Pest Control for Addresses in Shelby County, Tennessee

Why the state line changes the licence

Each state licenses pest control under its own rules, so a licence from one state does not carry over to the other. A technician must hold the credential for the state where the work is performed.

For a Mississippi address, the licence is the one issued by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and the Bureau of Plant Industry handles licence questions. For a Tennessee address, the technician must hold Tennessee's own credential, and that is a separate check. A caller should not assume that a company licensed for one side is licensed for the other.

The practical result is that the call line asks for the ZIP before it books a visit. That single question decides which licence the caller needs the technician to hold, and it is the first thing a caller should expect to be asked.

How to ask about the licence

A caller can ask for the licence details by phone, and can check the licence with the state office that issued it. The question is simple, and a reputable technician will answer it without difficulty.

A caller is not expected to know the state's rules in detail. The point is to ask, to write the answer down and to check it if the work is significant.

• Ask which state's licence applies to the address, and the licence number or the name on the licence
• Ask for the category of the licence and whether it covers the pest in question
• Check the licence with the issuing state's agriculture or licensing office
• Ask which technician will attend, and whether that person holds the credential
• Keep the answer with the report so the licence can be checked later

Neighbour pests across the line

Pests do not stop at the state line. A rodent, an ant trail or a termite colony can move from a Tennessee yard into a Mississippi building, or the reverse, and the treatment is the same in method but different in licence.

A caller with a problem that crosses the line should describe where the pest was first seen and where it has moved. The technician will treat the building where the pest is found and will say which licence applies to each side. Where the source is on the other side, the caller is told so, and given the option of a separate visit.

The line is a property boundary, not a barrier to the pest. The plan is written for the pest and for the buildings, and the paperwork is written for each state.

Which towns sit on which side

Whitehaven, Memphis North, Memphis South, Memphis Central, Memphis East, Memphis Southeast, Germantown, Cordova, Bartlett, Collierville and Millington are in Shelby County, Tennessee. Southaven, Horn Lake, Olive Branch, Walls, Nesbit, Lake Cormorant and Hernando are in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

Byhalia is in Marshall County, Mississippi, and Coldwater is in Tate County, Mississippi. Both are on the Mississippi side of the line, and a call from either is answered under Mississippi rules. The ZIP is still the first question, because it is the quickest way to confirm the address.