Research
Which states license landscapers, and for what
A 50-state table of landscape contractor licenses, irrigator credentials, pesticide applicator programs and arborist licenses, with the board behind each.
Written by HyreYard Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking
The finding
10 of 50 states issue a named landscape contractor license or landscaping classification: California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.
Washington registers landscapers without an exam, 5 states use home-improvement registration, and 33 have no dedicated license. Irrigation is licensed separately in 7 states, including Texas. Pesticide applicators are certified in all 50 under EPA 40 CFR 171. Ask which credential covers which part of the job.
When we checked, and what we will not claim
Published September 5, 2026. Last verified September 5, 2026. Next review December 5, 2026, or sooner if a board renames a class (Arizona already did), a dollar floor moves or EPA amends Part 171. Licensing rules change: open the register before you rely on a row.
Unable to verify is not unlicensed. Georgia’s irrigator credential is marked unverified because we could not confirm it on the Department of Agriculture’s published list. That is a finding about data access, not about Georgia companies.
A company count is not a license count. HyreYard’s research files hold 10,711 companies in seven states and none in Georgia. Texas is 2,999 of them, on a self-reported sales-tax permit, because Texas licenses no landscaper. Any figure from those files is titled to those seven states.
HyreYard does not landscape, irrigate, apply pesticides or issue licenses. This page records whether a credential exists.
Do landscapers need a license?
In 40 of 50 states, not under that name. As of September 5, 2026, 10 states publish a named landscape contractor license or a landscaping classification of a contractor license:
California (C-27 Landscaping Contractor); Hawaii (C-27 Landscaping Contractor); Louisiana (Landscape Horticulturist); Mississippi (Landscape Horticulturist); Nevada (C-10 Landscape Contracting); North Carolina (Landscape Contractor); Oregon (Landscape Construction Professional + Landscape Contracting Business); Tennessee (BC-29 Landscaping (contractor classification)); Utah (S330 Landscape and Recreation Contractor); Virginia (LSC Landscape Service Contracting specialty).
The rest of the map. Washington registers a landscaping specialty with no exam (WAC 296-200A-016(33)). Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania fold yard work into home-improvement registration. Arizona’s CR-21 covers hardscape and irrigation, not planting. 33 states have no dedicated landscape contractor license on the board pages we opened.
HyreYard analysis. “Licensed landscaper” does not travel.
In California it means C-27. In Oregon it means two licenses, one for the person and one for the business, and mowing is unregulated. In North Carolina it means a Chapter 89D license that starts at $30,000 per job site in twelve months. In Texas the license that exists is for irrigators.
HyreYard classification of 50 state rules, retrieved September 5, 2026. Bars count states, not companies.
Does Arizona’s CR-21 license cover landscaping?
No, not planting. Arizona Registrar of Contractors class CR-21 / C-21 / R-21 is now titled Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems, and existing Landscaping and Irrigation licenses were reclassified.
The published scope covers non-loadbearing concrete, pavers, decks up to 29 inches, decorative walls up to 6 feet, retaining walls up to 3 feet, low-voltage lighting, water features and irrigation, including a potable connection and backflow. Planting, turf and trees are not in it.
HyreYard analysis. An earlier version of this page over-claimed on CR-21. A CR-21 holder is licensed for hardscape and irrigation in Arizona, not as a landscaper. The 2,284 Arizona companies in our files rest on this class, so they are a hardscape-and-irrigation list, not a planting list.
Which yard credentials do states issue?
Irrigators. 7 states run a dedicated irrigator credential. They include Texas (TCEQ Licensed Irrigator, Occupations Code Chapter 1903), New Jersey (Board of Landscape Irrigation Contractors, N.J.S.A. 45:5AA-1), Virginia (ISC specialty, licensed at any contract amount) and Illinois (225 ILCS 320/2.5).
7 states put irrigation inside the landscape class: California and Hawaii C-27, Oregon’s Irrigation & Backflow phase, Nevada C-10, Arizona CR-21, North Carolina 89D and Utah S330.
