How to start a landscaping business in the US

You need a clear service list, a business structure, registrations, insurance and any licenses your state asks for. Here's the checklist, in a sensible order:

1. 1Decide what you'll sell: weekly lawn care, seasonal cleanups, landscape installation such as patios, planting and irrigation, or a mix.
2. 2Pick a business structure: sole proprietorship or LLC.
3. 3Get an EIN, register a DBA if you trade under a business name, and get your city or county business license.
4. 4Check whether your state requires a contractor license for installation work, and at what job size.
5. 5Get your state's pesticide applicator certification before you apply weed or insect control for customers.
6. 6Buy general liability insurance, plus commercial auto for your truck and cover for your mowers and tools.
7. 7Set prices that carry you through the slow months.
8. 8Find your first customers and answer every call.

Lawn care is recurring maintenance and landscaping is project work, and they're different businesses to run:

Many people start with a mowing route for steady cash flow, then add landscaping projects once they have customers who trust them. Snow removal is a common winter add-on in colder states.

It depends on your state and the work. There's no national landscaping license, but the SBA says licenses and permits vary based on your business activities, location, and government rules, and that you may also need licenses from your county or city. Two things often need more: installation work above a set value in some states, and applying pesticides.

California shows how a state contractor rule works. Its Contractors State License Board has a C-27 Landscaping Contractor classification for anyone who constructs, maintains, repairs, installs, or subcontracts the development of landscape systems. Since 1 January 2025, unlicensed work in California is limited to jobs of up to $1,000 that don't need a permit, done without hiring anyone to help. A bid over $1,000, work that needs a permit or hiring a helper means you need a license.

Other states draw the line in different places, and some don't license landscapers at all. Check your state's contractor licensing board and your city before you quote a patio, a retaining wall or an irrigation system.

Usually, yes, if you apply them for customers. The BLS says most states require licensing for workers who apply pesticides, and that getting a license usually involves passing a test on the safe use and disposal of insect, weed and fungus chemicals.

The federal rule covers restricted use pesticides: the EPA says these may be bought and applied only by a certified applicator or someone working under his or her direct supervision. State pesticide agencies issue the certifications, and the EPA adds that many of them require certification to use all pesticides commercially, whether or not they're restricted. The federal minimum age for certified applicators is 18.

Rules on fertilizer vary too. The BLS says licensing for workers who handle fertilizers varies by state, so ask your state pesticide regulatory agency what applies to the products you plan to use. If you'd rather not spray at all, partner with a licensed lawn treatment company and refer that work.

Most people starting out as a landscaper begin as a sole proprietor, because it's the simplest structure there is. The SBA says you're automatically considered a sole proprietorship if you do business without registering as any other kind of business. The catch: your business assets and liabilities aren't separate from your personal ones, so you can be held personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business.

A limited liability company (LLC) is formed with your state. The SBA says LLCs protect you from personal liability in most instances, so your vehicle, house and savings aren't at risk if the LLC faces bankruptcy or a lawsuit. It calls an LLC a good choice for medium- or higher-risk businesses and owners with significant personal assets. Filing fees and annual reports are set by each state, so check your secretary of state's website for the current cost.

Plenty of trades start as sole proprietors and move to an LLC once they hire, buy equipment or take on bigger jobs. Talk to an accountant or attorney in your state before you switch, because the tax treatment can change.

Registering a new business in the US usually takes four steps: a business name, a tax ID, state registration if you form an entity, and any state and local licenses your trade needs. The SBA says a doing business as (DBA) name might be legally required if you trade under a name other than your own, and that requirements and fees for licenses and permits vary based on your business activities, location, and government rules.

1. 1Get an EIN. The IRS says you can get an EIN directly from the IRS in minutes for free, and warns against websites that charge for one. A sole proprietor without employees can use a Social Security number, but an EIN keeps that number off your invoices and paperwork.
2. 2Register a DBA with your county or state if you'll trade under a business name rather than your own name.
3. 3Get any state license your trade needs, and a business license or permit from your city or county.
4. 4Open a separate business bank account and keep every receipt, invoice and mileage note from day one.

Then plan for federal tax. The IRS says you must pay self-employment tax if your net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more, at a rate of 15.3% (12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare). Nobody withholds tax from your pay, so the IRS expects sole proprietors to make estimated tax payments if they expect to owe $1,000 or more when they file. Set aside part of every payment so the quarterly bill isn't a shock. Most states have their own income tax and sales tax rules on top.

Plan for the seasons too. A lawn care business can earn most of its year in a few months, so set aside part of each summer payment for the quarterly estimated tax bills that come due in the slower months.

