Chlorpyrifos (O, O-diethyl O-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl phosphorothioate, CPF) is one of the most widely used pesticides in agriculture, with broad-spectrum, high efficiency, and moderate toxicity. Unfortunately, only less than 1% of CPF applied can be directly utilized by plants, and up to 99% were released into the environment. Continuous and excessive use of CPF has already led to widespread environmental contamination. Recently, great concern has been raised regarding its residue problems and the risk to the ecological environment. In this paper, the fate and environmental behavior of CPF in soils were reviewed. Adsorption/desorption and degradation were two critically important courses on this issue. CPF adsorption/desorption in soils may be fitted by Freundlich model or linear model. The parameters of CPF adsorption in soils are greatly related to soil properties. Soil organic matter contents are the key parameter controlling CPF’s adsorption, as well as CPF’s desorption. However, adsorption process is also affected by other soil characteristics, such as pH and temperature. It is therefore generally assumed that the sorption mechanisms of CPF in soils should be dominated by the binding between CPF and the hydrophobic site on the surface of soil particles. The degradation of CPF in the natural environment is mainly controlled by biotic processes. Bacteria and fungi are the main microorganisms that can degrade CPF by co-metabolism or mineralization into 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol and dicethylthiophospshate. The degradation of the intermediate degradation product 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol is the limiting factor for the CPF degradation process. Indigenous microorganism is effective for the degradation of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol, leading a good remediation of CPF contaminated site. The use of indigenous or genetically modified microorganisms and/or plants has enhanced the degradation for in- situ bioremediation of contaminated sites. In conclusion, it is necessary to establish an adsorption/desorption model to describe the complex relation between CPF and other factors in soils. Furthermore, a novel gene technology can be further studied to enhance the degradation of CPF by microorganism and/or plants in soils.