Florida’s Certified Irrigation Specialty Contractor is voluntary: Fla. Stat. § 489.113(6)(a) says a board-rule specialty “does not create a mandatory licensing requirement.” Georgia’s irrigator credential is unverified on the list we retrieved.
Pesticide applicators. EPA 40 CFR Part 171 sets the federal certification standard. Category (c), ornamental and turf pest control, is the one that touches yards. Every state implements a commercial applicator program under it, so this is the one yard credential that means the same thing in all 50 states.
HyreYard analysis. The split matters on a bid. Mowing needs no landscape license in 33 states, and Oregon exempts it outright. Sprinkler work needs a credential in 14 states. Spraying turf needs applicator certification everywhere. Ask which card covers which line.
The 17 states with a landscape credential
| State and board | Landscape credential | When it applies | Irrigator | Applicator agency | Arborist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Arizona Registrar of Contractors · source | No: CR-21 is hardscape and irrigation | $1,000 (any contracting, A.R.S. Title 32 Ch. 10) | Inside CR-21 (irrigation systems, including 120 V or less, potable connection, backflow) | Arizona Dept of Agriculture, Pest Management Division | None found |
| California Contractors State License Board · source | C-27 Landscaping Contractor | $1,000 labor and materials (BPC § 7048 as amended by AB 2622, effective Jan. 1, 2025); a permit or any employee still requires a license below that figure | Inside C-27 (irrigation is in the C-27 exam content outline) | California DPR | C-49 Tree and Palm Contractor (separate CSLB classification); ISA is voluntary |
| Connecticut Dept of Consumer Protection · source | Home Improvement Contractor registration | HIC registration; landscaping sits inside the statutory definition of home improvement (CGS § 20-419) | None found as a dedicated irrigator license | CT DEEP | CT DEEP Commercial Arborist license: required to advertise, solicit or contract for arboriculture |
| Hawaii DCCA Contractors License Board · source | C-27 Landscaping Contractor | $1,500 in labor and material, or any project requiring a building, electrical or plumbing permit | Inside C-27 (drainage and sprinkler systems) | Hawaii Dept of Agriculture | C-27b Tree Trimming and Removal Contractor (separate classification) |
| Louisiana Louisiana Horticulture Commission (LDAF) · source | Landscape Horticulturist | Any person receiving fees for the regulated profession (R.S. 3:3804) | Landscape Irrigation Contractor license (separate Horticulture Commission credential) | LDAF | LDAF Arborist license; Utility Arborist license. Arborist regulation is preempted statewide (R.S. 3:3804(E)). |
| Maryland Maryland Home Improvement Commission · source | Home Improvement Commission contractor | MHIC license for home improvement; landscaping construction can sit inside that statute | None found as a dedicated irrigator license | Maryland Dept of Agriculture | Maryland DNR Licensed Tree Expert: required to practice or advertise tree care for compensation |
| Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation · source | Home Improvement Contractor registration | HIC registration for residential contracting in the published HIC range | None found | Massachusetts Dept of Agricultural Resources | None found as a state license (MCA is voluntary) |
| Mississippi MDAC Bureau of Plant Industry · source | Landscape Horticulturist | Required to advertise, solicit, bid, contract or receive a fee to render landscaping services and setting of plants | Irrigation is exempt from the landscape-horticulturist license; no separate irrigator board found | MDAC Bureau of Plant Industry | Tree Surgery license (separate MDAC professional-services credential) |
