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Every launch company row comes from the normalized Virginia export. We preserve the source record, raw category, observation date, and uncertainty instead of turning missing facts into marketing claims.
Source hierarchy
Official licensing registries are the preferred source for business identity, license numbers, registry categories, and source dates. The launch records come from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) licensed pesticide businesses report. Company websites or other providers may supply separately labeled contact or category evidence later; they do not overwrite registry facts.
The national licensing hub links back to the agency so readers can check the primary source. Our directory is not the official registry and does not replace a current agency lookup.
Normalization and validation
The source build preserves raw records and separates businesses, locations, licenses, contacts, and category assertions. Slugs are not based on a name alone. The web build then checks required fields, unique identifiers and slugs, valid dates and URLs, state and city references, allowed status values, category crosswalk values, and evidence levels. Invalid data stops the build rather than silently disappearing from a table.
A registry address describes the location in the source. It may be a street address or PO box, and it does not prove a storefront or service area. Exact-city pages include records whose normalized registry city matches that city; they are not labeled as every company serving the city.
Category evidence and unknowns
Raw source categories remain visible next to normalized labels. A general pest category does not prove bed-bug treatment, wildlife removal, or another specialty. Public-health and lawn categories are not silently converted into mosquito or general household services. Bed-bug service remains unknown without separate evidence.
Where a specific pest page shows a count, it counts only records with that explicit evidence. Zero matching records means the attribution is absent from our data, not that no local company offers the service.
Status, expiration, and freshness
Raw registry status, snapshot presence, expiration-derived labels, and current status are different concepts. The Virginia launch export contains raw ACTIVE values from a stored snapshot, but current_active_status_asserted is false. We display the observation date and refresh warning and do not convert the raw value into a “currently licensed” badge.
Pages use real content dates. Company rows use the source observation date for “last checked.” A build does not make a record freshly verified.
Prices, ratings, reviews, and profiles
We publish no numerical price average without an attributable source and clear scope. Cost guides therefore focus on factors and estimate checklists at launch. We do not import ratings or reviews, and we do not create aggregate rating markup.
Standalone company profiles require a useful, confirmed set of fields and a reason for a dedicated page. Other records remain in directory tables. The historical Alliance record is a special legacy-URL exception with its own provenance and independence disclosure.
Geo-category publication gate
A city-and-pest page requires at least five relevant records with adequate contact and provenance coverage, plus distinct useful local copy. Roanoke’s termite/WDO page meets that gate in the launch export. Equivalent bed-bug and wildlife pages do not, so those topics remain sections rather than thin URLs.
Corrections and updates
Corrections need a page URL, the disputed field, and authoritative evidence. We retain uncertainty when sources conflict and do not infer closure from a missing row. Updates follow the source’s availability and a freshness review; stale records must be refreshed before anyone claims current active status. Use the contact page to send an editorial correction.
Page updated 2026-10-17.