Memorize the two clocks: federal RUP records — within 14 days, keep 2 years. State commercial records — commonly every application, keep 3 years (Ohio does). When rules differ, keep the longer one.
The required fields (union of federal + typical state)
- Date and time of application
- Applicator name and license/cert number
- Product brand name and EPA registration number
- Rate per acre and total amount applied
- Crop/site and target pest
- Location (enough to relocate the field) and acres treated
- For outdoor work: wind speed/direction and temperature
- For aerial: aircraft identification
Our free record log formats all of it and prints clean.
Who can demand your records
The state agency (routine audit or complaint investigation), federal officials for RUP records, your customer (commercial operators typically must furnish a copy), and — practically — your insurer and any attorney after a drift claim. The record you wrote in the field at 9:40 a.m. beats anyone's memory in a deposition.
A system that survives July
- One record per job, completed before leaving the field — wind changes by the time you're home.
- Phone photo of the record + the product label lot number.
- Weekly: file to a cloud folder by farm/customer.
- Attach the as-applied map export — see as-applied reporting.
Federal RUP rule via USDA/EPA; state variations via your agency (directory). FAA-side logs: FAA recordkeeping.
Want it flown for you?
FactorDrones holds a commercial FAA Part 107 unmanned aircraft license; our pesticide applicator license (and FAA Part 137) are in progress. Reserve a price now and we’ll fly when fully cleared — or keep learning.