The information on this page only applies to version 6.03 of the Reporting Software Options and related documentation.  See this page for other versions of the documentation.  The version number of the PRL software you are using can be found on the Help menu under the About item.

Overview

The Option A PRL eForm program is an application designed to assist you in electronically recording Pesticide Reporting Law (PRL) information and reporting it to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Each time you run the program you are asked to enter or verify some basic contact information. You can then view and fill out electronic forms that are similar to the four paper forms used to report pesticide usage and sales.

Option A runs under Microsoft Windows®.

After you download the Option A installation file, see the PRL Software Installation Guide to help you install the software on your computer.

If you need further assistance, contact the Pesticide Reporting Service Bureau.

Getting Started

There are a couple of ways1 to open up the main window:

  • Double-click the "PRL Option A" shortcut on your computer’s desktop.
  • Click on the Windows Start button and navigate to Programs -> Pesticide Reporting -> PRL Option A.  Windows 8 users will have a  "PRL Option A" icon on their Start Screen.

A message box saying something like “Data directory created called 'C:\PRL2011'.” may appear. This is normal. The data directory is the location to which your data files will be written.  The Registration form then opens.

 


 

Registration Form

Entering Contact and Identity Information

Use the Registration form to tell us who to contact when we communicate with you about your report.  You also need to provide identification information so that we can associate your report with the correct applicator(s) or organization.

Are you in the pesticide application or sales business?

Pesticide application businesses should submit

Pesticide applicators should submit

Pesticide sales businesses should submit

Multiple Applicators or Sales Permits

If your organization employs multiple applicators, just choose one of them to enter in this form. 

If your business has more than one business registration number, enter the one for the main business office. You may — but are not required to — submit the other business registration numbers using a Form 26A.  See this FAQ for more information.

If your business has more than one commercial permit number, you may enter one number here and provide separate Form 25s or Form 27s for each commercial permit number. The header areas of both forms have a commercial permit number field, which is editable.  You may also send us separate reports for each commercial permit number.

 

Decide Which Forms to Use

If you have multiple applicators to include on your report, we recommend using Form 26A to submit their information.  The pesticide applications they made should be entered on a single Form 26.  Choose one of the applicators to list in the header area of the Form 26.  If any applicators that you are reporting for made any applications during the report year, you should submit Form 26.

You may enter all your applications in one file even if they were made by multiple applicators; we do not need a separate report for each applicator.

If you are reporting for a pesticide sales business and you sell restricted-use pesticides, use Form 25.  If you sell pesticides to private applicators, we will need a Form 27.  If you have a commercial permit number, you must submit either Form 25, Form 27, or both.

Be sure to include applicators who did not make applications on your report and applicators who left your organization during the report year.   If your organization is a pesticide sales business, you must file a report even if you did not make any sales during the report year.

You can report two different types of sales on Form 25; report either sales to another commercial permit holder who will resell the products or sales to commercial applicators for their end use.  In Options A and B, there are a set of radio buttons in the Form 25 header where you can specify the sales type.  Options D and O have drop-down lists for specifying the sales type.  If you have both types of sales to report, please send us a separate form for each type.  However, you do not need to complete a form for the type of sales you did not make (but you still need to report even if you did not make any sales).

Opening up a Form

When you have decided which form(s) to use, click the corresponding radio button in the Select a Form to Open area.  Do you want to start a new file or add to an existing one? To start a new file, click on the Blank Form button.  For an existing file, click the Existing Form button.  This will open up a dialog in which you can choose the file you want.

 

More Registration Form Functions

There are several buttons and menu items available on the Registration form that can help you prepare and submit your PRL report.

 

Report Forms

The PRL report forms are where you will enter the data that you need to report to the NYSDEC. Each form is used to report a particular type of pesticide-related activity.

 

Identity Fields

The identity fields in the header area of each form are filled with the values you entered on the Registration form.  With the exception of the commercial permit number, these fields are not editable. 

The commercial permit number field is editable so that you can report for multiple commercial permittees in one report submission.  Changes to the commercial permit number field on Form 25 or 27 do not update the field on the Registration form.

Form 26A also includes a business registration number column.  If your pesticide business has more than one business registration number, you may but are not required to include all of your business’s registration numbers on the Form 26A.

Reporting No Activity

On each of the forms you can indicate that there was no reportable activity for the report year.  See Reporting No Applications or Sales for more information.

Data Entry Grid

Below the header area of each form is a data entry grid.  If you have applications or sales to report, enter each pesticide application or sales record in its own row in the grid. Although the forms open with a limited number of rows, additional rows will be added to the grid as needed.

 

On Form 25, 26, and 27 the data entry grid is hidden if you have indicated that you have No Applications (or No Sales) to report.

 

You can use the arrow keys, tab keys, Enter key, or mouse to move from one cell in the grid to another.

If you hover over a cell with your mouse, a tool tip containing a data description for that cell will display. Additional information about the fields on each form is available from the Data Dictionary.

Cells are validated as you move the insertion point to the next cell.  While it is possible to save and submit your files without correcting validation errors, the Pesticide Reporting Service Bureau may reject or return reports because of invalid data.

 

Please Note

Ditto marks or use of the words "ditto", "same", or similar entries are not accepted by the Pesticide Reporting Service Bureau. Instead, you can use the EPA Reg Number List. or copy and paste as a convenient way to enter the same information repeatedly.

Report Form Menus and Controls

The forms have a set of menus and controls designed to assist you in creating your PRL report.

Record Layouts

For each product in each pesticide application, report these fields using Form 26.  All columns are required except for the End Date.

  1. EPA Registration Number

  2. Product Name

  3. Quantity

  4. Units of Measure

  5. Application Date

  6. End Date

  7. County Code

  8. Address

  9. Municipality

  10. Zip Code

 

Record Keeping Columns

     These columns are optional; you may use them to fulfill the record keeping requirements of the PRL.

    11. Dosage Rate

    12. Method of Application

    13. Target Organism(s)

    14. Place of Application

 

For each container size of each restricted use pesticide sold to New York purchasers, report these fields using Form 25.  All columns are required.

  1. EPA Registration Number

  2. Product Name

  3. Container Size Quantity

  4. Container Size Units

  5. Containers Sold