How to Start a Lawn Care Business in 2026: 11 Steps, Fees and Costs

This guide on how to start a lawn care business is built from the documents that actually set the rules and the costs: state filing-fee schedules, state tax rulings, IRS and FMCSA pages, manufacturers’ posted prices and the Census Bureau’s counts of the NAICS 561730 landscaping services industry. Every fee and price below links to where it is published.

The short version: the paperwork is cheap and fast, the equipment is where the money goes, and the hard part is pricing. In 2024, 65.4 percent of the 537,970 no-employee landscaping businesses that filed taxes took in less than $25,000 (Census Nonemployer Statistics, 2024). The steps below are ordered so you spend money only after the cheap decisions are made.

This page covers starting the business. Pricing jobs, insurance and careers each have their own guides, linked where they come up, and the business section collects every guide for owners and operators.

How to start a lawn care business: the 11-step checklist

The table is the whole job on one screen. The sections after it explain each step, with state-by-state detail where the rules differ.

Step	What you do	Typical cost	Where it is set
1. Choose services and a market	Mowing only, or mowing plus fertilization, cleanups and snow	$0	Your decision; Census product-line data below
2. Write a business plan	Eight sections, with a break-even number	$0	SBA business plan guide
3. Pick and clear a name	State name search, USPTO search, DBA if needed	$0 search; $350 per class to file a federal trademark	USPTO fee schedule
4. Form the business	LLC or sole proprietorship	$50–$300 LLC filing in the 10 largest states	Secretary of State (table below)
5. Get an EIN	Online IRS application	$0	IRS
6. Local business license	City or county business tax receipt or license	Set by your city or county	City or county clerk
7. Register for sales tax (some states)	Mowing is taxable in some states, not in others	Usually $0 to register	State revenue department (table below)
8. Pesticide or fertilizer license (if you spray or spread)	Exam plus a business license in most states	State fee schedules vary	EPA and your state agriculture department
9. Insurance	General liability first; auto and workers’ comp as needed	About $57–$63 a month for general liability	Insureon customer medians
10. Equipment, truck and trailer	Buy in tiers	$3,129–$42,024 before a truck	Manufacturer and retailer price pages
11. Pricing, bank account, taxes, first customers	Hourly rate formula, quarterly estimated tax	$0 to start	IRS estimated taxes

What the Census data says before you start

Lawn care is a crowded, fragmented, mostly tiny industry. That is good news for a new entrant (no one controls the market) and bad news for pricing (someone always bids lower).

• 537,970 nonemployer landscaping businesses (no payroll, usually one owner) reported $20.03 billion in receipts in 2024, up 4.1 percent in count from 2023 (Census Nonemployer Statistics, 2024).
• 114,570 employer firms with payroll took in $115.4 billion in 2022 and paid 32.3 percent of revenue as payroll (2022 Economic Census).
• The four largest firms held 7.4 percent of employer revenue in 2022 and the 50 largest held 15.5 percent (2022 Economic Census, concentration table).
• Of employer firms open all year, 60.9 percent had fewer than 5 employees (2022 Economic Census).
• Grass cutting brought in 14.5 percent of employer revenue and was offered by 47.8 percent of establishments; lawn fertilization was 5.6 percent of revenue, offered by 25.1 percent (2022 Economic Census, product lines).

1. <$5k131,262
2. $5k–10k87,287
3. $10k–25k133,535
4. $25k–50k82,531
5. $50k–100k55,299
6. $100k–250k36,630
7. $250k–500k9,857
8. $500k–1M1,164
9. $1M–2.5M405

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS 56173 Businesses with no paid employees; receipts are revenue, not profit.