General liability comes first, and Insureon puts it at $63 a month, or $761 a year, for landscaping businesses, based on the median premium its landscaping customers pay. The main covers are:

• General liability insurance: covers you if a rock from the mower cracks a window or a customer trips over your hose. Most customers expect it, and commercial clients and property managers will ask to see a certificate.
• Commercial auto insurance: Insureon says most states require this cover for vehicles owned by a landscaping business. Its median is $299 a month, or $3,590 a year.
• Tools and equipment insurance: mowers and trimmers are easy to steal from a trailer. Insureon's median for landscapers is $53 a month, or $637 a year.
• Workers' compensation insurance: the SBA says laws requiring insurance vary by state, and businesses with employees need workers' comp. Insureon's median for landscapers is $150 a month, or $1,802 a year.

These are medians from one broker's customers, not a quote. Your price depends on your state, payroll, equipment and whether you spray chemicals or do tree work, so get quotes with your own details.

A mowing route can start with a truck you already own, a trailer and a few machines, while a landscaping business needs heavier kit. These are published figures, checked on 9 November 2026:

Sources: Insureon landscaping insurance costs, IRS EIN page and the SBA's guide to licenses and permits.

Example only: a sole proprietor with no employees buying general liability, commercial auto and equipment cover at the medians above would spend $4,988 a year on insurance, before the truck, mowers and license fees. Using a vehicle you already own and a personal auto policy is not the same thing: check with your insurer that business use is covered before you start.

Work out a rate from a full year of costs and the days you can actually work, including rain days and the off-season, then check it against the market. Lawn care income is seasonal, so a rate that looks good in June can leave you short in January.

Our guide on how to price landscaping jobs covers hourly and per-visit rates, pricing a patio or planting job and maintenance contracts.

Landscaping is local, and one sharp-looking yard on a street often leads to the neighbors. To get started:

1. 1Set up a free Google Business Profile with photos of real yards. Google says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results, and if customers don't visit you, set it up as a service-area business rather than showing a home address.
2. 2Ask every customer for a Google review once the job's done. Google suggests you ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code.
3. 3Put door hangers on the houses around each job. The neighbors have already seen your work.
4. 4Sell weekly and biweekly service. A full route fills the calendar in advance and pays every week.
5. 5Talk to property managers, HOAs and real estate agents. Rentals, common areas and homes for sale need tidy yards.

Thumbtack, Angi, Yelp and Nextdoor can bring in early jobs, but judge them by the cost of each job you win. And answer quickly: a homeowner who can't get through will usually try the next landscaper on the list. Our guide on why customers call the next contractor explains why speed matters.

When you work alone, almost every call comes in while you're on a job, driving or with a customer. In a September 2025 CallRail survey, 82% of US consumers said they'd call a competitor if a business didn't answer, and only 42% said they'd leave a voicemail. A new landscaper doesn't have a name yet, so a missed first call is often a customer you never hear from again.

You have a few options:

• Voicemail. It's free, but most callers won't leave a message and will call the next number on the list.
• Calling back between jobs. It works when you're quiet, and falls apart in a busy week.
• A family member or a part-time receptionist. Reliable, but it costs wages and only covers set hours.
• An answering service or an AI receptionist that answers in your business name and sends you the details.

Put your own numbers into our missed call calculator to see what missed calls could cost each week. If you'd like a receptionist that takes the call for you, see how Ringzel works as an AI receptionist for landscapers. If you'd rather text back the calls you miss, our guide to missed call text back covers how it works and where it falls short.

Growing a landscaping business usually means more recurring contracts, bigger installation projects or a second crew. Commercial contracts with HOAs, property managers and businesses can keep crews busy year-round, and maintenance customers often hand you their landscaping projects. The BLS counts 1,299,200 grounds maintenance jobs in 2025, with median pay of $40,080 a year, which gives you a starting point for what crew members expect to earn in your area.

Taking on your first employee changes your legal duties. Before the first payday:

1. 1Get the right forms. The IRS says every new employee fills in a Form W-4 so you can withhold federal income tax, and that all U.S. employers must properly complete Form I-9 for every individual they hire to verify identity and the right to work.
2. 2Use your EIN for payroll, withhold income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and file the employer returns that come with it. Many small firms use a payroll service from the first hire.
3. 3Get workers' compensation insurance. The SBA lists workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance among the cover businesses with employees must carry, and says laws requiring insurance vary by state, so check your state's rules before the first day.
4. 4Pay at least the minimum wage. The Department of Labor says the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, and that where state laws give employees more protection, employers must comply with both. Many states set a higher rate.

Ringzel is an AI receptionist for landscapers and other small businesses. You keep your number and forward the calls you can't take. It answers every call 24/7 in your business name and asks your questions, such as the address, the size of the yard and what they want done, then sends you the details so you can call back the jobs worth having. Our guide on why every call gets checked explains what happens after each call.

On the Professional and Premium plans it can book jobs into your calendar and transfer calls to you or your team. The Android app is live on Google Play, and the iPhone app is coming soon.

Plans cost $99, $179 or $299 a month, or $990, $1,790 or $2,990 a year, as shown on our pricing page. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, with no card to start.