conditions include the delay before re-entering the treated surface. That is why the delay appears on the notice, specific to each job, rather than in a general rule.
On the company side, commercial pesticide use in Montreal requires an annual permit, as set out in the City of Montreal procedure, which explicitly covers exterminators.
You do not have to take a company's word for it. The City publishes, as open data, the list of commercial applicators holding an annual permit. Asking for a permit number before signing is not rude, and it is an entry the notice will have to carry anyway.
When to call, and what you can insist on
This article is not legal advice. It reports what a public regulation says, and it does not replace a lawyer's view on a specific situation.
That said, three situations justify calling a company rather than carrying on alone. A retail product has changed nothing after two applications. The infestation reaches more than one unit, which calls for coordinated work. Or you want the paper trail, because a dispute between a landlord and a tenant is settled on dated documents.
Our pest control services cover the common pests of Greater Montreal, and the notice required by section 48.4 is provided whenever the treatment calls for it.
In a multi-unit building, every affected occupant gets one
The text refers to affected occupants of the building, not only the treated unit. Where a treatment touches common areas or several units, each affected occupant must receive the notice.
That matters to a building owner, because the responsibility to have the work done rests with them. We covered that split in our article on who pays the exterminator in Quebec, and the logic of coordinating neighbouring units on our apartment building page.
A question about an upcoming treatment
We walk you through the product, the delay and the preparation before booking a date.
Common questions
How long do I have to stay out of my home after a treatment?
There is no single delay. The Pesticides Management Code requires the notice given after application to state the date and time the restriction period ends, specific to the product used. That is the delay that applies to you.
My exterminator gave me nothing. Is that normal?
It depends on the treatment. Section 48.4 does not apply to aerosol treatment or fumigation covered by sections 43 and 46, nor to solid pesticide placed in traps, stations or containers preventing any contact. Outside those cases, the notice is required after an application inside a building used as a dwelling.
Is the notice given before or after the treatment?
After. The requirement is to notify affected occupants after every pesticide application.
Does this apply to mouse bait stations?
No, where the pesticide is used in solid form in traps, stations or containers preventing any contact with a person or non-target animal. That is one of the two exceptions in the section.