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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

     

    Liming Material

    In Pennsylvania, companies that make or sell limiting materials need to be licensed. 

    Overview

    Agricultural Liming Material helps make soil less acidic by adding calcium and magnesium. To make or sell agricultural liming material, you need a license for both the manufacturer and the person who guarantees the product. The license costs $25 each year and must be paid before starting to make or sell the product.

    To get a license, fill out form API-222 and follow the instructions. You can apply and pay online with a credit card. You can also find a list of licensed facilities in Pennsylvania online. You don’t need to register each product, but all products must have labels and follow the rules before they can be sold or given out in Pennsylvania. Samples of these products are checked to make sure they follow the rules and match their labels.

    Apply for a license and pay by credit card here. A search of facilities with an active Liming Materials License in Pennsylvania can be found by clicking here.

    Labeling

    • Name and Address: The name and address of the manufacturer or seller.
    • Brand Name: The brand name of the material.
    • Type of Material: The type of liming material, like limestone or lime.
    • Fineness: How fine or coarse the material is.
    • Weight: The weight of the material.
    • Dry Weight Analysis: This must include:
      • Minimum amount of calcium.
      • Minimum calcium carbonate equivalent.
      • Minimum amount of magnesium.
      • Minimum neutralizing value.
      • How much of the material passes through certain sieves.
      • Maximum moisture content.

    Inspection Fee and Tonnage Reports

    • Inspection Fee: You need to pay 3 cents per ton of liming material you sell. This fee is due twice a year, on January 31 and July 31. If you sell less than one ton, you still need to pay a minimum fee of $12.50. If you didn’t sell any liming material, you don’t need to pay the minimum fee.
    • Reporting: You must report how many tons of liming material you sold every six months using form API-204. We send this form to all licensed sellers.
    • Deadline: The report and fee are due by February 15 and August 15. If you’re late, you’ll have to pay a penalty of $10 or 10% of the fee, whichever is more.

    Adulteration and Misbranding

    • You can’t sell or offer agricultural liming material in Pennsylvania unless it follows the rules.
    • You can’t sell liming material that has harmful chemicals that could hurt plants or animals.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Both the manufacturer and the person whose name appears on the label of the agricultural liming material must be licensed.

    No. Pennsylvania does not have product registration for agricultural liming materials.

    Yes. There is specific labeling information required for all agricultural liming materials.  You can contact your nearest regional office or the Harrisburg Office for information or read the instructions for licensing under the Pennsylvania Agricultural Liming Materials Act.

    Each County Cooperative Extension Office sells soil test kits to help you figure out how much liming material you need. The test results and the labels on the liming materials will give you the information needed to decide how much to use. The test also tells you about soil health, and the Extension Offices can give you general advice.