Do You Need an Arborist License in Oregon?

Last updated: August 24, 2026

Oregon does have an arborist license — but it sits inside the Landscape Contractors Board, not an arborist board, and it is one of the only licenses in the country where ISA certification is a prerequisite rather than an alternative. The arborist phase was created for certified arborists and has been available since 1 January 2021. The other thing to get straight before you choose a board: a CCB license alone does not let you plant trees. Only the LCB license covers the full range of tree work.

What Oregon Actually Requires

• An LCB license for the full range of tree work. All tree work may be performed with a Landscape Contractors Board license — planting, trimming, removal, guying of limbs and stump grinding.
• Or a CCB license for the narrower set. A Construction Contractors Board license covers tree removal, stump grinding and limb guying — but a CCB license alone does not allow contractors to plant trees.
• ★ ISA certification — required for the arborist phase of license. Not an alternative to the exam, a precondition of applying.
• The laws, rules and business practice section of the exam, which you must pass.
• Subcontracting is allowed under the arborist phase.
• Scope covered: tree planting, preparing the property for planting of trees, grading and drainage for trees only, and tree removal, trimming, pruning, stump grinding and guying.
• A tree, for this license, means a woody plant usually having a dominant trunk or trunks and a mature height greater than 15 feet, generally with few or no branches on its lower part, crowned with a head of branches and foliage — or, as in palms, of foliage only.
• A pesticide applicator license from the Oregon Department of Agriculture if you will apply pesticides.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
ISA certification	Varies	A prerequisite for the arborist phase — budget it as a licensing cost in Oregon, not a nice-to-have
LCB license application and exam	See LCB schedule	Confirm current amounts with the Landscape Contractors Board before applying
Additional phases of licensure	Per phase	Irrigation, hardscapes and the rest each need their own exam and phase
ODA pesticide applicator license	See ODA schedule	Separate from the LCB license
Oregon LLC	$100	Articles of organization, per the Secretary of State business registry fee schedule

Coming From Another State, or Already ISA Certified

Can you transfer an out-of-state arborist license to Oregon?

The Landscape Contractors Board publishes no reciprocity agreement — but Oregon’s arborist phase is built around ISA certification, which changes the calculation for anyone arriving already certified.

Since January 1, 2021 the LCB has offered an arborist license phase created specifically for certified arborists. Its terms:

• ISA certification is required — not an alternative to the exam, a condition of the phase.
• You must pass the laws, rules, and business practice section of the exam. That section, not a full trade examination.
• Subcontracting is allowed under this phase.
• It may be added to other phases — an irrigation plus arborist modified license, for example.
• Existing LCB planting-only phased licensees who hold an ISA certification could convert to the arborist license.

Read what that means if you are moving in. Oregon will not recognize another state’s arborist license as such. But because the credential it does insist on — ISA certification — is national and portable, an arborist arriving with a current ISA card faces the laws and business exam rather than a technical one. In practice that is a friendlier landing than most states offer, even without a reciprocity agreement on paper.

The scope, and the license you actually need

The arborist phase covers tree planting, preparing the property for planting of trees, grading and drainage for trees only, and tree removal, trimming, pruning, stump grinding and guying.

Do not bring a CCB assumption with you. Oregon splits contractor regulation between two boards and the LCB is emphatic about which one governs tree work:

• All tree work may be performed with an LCB license — planting, trimming, removal, guying of limbs and stump grinding.
• A business licensed with the Construction Contractors Board (CCB) may not plant trees. You need the LCB license for that.
• You do not need both a CCB and an LCB license to do tree work — the LCB license alone covers all of it.

Remember too that Oregon requires two credentials to operate: the individual landscape construction professional license and the landscape contracting business license. Arriving with an ISA certification addresses the individual side of that pair; the business registration is separate work.

Before you plan a move around any of this, ask the board directly — 503-967-6291 or lcb.info@oregon.gov. One thing not to be misled by: Oregon does publish reciprocity for some individual licenses through the Building Codes Division, but those agreements cover electrical and plumbing criteria and have nothing to do with landscape or arborist licensing.

ISA Certification Is Not Optional Here — It Is the Door

Across the rest of this trade, ISA Certified Arborist is a voluntary professional credential. California says so explicitly — it confers no legal standing at all. Maine and Rhode Island treat it as a way to skip their exams. Oregon does something different again: it makes ISA certification a requirement for the arborist phase of license. You cannot buy your way past it, test around it, or substitute experience for it. If you want this license, you get certified first.

The phase was created for certified arborists and became available on 1 January 2021. Beyond the certification you must pass the laws, rules and business practice section of the exam — the trade knowledge is assumed to be evidenced by the ISA credential, so what Oregon tests is whether you know how to run a compliant business. Subcontracting is allowed under this phase, which matters more than it sounds: it means you can legitimately take work and place parts of it with other licensed operators.

The board you choose determines whether you can plant. This is the single most consequential fork in Oregon tree work. All tree work may be performed with an LCB license — planting, trimming, removal, guying of limbs, stump grinding. A CCB license gets you removal, stump grinding and limb guying, and stops there: a CCB license alone does not allow contractors to plant trees. Plenty of Oregon tree services sit under the CCB because removal is the bulk of the revenue, and that is a legitimate choice — but the day a client asks you to replace the tree you just took out, the CCB-only operator has to turn down the follow-on work or subcontract it.

