How to start a lawn care business
A plain checklist: registering, insurance, a mower and trailer, pricing per cut, finding the first lawns and filling the off-season — without the income promises.
Who it suits
Lawn care is one of the easiest trades to start: a mower, a trimmer, a blower and a way to move them. It rewards consistency — the same lawns, every week, on the day you said — and tight routes, because every minute driving is a minute not mowing.
1.Decide what you offer
Start with mowing, edging and blowing. Add leaf cleanups, aeration and hedge trimming as your customers ask.
Fertiliser and weed control usually need a state pesticide licence — see below.
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.
3.A licence before you spray
Most states require a licence to apply pesticides for paying customers, including weed control. Check with your state department of agriculture before you offer it.
4.Insurance
General liability covers a rock through a window or a car. Commercial auto covers the truck and trailer — your personal policy may not.
If you hire, workers’ compensation is required in most states.
5.Mower, tools and a trailer
A mower sized to the lawns you will take, a string trimmer, an edger, a blower, fuel cans and a trailer or truck to carry them. Buy for your first lawns, not your tenth.
6.Price per cut
Most lawn services price each visit by lot size and how often you cut. Quote cleanups and aeration as separate jobs.
Keep your lawns close together. A route that zig-zags across town costs more in drive time than a lower price earns.
7.Find your first lawns
Claim a free Fixerlane listing so homeowners searching for lawn care nearby can find and message you.
Ask each customer whether the neighbours need a cut — every lawn on the same street is a stop that costs nothing to drive to — and ask for a review.
8.Plan the off-season
Mowing stops in fall in most of the country. Decide whether you will add leaf removal, snow removal or another service, or plan the winter as a break.
The trade in numbers
1,299,200 people work as grounds maintenance workers in the US, which includes lawn care; BLS has no separate lawn care occupation. 20% are self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025
117,969 landscaping and lawn care businesses with employees (NAICS 561730); 83,241 of them have fewer than five employees.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023
516,572 landscaping and lawn care businesses have no employees at all — including solo mowing operators.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, 2023
Your first customers, free
List your lawn care business on Fixerlane at no cost. Homeowners searching for lawn care 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 lawn care business?
- Usually only a general business licence for mowing. Applying fertiliser with weed control or other pesticides needs a state licence in most states. Check with your city and state before your first paid job.
- How much does it cost to start a lawn care business?
- We do not publish a figure. It depends mostly on whether you already own a mower and a vehicle that can tow. Price your equipment and insurance locally before you commit.
- Can I start a lawn care business with a push mower?
- Many people do, on small lots close together. Upgrade the mower when the lawns you have — not the lawns you hope for — pay for it.
- How do I get my first lawn care customers?
- A free listing where homeowners already search, the neighbours of every lawn you cut, and a review from each early customer.
- How much do lawn care workers earn?
- We do not promise earnings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes real pay figures for grounds maintenance workers in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.