Preemption can greatly affect your business, yet not everyone knows what it is. And since it’s different in every community, it isn’t on all contractors’ radars the way it should be.

What if you had different rules in each town or county about whether or not you could use pesticides on lawns and trees? What if some municipalities limited the times of year you could use fertilizer (each location with slightly different dates) and some had no restrictions? How much harder would it be to train your employees to comply with the rules? How would you explain to customers if their yards looked worse than peoples’ yards a few miles down the road?

This scenario can happen when a state doesn’t have a pesticide or nutrient preemption law. If a state has a preemption law, it means that every locale within that state must follow the same rules for lawn and landscape treatments. In states without a preemption law, each town or county may vote to pass their own rules and regulations.

NALP supports state preemption laws. We want the rules and regulations surrounding products to be based on the best science and want them to be uniform across the state. Without preemption laws, communities like Takoma Park, Md., can decide to ban pesticides. If your state doesn’t have preemption laws, it’s especially important to advocate for professional lawn and landscape care and to take notice if there are any proposals to discuss bans. Contact NALP and your state association to see how we can work together to educate the public about how the community benefits from well-maintained parks and playgrounds.