Quick Answer
Choose a landscaper by answering four questions before signing anything: Are they licensed and insured for your state? Will they actually show up on the day they promise? Does the written contract list every line item and a payment schedule? And who do you call if the irrigation line breaks six months later? A contractor who can't give a direct answer to all four is the wrong contractor.
Detailed Guide
The four questions every homeowner needs answered
1. Are they licensed and insured?
Licensing rules vary by state. California requires a C-27 Landscaping Contractor license from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) for any project over $500 in combined labor and materials. Florida licenses landscapers at the county level rather than statewide. Texas does not license landscape contractors directly but requires a separate Landscape Irrigator license for irrigation work through TCEQ. Look up your state's rule before the first phone call so you know what to ask for.
Ask for two documents in writing: the license number (which you verify on the state board's public lookup) and a Certificate of Insurance (COI) showing general liability of at least $1M and active workers' compensation coverage. The COI should list your address as a certificate holder if the project is over $5,000 — that means you receive notice if the policy lapses mid-project.
2. Will they show up?
No-shows and slipping timelines are the most common complaint on landscaping work. Test for it before you hire. Watch the response time on your initial inquiry — a contractor who takes nine days to return a call will take nine days to return a call when your retaining wall is leaning. Ask for three reference projects completed in the last 12 months, with phone numbers, and call all three. The question that gets honest answers is not "were you happy" but "did they finish on the date they promised, and if not, why not?"
Look for a real business footprint — a registered business address (not a P.O. box), a Google Business Profile with at least 20 reviews dated within the last two years, and a verifiable LLC or sole-proprietorship registration in your state's Secretary of State database.
3. What does the contract say?
A written contract is non-negotiable for any project over $500. The contract should include:
- Itemized scope of work — plant species (with botanical names for trees and shrubs), material quantities, paver brand and SKU, irrigation zone count
- A start date and a substantial-completion date, with a per-day liquidated damages clause for delays over 14 days
- A payment schedule — deposit, progress payments tied to milestones, final payment held until punch-list completion
- Allowance line items called out separately (e.g., "plant material allowance $1,800") so substitutions don't become surprise change orders
- A warranty term — typically 1 year on plant material, 2 years on hardscape installation, lifetime on manufacturer-warranted pavers (the manufacturer warranty passes through, but verify the installer is certified to install that product)
- A change-order clause requiring written approval before any added cost over $250
If the bid is a single number on a one-page document, that is not a contract — it is a hand-shake with letterhead.
4. Who do you call if something breaks?
Warranty service is the test of whether the contractor stays after the deposit clears. Ask, in writing: who answers the warranty call, what is the response time commitment, and is there a written punch-list and final-walkthrough process at substantial completion? A pro with a real warranty operation will have a service number separate from the sales line and a documented punch-list procedure. A pro who waves the question off with "don't worry, we take care of our customers" is hoping you forget to ask.
How to compare three bids apples-to-apples
Three bids is the working minimum — one bid leaves no comparison, two bids can both be wrong in the same direction. The bids will not match line-for-line by accident, so build a comparison spreadsheet:
- Site preparation (demo, excavation, hauling) — cubic yards and trip count
- Base material for hardscape — depth in inches and material type (3/4" minus crushed stone, decomposed granite, sand bed thickness)
- Hardscape material — paver brand, SKU, square footage, pattern (running bond, herringbone)
- Edge restraint and joint sand — polymeric sand is a paid upgrade over standard joint sand
- Plants — species (botanical name), container size (#1, #5, #15), quantity
- Irrigation — zone count, head type (rotor, MP rotator, drip), controller brand
- Lighting — fixture count, transformer wattage, wire gauge
- Labor — installation hours separated from design hours
- Cleanup and disposal
- Permit fees passed through
When a bid is $4,000 below the others, the answer is almost always in this list — thinner base material, smaller plant containers, fewer irrigation zones, or polymeric sand swapped for standard sand. Cheaper is not automatically wrong, but the line item explaining the difference should be visible.
Red flags that end the conversation
- Deposit over 25% of total project cost. Standard practice is 10-20% at signing, with the balance tied to milestones. A 50% deposit funds the contractor's payroll on the last job, not your job.
- Door-knockers offering driveway sealcoat, tree trimming, or "leftover materials from a job down the street." This is the oldest scam in the trades. Real landscape contractors do not source customers door-to-door.
- No written contract, or a contract that fits on one page. A 1,200 sq ft paver patio specification cannot fit on one page honestly.
- Cash-only payment. A licensed contractor accepts check, ACH, or card. Cash-only is a tax-evasion signal and means you have no payment record if you need to dispute work.
- License number that won't verify on the state board lookup. A real number returns a name, address, and license status. A fake number returns nothing.
- No physical address or only a P.O. box. Run.
- Pressure to sign today for a discount. A legitimate bid is valid for at least 30 days. "Sign today" pricing is high-pressure sales, not landscape design.
- No certificate of insurance, or a COI that expired last year. An uninsured contractor's injury on your property can become a claim against your homeowner's policy.
State license-board lookups
Verify the license on the state board's public database before you sign. Common boards:
- California — CSLB Contractor License Lookup (search by license number or business name)
- Florida — DBPR Licensee Search (county-level for landscape, statewide for irrigation)
- Texas — TCEQ Licensed Irrigator Search (for irrigation work specifically)
- Arizona — ROC Contractor Search (license class K-21 for landscape)
- Georgia — Secretary of State business entity search (Georgia does not license landscapers, so verify the business is registered and active)
- North Carolina — NCLCLB Landscape Contractor License Lookup
The lookup returns license status, bond status, and any disciplinary actions on file. A clean record with 5+ years of continuous licensure is the strongest single signal you can pull in 90 seconds.
When to Hire a Pro
Hire a landscape contractor when the project involves grading or drainage changes, when hardscape goes over 100 sq ft, when irrigation needs a backflow preventer (required by code on any system tied to potable water in most states), when any structure requires a permit, or when tree work involves removal of stems over 6 inches in diameter near structures or power lines. Each of these crosses a threshold where a mistake compounds — bad grading sends water into a foundation, a paver patio without proper base settles within a year, an uncertified irrigation install can contaminate municipal water and trigger fines. Mowing, mulching, seasonal cleanup, and basic planting under 10 plants are projects where a careful homeowner can stay DIY. The threshold is liability and permanence: if undoing the work costs more than doing it right the first time, hire the licensed pro.
Related Reading
- Landscaping Cost Guide — itemized ranges by service and region
- How to Find a Local Landscaper — every search channel ranked
- How to Plan a Landscape Design — the 5 phases before you sign a contract
- Yard Cleanup Services: What's Included and What It Costs
- Marketplace search — find license-verified pros in your zip