12 Questions to Ask a Landscaper Before You Hire
Before hiring a landscaper, confirm insurance and any required licenses (pesticide application is always licensed), ask who will actually be on your property, get an itemized written quote, and confirm a plant warranty — 1 year is standard on installs. The right questions, plus knowing what a good answer sounds like, prevent most budget and quality surprises. Print this list for every estimate.
What Credentials Should You Ask About?
1. Are you licensed and insured — and can you send the certificates? Why it matters: Crews with machines and chemicals work on your property; an uninsured injury can land on your homeowner’s policy. Licensing varies by state, so use a license verification guide to check what applies. Good answer: “Yes — our insurer will email you the COI directly, and here’s our license number.” Bad answer: “We’ve never had a problem” or “Insurance just makes it more expensive for you.”
2. If you apply pesticides or fertilizer, what’s your applicator license number? Why it matters: Unlike general landscaping, commercial pesticide application is licensed in every state under EPA-backed programs. No number, no spraying. Good answer: A license number you can verify with your state agriculture department. Bad answer: “We just use store-bought stuff, you don’t need a license for that.” (For commercial application, you do.)
3. Who will actually be on my property — employees or subcontractors? Why it matters: Many companies sell the job and sub out the work. Subs aren’t necessarily bad, but they must be covered by insurance and supervised, and you should know who’s showing up. Good answer: “Our own W-2 crew, led by a foreman you’ll meet” — or a clear explanation of which subs handle what, with proof they’re insured. Bad answer: Vagueness about who does the work, or surprise crews on day one.
4. Have you done projects like mine — can I see them? Why it matters: Hardscaping (walls, patios) needs different skills than lawn care. Membership in the National Association of Landscape Professionals or certification programs is a plus. Good answer: A portfolio of similar projects, plus addresses of past jobs you can drive by. Bad answer: Generic photos that could be from anywhere, or “trust me, we do everything.”
What Should You Ask About Scope and Materials?
5. Can I get an itemized written quote? Why it matters: Lump-sum numbers hide scope gaps. You need materials, labor, disposal, and cleanup as line items — both to budget against typical landscaping costs and to compare bids fairly. The FTC’s contractor guidance says get everything in writing before work starts. Good answer: A line-item quote with plant sizes/quantities specified. Bad answer: A single number scrawled on a card, or “we’ll figure out details as we go.”
6. What exact plants and material grades are you quoting? Why it matters: “Shrubs and trees” is meaningless — a 15-gallon tree costs several times a 5-gallon one. Substituting smaller stock is the easiest way to pad margin invisibly. Good answer: Species, container sizes, and quantities on the quote, suited to your climate zone. Bad answer: “We’ll pick out nice stuff at the nursery.”
7. How will you handle drainage and grading? Why it matters: Poor drainage kills plants and damages foundations — it’s the most expensive landscaping mistake. See grading and drainage costs. Good answer: Specific talk of slopes, swales, or drains — and where water goes. Bad answer: “It’ll be fine” without ever walking the yard during/after rain.
8. For irrigation work — will I get as-built drawings, and is your tech certified? Why it matters: Once pipes are buried, an as-built drawing is the only record of where lines and valves run; you’ll need it for every future repair or fence post. EPA WaterSense-certified irrigation pros also design systems that waste less water. Good answer: “Yes, you get a marked-up plan and a controller walkthrough at handoff.” Bad answer: “You won’t need drawings — just call us if anything breaks.”
9. Is cleanup and debris disposal included — and permits if needed? Why it matters: Hauling sod, soil, and old hardscape costs real money ($50–$500+ in dump fees), and some retaining walls and irrigation work require permits. Both should be in the quote, not surprise add-ons. Good answer: “Disposal is line-itemed, and we pull any permits under our license.” Bad answer: “Cleanup’s extra” after the quote, or asking you to pull permits (a classic unlicensed-contractor move).
What Should You Ask About Guarantees and Payment?
10. What’s your plant warranty and hardscape workmanship guarantee? Why it matters: A 1-year warranty on installed plants and trees is the industry standard; hardscape should carry 1–2+ years on workmanship. No guarantee means dead plants in month three are your problem. Good answer: “One year on plants we install — we replace, one time, anything that dies with normal care. Two years on patio workmanship.” Bad answer: “Plants are living things, we can’t guarantee them.” (Standard companies do.)
11. What’s the payment schedule — and how do change orders work? Why it matters: A reasonable deposit is 10–30% (here’s what’s normal); payments should track milestones. Plant substitutions mid-job are common when stock runs out, and each one should be a written change order at equal-or-better grade — not a silent downgrade. Good answer: “Deposit, progress payment, final on walkthrough. Any substitution gets your sign-off in writing.” Bad answer: Large cash upfront, or “sometimes we have to swap plants, you’ll like what we pick.”
What Should You Ask About Maintenance Contracts?
12. For ongoing service — what’s included monthly, what’s the rain-day policy, and how does renewal work? Why it matters: Maintenance contracts hide the most gotchas: visits skipped for rain that never get credited, “full service” that excludes bed weeding, and auto-renewing annual terms with cancellation fees. Good answer: A written list of per-visit tasks, seasonal frequency, credits or make-ups for skipped visits, and month-to-month terms after the first season. Bad answer: “We come weekly, more or less” and a contract that silently renews every year.
Red Flags in Their Answers
- No insurance certificate or pesticide applicator license
- No written, itemized scope — verbal quotes only
- Cash-only or large upfront payment demands
- No plant guarantee of any kind
- Won’t say who actually performs the work
- Pressure to sign today for a “special price” — the FTC flags this as a classic contractor scam signal
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I ask a landscaper before hiring? Confirm insurance and required licenses (including pesticide applicator certification), ask who will be on your property, get an itemized written quote with plant sizes specified, and confirm plant and workmanship warranties.
Do landscapers guarantee plants? Reputable companies offer a 1-year warranty on installed plants and trees — typically one free replacement for plants that die under normal care. Get the terms in writing; “no guarantee on living things” is a red flag.
Should landscaping quotes be in writing? Always. An itemized written quote covering materials (with plant sizes), labor, drainage, disposal, and cleanup protects you, enables fair comparison, and is what the FTC recommends before any contractor work.
Who needs a license to spray my lawn? Anyone applying pesticides or herbicides commercially must hold a state pesticide applicator license — this is required in every state, even where general landscaping is unlicensed. Ask for the number and verify it.
What’s the biggest gotcha in landscaping maintenance contracts? Auto-renewal with cancellation fees, plus vague rain-day policies — missed visits that are neither made up nor credited. Get visit tasks, frequency, skip credits, and renewal terms in writing before signing.
Last updated: June 2026. Consumer guidance based on FTC contractor-hiring recommendations, industry standards from the National Association of Landscape Professionals, and EPA WaterSense irrigation resources. For informational purposes only.