How to Start a Landscaping Business: Licenses by State

Last updated: August 24, 2026

Landscaping rarely needs a state license of its own, but commercial pesticide application is licensed in every state, and some states license landscape contractors, irrigation or tree work separately. Each guide below covers what that state actually requires — the applicator license, any contractor license, registration, insurance and costs — with the agency behind each item.

Pick your state

How to Start a Landscaping Business — guides for all 50 states and D.C.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

What every state guide covers

• Whether the state requires a general business license — and what your city or county requires instead (see the 51-state table).
• Entity registration with the Secretary of State, and the filing fee.
• The landscaping business’s own licenses and permits — which agency issues them, in what order, and what they cost.
• Insurance the state actually mandates, separated from what is merely advisable.
• Sources — every fee and rule is linked to the agency page or statute it came from.

Related

• Landscaping business insurance requirements by state — what each state mandates before you open.
• Business license requirements by state — which states require a general license and what the rest require instead.
• Workers’ comp requirements by state — the employee threshold that triggers coverage in each state.