Landscaping is probably the most accessible trade business to start. You don't need a master license. You don't need years of apprenticeship. You need a mower, a truck, and the willingness to show up in the heat.
That accessibility is also the challenge. The barrier to entry is low, which means you're competing with every teenager with a push mower and every guy who got laid off and bought a trailer. The businesses that survive and grow are the ones that treat it like a real company from day one.
Here's what that looks like.
Licensing and permits
Most states don't require a specific license for basic lawn care and landscaping. But "most" isn't "all," and there are several related requirements that catch people off guard:
- Business license. Almost every city and county requires a general business license. $50 to $300/year.
- Pesticide applicator license. If you're spraying anything (weed killer, insecticides, fertilizers with herbicides), you need a state pesticide applicator license. This requires passing an exam. Don't skip this. The fines for unlicensed pesticide application are steep, sometimes $5,000+ per incident.
- Irrigation/sprinkler license. Some states (Texas, for example) require a separate license for irrigation work.
- Home improvement contractor registration. A handful of states require this for hardscape work (patios, retaining walls, etc.).
Check with your state's department of agriculture (for pesticide licensing) and your local city/county clerk for business license requirements. Budget $200 to $600 total for initial licensing.
Business formation
Form an LLC. Even though landscaping has lower liability exposure than electrical or plumbing work, accidents happen. A rock thrown by a mower can break a car window. A tree branch can fall on a fence. An LLC keeps that liability separate from your personal finances.
LLC filing: $50 to $500 depending on state. EIN: free. Business bank account: free. Total: under $600 in most states.
Insurance
- General liability ($1M/$2M). Covers property damage and injuries. $600 to $1,500/year for a solo operator doing lawn care. Higher if you do tree work.
- Commercial auto. $1,200 to $2,500/year. Covers your truck while towing a trailer full of equipment.
- Workers' comp. Required once you have employees. $1,500 to $4,000/year per employee for landscaping. Landscaping has a moderate-to-high workers' comp rate because of the machinery involved.
- Inland marine/equipment floater. Covers your mowers, blowers, and trimmers if they're stolen or damaged. $300 to $800/year. Worth it. A zero-turn mower walking off your trailer at a gas station is not a fun surprise.
Solo operator insurance budget: $2,100 to $4,800/year. Much lower than the licensed trades, which is one of the advantages of landscaping.
Equipment
You can start a lawn care business with surprisingly little. You can also spend $50,000 before you mow your first lawn. Here are two realistic tiers:
Minimal start (lawn maintenance only):
| Item | Cost range |
|---|---|
| Used truck with trailer hitch | $8,000 - $20,000 |
| Open landscape trailer (5x10 or 6x12) | $1,500 - $3,500 |
| Commercial walk-behind mower (36" or 48") | $2,500 - $5,000 |
| String trimmer, edger, blower (commercial grade) | $800 - $1,500 |
| Hand tools (rakes, shovels, etc.) | $200 - $500 |
Minimal total: $13,000 to $30,000.
Full landscape operation: Add a zero-turn mower ($7,000 to $12,000), a skid steer or mini excavator access (rent until volume justifies buying), and hardscape tools. This pushes your startup to $35,000 to $70,000.
My honest advice: start with the minimal setup. Mow lawns. Build cash. Buy better equipment with revenue, not with debt. The guys who finance a $60,000 equipment package before they have 10 customers are the ones who wash out in year one.
Pricing
Lawn care pricing in 2026 varies by market, but here are realistic ranges for solo operators:
- Weekly lawn mowing: $35 to $75 per visit for residential (varies by lot size)
- Mulch installation: $65 to $90 per cubic yard installed
- Spring/fall cleanup: $150 to $400 per property
- Landscape design and installation: $50 to $85/hour plus materials with markup
The biggest pricing mistake in landscaping is charging per lawn instead of per hour. Some lawns take 20 minutes, others take 90. If you're charging the same flat rate, you're getting killed on the big ones.
Use our landscaping pricing calculator to build accurate quotes based on your actual costs. And check the contractor rate data to see what landscapers earn in your area.
For bigger projects, the landscaping bid template will help you put together professional proposals that win work without leaving money on the table.
Getting customers
Landscaping has an advantage over most trades: your work is visible. Every lawn you mow is a billboard.
- Door hangers. Print 500 door hangers and hit neighborhoods where you already have one customer. "We service your neighbor's lawn" is a surprisingly effective line.
- Google Business Profile. Set it up, add before/after photos weekly, collect reviews aggressively.
- Nextdoor. Landscaping recommendations get requested on Nextdoor more than almost any other service. Be active there.
- Route density. Price slightly better for customers in neighborhoods where you already work. The drive time savings are worth the discount. Three lawns on one street is more profitable than three lawns across town.
- Commercial accounts. HOAs, churches, office parks, and apartment complexes provide steady weekly income. The per-visit rate is often lower, but the volume and consistency make up for it.
Seasonality and cash flow
Unless you're in Florida or Southern California, landscaping is seasonal. This is the thing that trips up more landscaping businesses than pricing or competition.
In most US markets, you have 7 to 9 months of mowing season. You need to either save enough during the season to cover winter months, or find winter revenue: snow removal, holiday lighting installation, or indoor landscape maintenance for commercial clients.
Snow removal is the most common winter pivot. If you already have a truck and trailer, adding a plow attachment ($3,000 to $6,000) and a salt spreader ($500 to $2,000) lets you generate revenue through winter without a completely separate business.
Year one reality check
A solo lawn care operator who mows 5 to 8 lawns per day, 5 days a week, at an average of $50 per lawn, grosses $1,250 to $2,000/week during the season. Over 30 weeks, that's $37,500 to $60,000 gross. After expenses (fuel, equipment maintenance, insurance, trailer), take-home is $25,000 to $45,000.
Not life-changing money in year one. But by year two, with better route density, higher prices, and maybe one helper, most landscaping operators are clearing $50,000 to $80,000. And the guys who stick with it and build a crew are doing $200,000+ in gross revenue by year three.
The key is treating it like a business from day one. Track every dollar. Price based on your numbers, not what the kid down the street charges. And reinvest in better equipment that lets you do more work per hour.
Free tools for landscaping businesses
Pricing calculators, bid templates, and rate data for your market.
Get free tools