| Nevada Nevada State Contractors Board · source | C-10 Landscape Contracting | NRS 624 contractor license; the small-job exemption is tied to $1,000 or a required permit (check NRS 624) | Inside C-10 (construct systems of drainage and landscape irrigation) | Nevada Dept of Agriculture | None found as a separate arborist license |
| New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (HIC); Board of Landscape Irrigation Contractors (irrigation) · source | Home Improvement Contractor registration | HIC for residential improvement of $500 or more (N.J.S.A. 56:8-136 et seq.) | Board of Landscape Irrigation Contractors certificate + business permit (N.J.S.A. 45:5AA-3) | NJDEP | New Jersey Board of Tree Experts: Licensed Tree Expert / Licensed Tree Care Operator; every company performing tree work must have at least one licensed employee |
| North Carolina North Carolina Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board · source | Landscape Contractor | $30,000 of labor, material and other items for a given job site during any consecutive 12-month period (G.S. 89D-12). Local governments may not require licensure below that floor. | Landscape drainage and cisterns sit inside 89D; a separate irrigator board was not found | NCDA&CS | None found as a state arborist license |
| Oregon Oregon Landscape Contractors Board · source | Landscape Construction Professional + Landscape Contracting Business | Required for landscape construction; maintenance is not regulated. Casual work for an existing customer is capped at $500 per job site per year and may not be advertised. | Irrigation & Backflow is an LCB license phase (Laws/Rules, Irrigation, Backflow exams) | Oregon Dept of Agriculture | Tree work is CCB jurisdiction, not LCB. No separate arborist license found. |
| Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General: Home Improvement Contractor Registration · source | Home Improvement Contractor registration | HICPA registration for residential home improvement of $5,000 or more | None found | Pennsylvania Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Tennessee Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors · source | BC-29 Landscaping (contractor classification) | $25,000 as prime contractor (T.C.A. § 62-6-102). Landscaping subcontractors bidding to a licensed contractor, not the owner, are not required to hold the contractor license for this classification. | BC-33 Irrigation classification (same $25,000 prime-contractor floor) | Tennessee Dept of Agriculture | None found as a state arborist license |
| Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Contractors · source | S330 Landscape and Recreation Contractor | Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act (Title 58 Ch. 55) contractor license; specialty S330 | Inside S330 (irrigation is in the published scope) | Utah Dept of Agriculture and Food | None found as a state arborist license |
| Virginia Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · source | LSC Landscape Service Contracting specialty | Class C generally over $1,000 per contract. Landscape irrigation is licensed regardless of contract amount (Va. Code § 54.1-1103(C)). | ISC Landscape Irrigation specialty: licensed regardless of contract amount | Virginia Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services | None found as a state arborist license |
| Washington Washington Dept of Labor & Industries · source | Specialty contractor registration: Landscaping | Registration required to contract; no competency exam for this specialty | Separate L&I specialty: Irrigation sprinkler systems (WAC 296-200A-016(32)). Pumps require plumber certification and/or an electrical license. | Washington State Dept of Agriculture | Tree removal is an L&I specialty (WAC 296-200A-016(57)), registration not an arborist exam |
HyreYard retrieval of published boards and statutes, September 5, 2026. Every state runs a pesticide applicator program under 40 CFR 171; the column names the agency.
Arizona: CR-21 is hardscape and irrigation, not landscaping. Washington: registration, no exam. Tennessee: BC-29 applies from $25,000 as prime contractor.
