Questions to ask a landscaper or lawn care company before you hire

Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Which questions matter for every job?

Start with four that any landscaper should answer without hesitation.

  1. What exactly will you do, and what will it cost? Ask for it in writing. The Federal Trade Commission says an estimate should describe the work, the materials, the completion date and the price.
  2. Who will be on my property? The owner, a crew, or a subcontractor? Ask which of them holds any license or certification the company mentions.
  3. What happens if it goes wrong? Ask how a dead plant, a settling patio or a lawn that does not take is handled, and get the answer into the contract.
  4. How do I cancel? Penn State Extension advises asking how a written or verbal agreement can be canceled. For home improvement work, the Attorney General says you can cancel within three business days of signing, by any means, as long as the contractor actually receives your notice.

The rest depends on the work.

What should you ask a lawn care company?

Penn State Extension publishes a list of questions to ask before any pesticide treatment, and they apply to a weed or grub program as much as to an exterminator:

  • What is the pest or weed, and can you show me the pest or the damage?
  • Are there options besides pesticides, such as integrated pest management?
  • Do we need to use pesticides? If so, which ones and why?
  • Are there special precautions for children and pets?
  • How soon can we use the treated area?
  • Will more treatments be needed, and how often?
  • What results can we expect?

Ask for the labels too. Penn State says the company must provide pesticide labels on request, and that you should beware of a representative whose answers contradict the label.

For fertilizer, the Department of Agriculture adds its own questions: does the company test the soil to decide what your lawn needs, what else does it consider, and does it comply with the Pennsylvania Fertilizer Law? One follow-up matters for licensing. The department says weed and feed and pre-emergent products contain pesticides, and a company applying them must hold a pesticide license. So ask: does my program include any product with a pesticide in it, and who will apply it?

What should you ask about plants?

  • What exactly are you planting? Species, size and number, in writing.
  • Are any of them on the state's noxious weed list? The Department of Agriculture's list includes Japanese barberry, burning bush, Callery pear, several privets and Amur honeysuckle, which it says cannot be sold, transported, planted or otherwise propagated in Pennsylvania, apart from approved varieties.
  • Where do the plants come from? A landscaper that resells nursery stock is a nursery dealer in the department's terms, and certification commits it to deal only in inspected, certified plants.
  • Who waters them, and for how long? Penn State says new sod may need water daily until it roots, which can take up to 4 weeks, and that lack of water is the most common reason sod fails. Agree who is responsible.

What should you ask a patio, wall or drainage contractor?

  • What is your home improvement registration number? The Attorney General says landscapers placing retaining walls or drainage systems, or building patios and walkways, must register, and the number, PA followed by digits, must appear on estimates and contracts.
  • How much is the deposit? For jobs over $5,000, the Attorney General says a down payment of about one-third of the price, or one-third plus special-order materials, is generally appropriate.
  • What goes under it and behind it? Ask about the base under a patio, and the drainage and reinforcement behind a wall. Two quotes that differ on these are not for the same job.
  • Who gets the permit? Under the state's code regulation, a retaining wall over 4 feet, or any wall that supports a surcharge, needs one, and local rules may add more. The FTC lists a contractor asking you to get the required permits among the signs of a scam.
  • How are changes handled? The Attorney General says the contract price cannot increase without a written change order signed by both of you.

What should you ask before anyone digs?

  • What is your PA One Call serial number? Pennsylvania One Call says to ask a hired contractor for this eleven digit number before work begins, as proof that it contacted 811. The contractor must make its own call; one you make for it does not protect it.
  • What about lines the utilities will not mark? One Call says privately owned lines may go unmarked, and lists among them sprinkler systems or drainage pipes, invisible fences, septic systems, and power or gas lines to a pool or grill. Tell the contractor where yours are.
  • Will this job disturb 5,000 square feet or more? If so, the state's erosion rules require a written erosion and sediment control plan, prepared by someone trained in erosion control. Ask who will prepare it and whether your municipality wants it reviewed.

Anything else?

Ask whether the company holds a spotted lanternfly permit. Penn State says businesses working in the quarantine zone need one to move vehicles, equipment and goods, and the permit comes with a tag for each vehicle.

Then compare the answers. How to choose a landscaper explains how to check what you are told, and what happens on the day shows how a good job unfolds. Local businesses are on the landscapers directory page.

Sources

  1. Choosing a Qualified Pest Management or Lawn Care Company, Penn State Extension
  2. Lawn Establishment, Penn State Extension
  3. Homeowners and Applicators, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
  4. Fertilizer FAQs, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
  5. Controlled Plant & Noxious Weed Lists, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
  6. Plant Merchant Certification, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
  7. Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
  8. PA Supreme Court Upholds Consumer Right-to-Cancel Home Improvement Contracts Within Three Days Regardless of Medium, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
  9. How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam, Federal Trade Commission
  10. FAQs Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System
  11. Private Lines, Pennsylvania One Call System
  12. 25 Pa. Code § 102.4. Erosion and sediment control requirements., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
  13. Does Your Business Need a Spotted Lanternfly Permit?, Penn State Extension
  14. 34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)

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