How to start a landscaping business
A plain checklist: what to offer, registering, insurance, equipment, pricing, first customers and the off-season — without the income promises.
Who it suits
Landscaping suits people who like outdoor physical work and can plan a season. Weekly maintenance gives steady income from spring to fall, and installs and cleanups add larger jobs on top — but the winter needs a plan of its own.
1.Choose what you offer
Maintenance (mowing, edging, beds, pruning), installs (planting, sod, mulch, hardscape), cleanups and irrigation are different kinds of work with different kit.
Most start with maintenance and cleanups and add installs as clients ask.
2.Register the business
Pick a structure — sole proprietor or LLC — register the name, get an EIN and open a separate business bank account.
Check your city and county for a general business licence. Some states also license landscape contractors, so check yours before you take on installs.
3.Licences for spraying
Most states require a licence to apply pesticides, including weed and insect control for clients. Check with your state department of agriculture before you spray.
4.Insurance
General liability covers a stone through a window or a damaged sprinkler line. Commercial auto covers the truck and trailer.
If you hire, workers’ compensation is required in most states.
5.Equipment and a trailer
A mower sized to the properties you will take, a trimmer, a blower, hand tools and a trailer. Rent larger machines for installs until the work pays for them.
6.Price your work
Maintenance is usually priced per visit by property size; installs by the material and the hour. Quote cleanups as their own job.
Time your first properties. Drive time between stops is part of the price.
7.Find your first customers
Claim a free Fixerlane listing so homeowners searching for landscaping nearby can find and message you.
Neighbours notice a well-kept yard. Ask every client for a review and whether the house next door needs the same.
8.Plan for the off-season
Decide before fall what pays in winter: snow and ice removal, holiday lighting, equipment repair, or a planned break. Seasonal snow contracts are often signed in fall.
The trade in numbers
1,299,200 people work as grounds maintenance workers in the US — landscapers, groundskeepers, pesticide applicators and tree trimmers. 20% are self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025
117,969 landscaping-services businesses with employees (NAICS 561730, which includes lawn care); 83,241 of them have fewer than five employees.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023
516,572 landscaping-services businesses have no employees at all — sole operators.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, 2023
Your first customers, free
List your landscaping business on Fixerlane at no cost. Homeowners searching for landscaping in your area can find you and send enquiries, and replying is free. When the work picks up, the tools to quote, schedule and invoice are a 7-day free trial away.
Common questions
- Do I need a licence to start a landscaping business?
- Usually a general business licence. Spraying pesticides needs a state licence in most states, and some states license landscape or hardscape contractors. Check with your state before your first paid job.
- How much does it cost to start a landscaping business?
- We do not publish a figure. Equipment, a trailer and insurance vary by what you offer and what you already own. Price each one locally before you commit.
- What do landscapers do in winter?
- Many add snow and ice removal, holiday lighting or equipment repair; others plan a break. Decide before fall so the winter does not decide for you.
- How do I get my first landscaping customers?
- A free listing where homeowners already search, neighbours of the yards you already keep, and a review from every early client.
- How much do landscapers earn?
- We do not promise earnings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes real pay figures for grounds maintenance workers in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.