Cities in Minnesota may enact ordinances requiring MDA licensed commercial and noncommercial applicators to post a warning sign on the turf areas treated with pesticides (including herbicides). The city is responsible to enforce such an ordinance. The Minnesota Pesticide Control Law states the following as requirements for the signs.
The law states warning signs must:
Project at least 18 inches above the top of the grass line;- Must be made of a material that is rain-resistant for at least a 48-hour period; and
- Must remain in place up to 48 hours from the time of initial application.
- The law further states that information must be printed on the warning sign in contrasting colors and in capitalized letters at least one-half inch. The following information must also be printed on the signs:
- name of the business organization or person applying the pesticide,
- “this area chemically treated. Keep children and pets off until _____________ (date of safe entry)”, or a universally accepted symbol and text approved by the Commissioner that is recognized as having the same meaning or intent as specified in this paragraph. The warning sign may include the name of the pesticide used.
- The warning sign must be posted on a lawn or yard between two feet and five feet from the sidewalk or street. For parks, golf courses, athletic fields, playgrounds, or other similar recreational property, the warning signs must be posted immediately adjacent to areas within the property where pesticides have been applied and at or near the entrances to the property.
