HARRISBURG, Pa. — In an effort to help Pennsylvania businesses more easily navigate the permitting process, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) will offer 31 in-person Spotted Lanternfly permit classes throughout the 14-county quarantine zone. The classes will be held from August 15 through December 18, 2019.
“The risk of spreading the Spotted Lanternfly increases in late summer through late fall as the insects reach adulthood, then begin to lay eggs,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “The time a business traveler takes to inspect vehicles to safeguard against transporting insects is a small investment to protect our economy and our quality of life.”
Businesses that operate within the quarantined counties — and those that cross through in transit — are required to have a permit demonstrating that they know how to recognize the destructive pest and keep from spreading it to new areas.
Training classes are free and a permit is issued to those who successfully complete the two-hour class. To register, contact PDA at 717-787-5674 or slfpermit@pa.gov. Permit training can also be accessed online at any time through Penn State Extension at http://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-permit-trainingOpens In A New Window.
Since implementing the permit system, PDA has issued over 900,000 permits to more than 17,000 companies throughout the United States that do business in the 14-county quarantine zone. Quarantined counties include: Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill.
A schedule of permit classes can be found on the PA Department of Agriculture website. For more information on the Spotted Lanternfly, visit www.agriculture.pa.gov/SpottedLanternfly
–PA Department of Agriculture