The 33 states with no dedicated landscape license
| State and board | Irrigator | Pesticide applicator agency | Arborist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama No landscape contractor board found · source | None found | Alabama Dept of Agriculture and Industries | None found |
| Alaska DCBPL Construction Contractors Program: not landscape-specific · source | None found | Alaska DEC | None found |
| Arkansas Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board: not landscape-specific · source | None found | Arkansas State Plant Board | None found |
| Colorado No statewide contractor license for landscaping · source | None found statewide | Colorado Dept of Agriculture | None found (ISA is voluntary) |
| Delaware No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Delaware Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Florida DBPR / Construction Industry Licensing Board: no landscape classification · source | Voluntary Certified Irrigation Specialty Contractor (not mandatory statewide) | FDACS | None found (ISA is voluntary) |
| Georgia No landscape contractor board found · source | Unverified: not confirmed on GDA’s published list | Georgia Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Idaho No dedicated landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Idaho State Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Illinois No landscape contractor board found · source | Irrigation contractor registration (225 ILCS 320/2.5) | Illinois Dept of Agriculture | None found statewide (some municipalities license tree work) |
| Indiana No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Office of Indiana State Chemist | None found |
| Iowa Iowa Division of Labor: contractor registration, not landscape-specific · source | None found | Iowa Dept of Agriculture and Land Stewardship | None found |
| Kansas No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Kansas Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Kentucky No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Kentucky Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Maine No landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Maine Board of Pesticides Control | Maine Arborist license: required to provide independent arboricultural services |
| Michigan No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Michigan Dept of Agriculture and Rural Development | None found |
| Minnesota DLI licenses residential building contractors; landscaping is not a named trade license · source | None found | Minnesota Dept of Agriculture | Tree Care Registry: registration, not a license |
| Missouri No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Missouri Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Montana No landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Montana Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Nebraska Nebraska Dept of Labor: contractor registration, not landscape-specific · source | None found | Nebraska Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| New Hampshire No landscape contractor license found · source | None found | New Hampshire Dept of Agriculture, Markets & Food | None found (NHAA certified arborist is voluntary) |
| New Mexico Construction Industries Division: no landscaping classification confirmed in NMAC 14.6.6.9 · source | None found as a dedicated irrigator license | New Mexico Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| New York No statewide landscape contractor license · source | None found statewide | NYSDEC | None found statewide (NYC and other cities may license tree work) |
| North Dakota Secretary of State contractor license: not landscape-specific · source | None found | North Dakota Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Ohio Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses commercial trades, not landscaping · source | None found | Ohio Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Oklahoma No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Oklahoma Dept of Agriculture, Food and Forestry | None found |
| Rhode Island Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board: registration, not a landscape exam · source | None found | Rhode Island DEM | Rhode Island DEM Arborist license: required for commercial arboriculture |
| South Carolina LLR Contractors' Licensing Board / Residential Builders Commission: no landscape trade license confirmed · source | None found | South Carolina Dept of Pesticide Regulation | None found |
| South Dakota No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | South Dakota Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Texas TDLR does not list landscaping among regulated occupations · source | TCEQ Licensed Irrigator (Occupations Code Ch. 1903; 30 TAC 344) | Texas Dept of Agriculture | None found (ISA is voluntary) |
| Vermont No landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets | None found |
| West Virginia West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · source | None found | West Virginia Dept of Agriculture | None found |
| Wisconsin DSPS dwelling contractor is not a landscape credential · source | None found | Wisconsin DATCP | None found |
| Wyoming No statewide landscape contractor license found · source | None found | Wyoming Dept of Agriculture | None found |
“None found” means we opened the board or code and found no dedicated landscape contractor license. It is not a finding that a city cannot require local registration, or that a named company is unlicensed.
Georgia: irrigator unverified, not absent. Florida: irrigation specialty is voluntary statewide. Texas: the TCEQ irrigator license is mandatory; a landscaper license does not exist.
Seven research states, and what each company count rests on
| State | Companies on file | What the count rests on | Landscape board? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,999 | Largest roster on the weakest evidence. Texas licenses no landscaper; the roster is a sales-tax permit, not a board record. | No |
| Arizona | 2,284 | CR-21 was renamed from Landscaping and Irrigation. It verifies hardscape and irrigation, not landscaping. An earlier pass over-claimed on it. | Yes |
| Washington | 1,730 | Registration, not a competency license. No exam for the landscaping specialty. | Yes |
| California | 1,600 | A real landscape contractor classification. Irrigation sits inside C-27. Tree-and-palm work is a separate C-49. | Yes |
| Oregon | 1,140 | Two licenses: the individual Landscape Construction Professional and the Landscape Contracting Business. Maintenance is not regulated. | Yes |
| Florida | 552 | DBPR publishes no mandatory landscape, hardscape or irrigation license. A voluntary Certified Irrigation Specialty Contractor exists by board rule; Fla. Stat. § 489.113(6)(a) says that does not create a mandatory licensing requirement. | No |
| North Carolina | 406 | A real landscape contractor board. The license is required at $30,000 per job site in any consecutive 12-month period. | Yes |
10,711 companies across 7 states. This is a sample HyreYard built, not a census of the trade. Counts reflect research effort and how public each register is, not industry size.
