Business & Growth · Lawn Care
Starting a Lawn Care Business
Starting a lawn care business takes four steps: register the company, get licensed if you spray, price routes to clear the wage, and finance the equipment.
What does it take to start a lawn care business?
Starting a lawn care business takes four things in order. Register the company. Get licensed if you plan to spray anything. Price routes so the wage is covered, then finance equipment last. Every fee and wage below comes from a live government or federal source.
How much does it cost to register a lawn care business?
Registering the company comes first, and fees are set state by state. Texas is a clean published example. The Secretary of State’s fee schedule sets the Certificate of Formation for an LLC at $300. That is the same rate as a domestic for-profit corporation. Check your own state’s fee and treat it as one budget line alongside insurance and equipment.
Do you need a license to spray a lawn?
Mowing a yard needs no state license. Applying a pesticide or herbicide for pay is different: get a commercial applicator license first. Fees vary by state. Colorado and Washington publish theirs on .gov pages.
| State | License | Fee | Captured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | Commercial pesticide applicator license | $350 annual licensure fee | Sept 26, 2026 |
| Washington | Commercial Applicator license | $250 application fee | Sept 26, 2026 |
A mow-and-edge-only business may never need this license. Check your own state’s department of agriculture for its exact fee.
How many mowing accounts does it take to hire a crew?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks the role that runs a route as its own occupation: Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, code 37-3011.
Nationally, OEWS counts 952,640 wage and salary jobs in it, not counting the self-employed. They earn a $42,290 mean annual wage and a $39,150 median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Add payroll tax and insurance to that wage. Recurring revenue has to clear the total before adding a mower and a person.
Recurring accounts, not one-time cuts, get you there. A one-time mow pays once.
A weekly or biweekly account pays every visit for a season, so a route can project revenue months out. Put the visit frequency, season length, and price-change trigger in writing before the first cut.
Turn a yard photo into a route-ready estimate, free →
What equipment does starting a lawn care business require?
A mower, a trimmer, a blower, and a way to haul them are the floor. National retailers gate this pricing behind a dealer lookup, so this guide will not invent a figure.
How you pay for it is verifiable. The SBA’s 7(a) program covers machinery and equipment. The SBA states on its own page that “the maximum loan amount for a 7(a) loan is $5 million.”
Financing keeps startup cash free for payroll and licensing instead.
Starting a lawn care business: the order that holds up
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Register the company before you take a deposit.
Check your state’s filing fee (Texas charges $300 for an LLC) and open an EIN and business bank account first.
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Get licensed if any job involves a pesticide.
Confirm your state’s applicator fee and exam before you quote a weed or pest treatment, not after.
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Price recurring mowing accounts to clear the wage.
Use the BLS wage table above as the floor, add payroll tax and insurance, and clear it before adding a route.
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Finance equipment instead of paying cash up front.
Ask a lender for an SBA 7(a) loan by name. Then the mower does not eat cash a new business needs for payroll.
SimplyWise Cost Estimator for a new lawn care business
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job-site photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Material, labor, and fee lines stay editable before you send. Quote a one-time cut and a recurring account the same way, then send a branded quote the client signs. It is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.
Keep reading
- Lawn Care Marketing: the moves that fill a route once you are registered and licensed.
- How to Start a Landscaping Business: the broader guide beyond mowing.
Sources
Wages
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, code 37-3011, verified 2026-09-26.
Licensing
- Colorado Dept. of Agriculture, Commercial Applicators, captured 2026-09-26.
- Washington Dept. of Agriculture, Commercial Applicators, captured 2026-09-26.
Registration and financing
- Texas SOS fee schedule, captured 2026-09-26.
- U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loans, captured 2026-09-26.
Product
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator on the App Store, 4.8 rating, verified 2026-09-26.
Frequently asked questions about starting a lawn care business
Getting started
How much does it cost to start a lawn care business?
Registration is a state filing fee (Texas charges $300 for an LLC). A pesticide applicator license, if you plan to spray, is a separate state fee: Colorado charges $350 a year and Washington charges $250. Equipment is the largest line, and the SBA’s 7(a) program can finance it.
Do I need a license to start a lawn care business?
Mowing and edging need no state license. Applying pesticides for pay does, through a commercial pesticide applicator license. Colorado’s fee is $350 a year and Washington’s is $250 per application. Check your own state’s department of agriculture for its exact fee.
Wages and hiring
How much do lawn care workers make?
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (BLS code 37-3011) earn a $42,290 mean annual wage and a $39,150 median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Add payroll tax and insurance before comparing that to what a route bills.
Equipment and estimating
How do you pay for a mower when starting a lawn care business?
Through a lender using the SBA’s 7(a) loan program, which covers machinery and equipment up to a $5 million maximum loan amount. Financing the first mower, instead of paying cash, keeps that cash for payroll and licensing in the first season.
Can I quote a lawn job from a photo?
Yes. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job-site photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Wheel or tape the yard once for exact quantities, and every line stays editable.
Does SimplyWise Cost Estimator work for recurring mowing accounts?
It builds material, labor, and fee line items, each with its own unit, quantity, and price per unit. A recurring account prices the same way a one-time cut does. Send a branded quote the client signs to approve.
Quote the first mowing route like you mean to keep the account.
Snap a photo and get an itemized estimate with editable lines. Free to try, then $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr after a 7-day trial.