Abstract Coastal wetland habitats may receive pesticide inputs indirectly from agricultural and forest control of weeds and insects in upland drainage areas; indirectly or directly from weed, insect, and biofouling control from development of adjacent lands for agricultural, recreational, or residential uses; and directly from control activities practiced within wetlands for protection of public health or for nuisance abatement. Persistent and bioaccumulative pesticides used at upland sites have threatened coastal wetland biota. For more biodegradable contemporary pesticides, concerns for ecological impact are more a function of the proximity of the site of application relative to the wetland, and time available for degradation and sorption. In addition, the rate and extent of localized mixing, flushing, and stratification within the wetland can greatly affect exposure concentrations and durations for wetland biota. The short-term, direct toxic effects of pesticides on aquatic biota inhabiting coastal wetlands have been characterized in laboratory and field studies; however, assessment of the cumulative and indirect effects of repeated exposures to multiple chemicals at sublethal concentrations is a major research need.