How to start a landscaping business, step by step
The short answer
To start a landscaping business: 1) choose mowing and maintenance, planting and installs, or hardscaping, 2) pick a structure and get a free EIN from the IRS, 3) check your state and city for licenses, including any needed to apply weed or pest products, 4) insure your crew and equipment, 5) price each yard from your own time, 6) buy equipment for the work you have, and 7) fill one neighborhood before the next.
Most landscaping businesses start with one mower and a few neighbors’ yards. Growing past that depends on tight routes, honest pricing and knowing which work needs a license.
Updated November 5, 2026. We make CoveDesk, a phone answering service that also looks after Google profiles for small businesses. Federal facts here come from the agency pages linked below. This isn’t legal or tax advice: check your state and city. How we check our facts
Step 1: Choose your services
| Service | What it takes | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Mowing and lawn care | A mower, trimmer, blower and a route | The growing season, weekly or every other week |
| Cleanups and mulch | A trailer, rakes and a blower | Spring and fall |
| Planting and garden beds | Plant knowledge, a truck for materials | Spring into early summer |
| Hardscaping: patios, walls, paths | Heavier equipment, more skill, more risk | Dry months |
| Snow removal | A plow or snow blowers, nights on call | Winter, where it snows |
Mowing is the cheapest to start and the easiest to repeat. Hardscaping pays more per job but needs experience and machines. Where it snows, plowing keeps money coming in over winter: see the snow removal contract.
Step 2: Set up the business
- Decide on a structure with an accountant. Per the SBA (opens in a new tab), a sole proprietor can be personally liable for business debts, and an LLC shields personal assets in most instances. You can convert later, though the SBA notes there may be restrictions and tax effects.
- Register a trade name if you won’t work under your own. The SBA says a DBA may need registering with your state, county or city.
- Apply for a free EIN at irs.gov (opens in a new tab). It’s issued online straight away if you’re approved.
- Set aside money for tax. The IRS puts self-employment tax at 15.3% once net earnings reach $400, often paid quarterly. A tax professional can help you plan.
Step 3: Check licenses, especially for chemicals
Spraying weed killer or insect treatments for customers is where landscapers most often run into licensing. EPA says (opens in a new tab) federal law requires certification for restricted use pesticides, and that many state pesticide agencies require certification for any commercial pesticide use. Ask your state’s pesticide agency before you treat a customer’s lawn.
Ask your state, too, whether landscape, tree or irrigation work needs a contractor license there, and get your city or county business license. The SBA points out (opens in a new tab) that local governments set their own rules.
Step 4: Insure the crew and the equipment
A mower throws a stone through a window. A helper gets cut by a trimmer line. The SBA describes (opens in a new tab) general liability as covering property damage and bodily injury claims, and says businesses with employees need workers’ compensation, unemployment and disability insurance. Your state runs most of these and sets the details. Ask your agent how your mowers and trailer are covered on the road and at a job.
Step 5: Price each yard
Time a few real yards, then let the lawn care pricing calculator add the drive, fuel, overhead and profit. Its example is one person at $20 an hour mowing, trimming and blowing 10,000 square feet an hour, with a 10 minute drive, 25% overhead and 20% profit:
| Lawn | Time on site | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 sq ft | 0.5 hr | $32 |
| 8,000 sq ft | 0.8 hr | $42 |
| Quarter acre (10,890 sq ft) | 1.1 hr | $53 |
| Half acre (21,780 sq ft) | 2.2 hr | $93 |
Set a minimum per stop, since a small yard still costs a drive. Quote installs on the landscaping estimate template, work out materials with the mulch calculator, and bill with the landscaping invoice.
Step 6: Buy equipment for the work you have
- A commercial-grade push mower to start, and a riding or stand-on mower once routes fill
- String trimmer, edger and blower
- A trailer with a ramp, and a way to lock everything on it
- Hand tools, safety glasses and hearing protection
- A truck that can tow the trailer
Buy for the routes you have, not the ones you hope for. Rent the big machines for installs until the work is steady. The SBA’s advice on startup costs (opens in a new tab) is to list one-time and monthly costs separately, and to count at least a year of the monthly ones.
Step 7: Win clients one neighborhood at a time
- Fill one area first. Short drives between yards leave more of the day for paid work.
- Hang door hangers on the streets around yards you already cut, while the stripes are fresh.
- [Add your business to Google](/compare/how-to-add-your-business-to-google) with photos of crisp edges and finished beds.
- Sign customers up for the season with a lawn care contract.
- Later, try Local Services Ads. Google lists both Landscaping services and Lawn care services.
Lawn care pricing calculator
What to charge per mow, from lawn size, speed and drive time.
Landscaping estimate template
Estimate plants, materials, labor and haul-away for a yard.
Lawn care contract template
A season’s mowing and cleanups in writing, ready to sign.
Landscaping invoice template
Bill mowing visits, cleanups, plants and materials.
Next: be easy to reach
Customers call while the mower’s running, and a missed call in April can be a lost season. A business phone number that someone answers, plus a Google profile, comes next for most new businesses. CoveDesk sells both, phone answering and Google profile management, on their own or together. A business email and a simple website can follow.
Common questions
Is it hard to start a landscaping business?
How much money do I need to start a landscaping company?
Is $100 an hour too much for landscape work?
Do I need a license to do landscaping?
Is owning a landscaping business profitable?
How do I get landscaping clients?
Sources
What this page says about other companies comes from their own websites, read on November 5, 2026:
- SBA: choose a business structure: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/choose-business-structure (opens in a new tab)
- SBA: register your business: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/register-your-business (opens in a new tab)
- SBA: licenses and permits: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/apply-licenses-permits (opens in a new tab)
- SBA: business insurance: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/get-business-insurance (opens in a new tab)
- SBA: startup costs: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/calculate-your-startup-costs (opens in a new tab)
- IRS: get an EIN: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number (opens in a new tab)
- IRS: self-employment tax: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes (opens in a new tab)
- EPA: certification of pesticide applicators: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/certification-standards-pesticide-applicators (opens in a new tab)
- Local Services Ads categories: https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
Prices and terms change, so check each company’s website before you buy. Company names are the trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify their services; none of them is affiliated with or endorses CoveDesk. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
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