Texas is 2,999 of 10,711: the largest count on the weakest evidence. Florida’s 552 sit where DBPR has no mandatory landscape license. Arizona’s 2,284 sit on CR-21. Georgia is not listed because the files hold no Georgia companies.
What to check before hiring
Not just “are you licensed.” In Texas the card for sprinklers is a TCEQ irrigator license. In Arizona CR-21 does not cover planting. In Oregon mowing needs no LCB license and tree work sits with a different board.
North Carolina’s license applies from $30,000 per job site in twelve months. Tennessee BC-29 applies from $25,000 as prime contractor. California C-27 applies from $1,000 (BPC § 7048, from Jan. 1, 2025), and a permit or any employee requires a license below that.
Ornamental and turf pest control is category 40 CFR 171.101(c). It is federal, so the credential means the same thing in every state.
A state that issues no landscape license has no landscape register to search. That is a fact about the state, not about the crew.
It permits the work its class covers. It says nothing about soil, drainage, plant choice or whether the wall needed an engineer.
How we built the table
For each of 50 states, the board page, administrative code or statute we opened on September 5, 2026, stored with the URL. Applicator programs are recorded as the state agency implementing 40 CFR 171, not as a scrape of individual certificates.
We looked for a dedicated landscape contractor license or a named landscaping classification. A general contractor license that can cover yard work is not counted. City registration is noted where we saw it and is not a statewide finding.
They come from HyreYard’s own files, not BLS employment, and cover TX, AZ, WA, CA, OR, FL and NC. They are not a national market share.
A class renamed after this retrieval is not in the table. Arizona showed that a name change can be a scope change. Re-check the board.
Questions
Do all states license landscapers?
Does Texas license landscapers?
Does Arizona license landscapers?
Does Florida license landscapers?
What credential means the same thing in every state?
How do I check a landscaper’s license?
Does HyreYard license or landscape?
Written and audited by
HyreYard Research Desk
Primary-source research, data analysis and fact checking
We are a research desk, not a landscaping company. We read the statute, the municipal code, the water-district rule or the federal soil file ourselves, and we publish the figure with the document it came from and the date we retrieved it.
Where a number cannot be traced to a primary source, we publish the shorter page and say what we could not verify. This desk is new.
The counts below are what we can already stand behind, and every one of them is counted from the studies on this site.
- 255
- source documents cited, each linked
- 112
- government (.gov) domains among them
- 258
- citations carrying a retrieval date
- 10
- research studies published
How this desk works
- Primary sources only. A rule comes from the statute, ordinance, board or agency that issued it, cited by section, with the URL and the retrieval date. We do not cite a blog that cites a code.
- Coverage is a number. A table titled to fifty states has fifty sourced rows. A table of cities is titled to the cities we actually read. Gaps are published as gaps.
- Company counts stay inside seven states. Texas, Arizona, Washington, California, Oregon, Florida and North Carolina. Texas is the largest roster on the weakest evidence, a self-reported NAICS sales-tax permit, because Texas licenses no landscaper. National claims rest on federal or state agency data, never on our counts.
- Fact, calculation, analysis and recommendation stay labeled. "According to…" is a source. "HyreYard analyzed… and calculated…" is ours. "This suggests…" is interpretation. We do not present our reading as something the source stated.
- We do not landscape, irrigate, plant, cut trees or pull permits, and we take no payment for placement, ranking or a favorable mention. Nobody buys a position on this site.
Data as of Boards and statutes retrieved September 5, 2026. Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.
Sources & retrieval dates
Know which card covers which part of the job
A license permits a class of work. Comparing what each bid includes is how you tell a complete scope from a thin one. HyreYard does not landscape and does not issue licenses.
This page is general information about licensing rules, retrieved on the dates shown. It is not legal advice, is not a determination about any named company, and is not a substitute for searching the issuing board. HyreYard does not perform landscaping, irrigation, pesticide application or licensing work. Unable to verify is not unlicensed.