Oregon also wrote its own definition of a tree, and the number in it is 15 feet. For the purposes of the arborist license, a tree is a woody plant usually having a dominant trunk, or trunks, and a mature height greater than 15 feet (4.5 meters), and which generally has few or no branches on its lower part, and is crowned with a head of branches and foliage or, as in palms, of foliage only. Note that the test is mature height, not the height of the specimen in front of you — a young tree still counts. What falls outside is what you would expect: lawns, shrubs, vines and nursery stock other than trees as defined.

The not-allowed list is worth reading before you quote a landscaping job. The arborist phase does not cover ornamental water features, irrigation installation, backflow installation, low voltage lighting, or hardscapes — retaining walls, fences, decks, arbors, walkways, patios, driveways and landscape edging. Any of that requires passing additional exams and obtaining additional phases of licensure. The arborist phase may be added to other phases, such as irrigation plus arborist, with the exception of the modified license. So the license is designed to be stacked — but each block is bought separately.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Get ISA certified first. In Oregon this is a licensing prerequisite, so it comes before everything else, not after.
2. Decide LCB or CCB on one question: will you ever plant trees? If yes, it has to be LCB.
3. Study and pass the laws, rules and business practice section of the LCB exam.
4. Apply for the arborist phase with the Landscape Contractors Board.
5. Add further phases if your work needs them — irrigation, hardscapes and the rest each carry their own exam.
6. Take an ODA pesticide applicator license if you will spray, inject or treat.
7. Register the business entity so the license, the bond and the bank account sit behind one company.

Staying Licensed

Because the Oregon arborist phase is built on ISA certification, keeping the license means keeping that certification current — the credential underneath it is not a one-off. The Landscape Contractors Board sets renewal terms and fees for the license itself, so confirm those directly rather than assuming an annual cycle. If you plan to widen the work you take on, remember that the additional scope comes from additional phases of licensure, each with its own exam, and that the arborist phase can be added to other phases except the modified license. If you apply pesticides, the ODA applicator license renews on its own schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Oregon have an arborist license?

Yes, in a specific form. The Landscape Contractors Board created an arborist phase of license for certified arborists, available from January 1, 2021. It requires ISA certification, requires passing the laws, rules and business practice section of the exam, and allows subcontracting. It is a phase of the LCB license rather than a standalone arborist board credential.

Do I need an LCB or a CCB license for tree work in Oregon?

All tree work may be performed with an LCB license, including planting, trimming, removal, guying of limbs and stump grinding. A CCB license covers tree removal, stump grinding and limb guying — but a CCB license alone does not allow contractors to plant trees. If planting is part of your business, you need the LCB license.

What counts as a tree under the Oregon arborist license?

The license uses its own definition: a tree is a woody plant usually having a dominant trunk, or trunks, and a mature height greater than 15 feet, which generally has few or no branches on its lower part, and is crowned with a head of branches and foliage — or, as in palms, of foliage only. Shrubs, vines and nursery stock fall outside it.

What can’t I do with an Oregon arborist license?

The arborist phase does not cover planting lawns, shrubs, vines or nursery stock other than trees as defined, ornamental water features, irrigation installation, backflow installation, low voltage lighting, or hardscapes such as retaining walls, fences, decks, arbors, walkways, patios, driveways and landscape edging. Those require passing additional exams and obtaining additional phases of licensure.

Tree work sits alongside our full guide to starting a landscaping business in Oregon, and the wider guide to starting a business in Oregon.

Can you transfer an out-of-state arborist license to Oregon?

The Landscape Contractors Board publishes no arborist reciprocity agreement, so another state’s license is not recognized as such. Oregon’s arborist license phase, available since 1 January 2021, instead requires ISA certification and asks you to pass only the laws, rules and business practice section of the exam. Because ISA certification is national, an arborist arriving already certified faces the laws and business exam rather than a technical one.

Do you need a CCB or an LCB license for tree work in Oregon?

An LCB license. All tree work, including planting, trimming, removal, guying of limbs and stump grinding, may be performed with a Landscape Contractors Board license, and you do not need both a CCB and an LCB license. A business licensed only with the Construction Contractors Board may not plant trees.

Sources

Source	What It Covers
Oregon LCB — Arborist License Phase flyer	The 1 January 2021 start, the ISA certification prerequisite, the laws-rules-business-practice exam, subcontracting, the scope and not-allowed lists, and the 15-foot mature height definition of a tree
Oregon LCB — Tree Work FAQ	That all tree work may be performed with an LCB license, and that a CCB license alone does not allow planting trees
Oregon Secretary of State — business registry fee schedule	The $100 articles of organization filing fee
Oregon Landscape Contractors Board — Arborist License Phase	The ISA certification requirement, the laws-rules-and-business-practice exam section, subcontracting, scope of work and conversion from a planting-only phase
Oregon Landscape Contractors Board — Tree Work FAQ	That all tree work may be performed under an LCB license, and that a CCB license does not permit tree planting