Do landscapers need a license in Pennsylvania?

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Is there a Pennsylvania landscaping license?

No single one. The Department of Labor and Industry says the state has no licensure or certification requirements for most construction contractors, and landscaping is not among the exceptions it lists. Instead, several separate rules attach to particular kinds of landscaping work. Which ones apply depends on what the company will do at your house: build, spray, sell plants, dig or move earth.

Does a landscaper have to register as a home improvement contractor?

It depends on the work, and here the Attorney General's guidance is unusually direct. Asked whether landscapers must register under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, the office answers that landscapers whose work is limited to services performed under the Plant Pest Act do not need to register. Landscapers who do other work at private homes must register. The examples the office gives include placing retaining walls, fountains or drainage systems, and building or installing patios, driveways, non-decorative fences, lighting systems and concrete walkways.

What the guidance does not do is define the Plant Pest Act services. It does not mention mowing, lawn treatments, leaf clean-ups, mulching or grading by name. So in practice:

• Hardscape and drainage work (a patio, a wall, a French drain, lighting, a walkway) is named. A company doing it must register, unless it does less than $5,000 of home improvement work a year.
• Plant-only work may fall outside registration. The guidance does not say exactly where the line is.

Registration is checked by number, shown as PA followed by digits on ads, contracts and estimates, on the Attorney General's contractor search or on 1-888-520-6680. It requires insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury and $50,000 for property damage. The office states plainly that registration is not an endorsement of a contractor's competency or skill.

What does a company need to spray or treat your lawn?

State pesticide licences, at two levels. The Department of Agriculture says a commercial applicator license is needed to use pesticides on the property of another. The applicator must pass a core exam and at least one category exam and must work for a company that holds a pesticide business license. A trained employee can instead be registered as a technician under a certified applicator.

The business license requires at least one certified applicator and proof of insurance, and carries a yearly fee. The department links to a public search of licensed businesses by category and county.

For landscape work, two categories matter. Penn State Extension lists category 07 as lawn and turf and category 06 as ornamentals and shade trees, and gives the example that an applicator controlling grubs in your lawn must hold category 7. Penn State also says the business license number, "BU" followed by 4 or 5 numbers, must be displayed on both sides of every vehicle used for pesticide work.

Does fertilizing need a license?

Plain fertilizer does not. The Department of Agriculture says a lawn care provider is not required to have a license or registration to use fertilizer. The provider must still follow the label and the nutrient and site restrictions of the state's fertilizer law, which since 2022 applies to homeowners and professionals alike.

There is one important exception. The department says that anyone applying fertilizers that contain pesticides, such as weed and feed or pre-emergent crabgrass products, must have a pesticide license. A lawn program that includes those products is pesticide work.

Does a landscaper who sells plants need a certificate?

The Department of Agriculture says nursery dealers, the people who buy and sell nursery stock without mainly growing it, include landscape contractors. By applying for certification, a dealer verifies that it will buy and sell only plants that have been inspected and certified. The fee is $40 a year, and the department's PaPlants site has a public search of plant merchants.

Who has to call 811 before digging?

The one doing the digging. Pennsylvania One Call says that under PA Act 287, as amended, a homeowner digging with powered equipment must notify the utilities, and that an excavator hired by the homeowner must make its own call: the excavator will not be protected by a notification the homeowner places for it. The call must come at least three business days before work starts. Ask the company for its eleven digit One Call serial number before work begins, which is the proof that it called.

When does a landscaping job need a permit?

Building permits are municipal. Under the state's residential code regulation, a permit is not required for retaining walls that are not over 4 feet high, measured from the lowest grade to the top, unless the wall supports a surcharge. The same list exempts fences no more than 6 feet high and sidewalks and driveways 30 inches or less above grade, provided the work does not break another law or ordinance. Patios are not named. Ask your township or borough before a patio, a taller wall or any work near a property line.

When does moving soil need an erosion plan?

Under the state's erosion rules, every earth disturbance must use erosion and sediment controls, even a job under 5,000 square feet. A written erosion and sediment control plan is required once the disturbance reaches 5,000 square feet, and it must be prepared by someone trained in erosion control. At 1 acre or more, a construction stormwater permit is needed before work starts. County conservation districts review plans for the state, and many municipalities add their own requirements.

Is there a spotted lanternfly permit?

Yes, for businesses. Penn State Extension says businesses working in the spotted lanternfly quarantine zone must have Department of Agriculture permits to move vehicles, equipment and goods within and out of the zone. A manager takes a free course, and the business receives a permit tag for each vehicle. Penn State puts the test simply: a business that hauls any products into or within the quarantine zone needs a permit.

What changes in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia issues its own permits. A retaining wall at least 2 feet high needs a city permit, and the work must be done by a licensed Philadelphia contractor, or, at an existing one- or two-family home, by the resident owner or a registered home improvement contractor with a city Commercial Activity License. The Philadelphia guide covers the city's rules in full.

Before you hire, how to choose a landscaper turns these rules into checks. Local businesses are on the landscapers directory page.

Sources

1. Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
2. Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
3. Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
4. Contractor Licensing, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
5. Choosing a Qualified Pest Management or Lawn Care Company, Penn State Extension
6. Pesticide Applicators, Registered Technicians, and Certification Exams, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
7. Pesticide Application Businesses, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
8. Fertilizer FAQs, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
9. Plant Merchant Certification, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
10. FAQs Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System
11. 34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
12. 25 Pa. Code § 102.4. Erosion and sediment control requirements., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
13. 25 Pa. Code § 102.5. Permit requirements., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
14. Does Your Business Need a Spotted Lanternfly Permit?, Penn State Extension
15. Get a Retaining Wall Permit, City of Philadelphia