Show the numbers

	Businesses
<$5k	131,262
$5k–10k	87,287
$10k–25k	133,535
$25k–50k	82,531
$50k–100k	55,299
$100k–250k	36,630
$250k–500k	9,857
$500k–1M	1,164
$1M–2.5M	405

Annual receipts (no-employee businesses)	Businesses	Share
Under $5,000	131,262	24.4%
$5,000–$9,999	87,287	16.2%
$10,000–$24,999	133,535	24.8%
$25,000–$49,999	82,531	15.3%
$50,000–$99,999	55,299	10.3%
$100,000–$249,999	36,630	6.8%
$250,000–$499,999	9,857	1.8%
$500,000–$999,999	1,164	0.2%
$1,000,000–$2,499,999	405	0.1%

Read that table as a map of where new businesses land. About 4 in 5 no-employee operations (80.8 percent) take in under $50,000 a year, and only 8.9 percent (48,056 businesses) reach $100,000 or more. A business that adds payroll moves out of this count and into the employer count, so part of the thinning at the top is growing operators who hired.

Step 1: Choose your services and your market

Decide first whether you are starting a lawn mowing business or a lawn care business in the wider sense. Mowing has the lowest barrier to entry and the most competition: almost half of employer landscaping establishments sell it (2022 Economic Census). Fertilization and weed control pay better per hour on the property but trigger a state license in most places (Step 8).

Service line	Share of employer industry revenue	Share of establishments offering it	Licensing to expect
Grass cutting and grooming	14.5%	47.8%	None beyond a business license in most states
Lawn fertilization and propagation	5.6%	25.1%	Pesticide license if any weed-and-feed or herbicide; fertilizer license in some states (e.g., Florida)
Weed control	2.7%	27.8%	Pesticide applicator license plus business license in most states
Ornamental plant, shrub and tree services	10.9%	40.7%	Tree work may need an arborist or contractor license in some states
Snow removal for parking lots and driveways	2.8%	14.4%	None in most states; plow trucks may need DOT number if interstate
Residential irrigation and sprinkler construction	2.4%	10.3%	Irrigation license in several states (e.g., Texas)

Seasonality decides your cash flow. In the North, mowing runs roughly April to October and snow or leaf work fills the gaps; in Florida and the Gulf South, warm-season grasses keep crews mowing much of the year. The landscaping industry by state data shows where firms and employment are concentrated.

Step 2: Write a lawn care business plan

A lawn care business plan does not need to be long, but it needs a break-even number. The SBA business plan guide lists eight sections for a traditional plan. Here is what each should hold for a lawn business.

SBA section	What to put in it for lawn care
Executive summary	Services, service area (ZIP codes), first-year revenue target, start-up budget
Company description	Entity type, owner, residential vs commercial focus, what you do better (edging, reliability, response time)
Market analysis	Number of competitors in your county (Census County Business Patterns), price range from local published rates, homeowner density
Organization and management	Who mows, who sells, who does books; when you hire the first helper
Service or product line	Weekly mowing, biweekly mowing, cleanups, fertilization (licensed), snow
Marketing and sales	Google Business Profile, door hangers, business cards, referral offer, route density target
Funding request	Equipment financing or savings; savings usually cover the push-mower tier
Financial projections	Price per cut, cuts per day, season length, fixed costs, break-even accounts

Break-even formula. Break-even recurring accounts = annual fixed costs ÷ (price per visit − variable cost per visit) ÷ visits per account per season.

Worked example: fixed costs of $9,000 a year (insurance at the $63-a-month Insureon median, equipment payments, phone and software), a $50 cut with $12 of fuel, wear and dump fees, and 28 weekly visits per account. $9,000 ÷ ($50 − $12) = 237 visits; 237 ÷ 28 = 8.5. You need about 9 weekly accounts before the business pays you anything. The $9,000, $50 and $12 are illustration inputs; put in your own.

Step 3: Pick a lawn care business name you can actually use

Lawn care business names fail for legal reasons more often than creative ones. Run every candidate through four checks before you print anything.

• State business-name database. Your Secretary of State will reject an LLC name that is not distinguishable from one already on file. Each state’s search is free.
• Federal trademarks. Search the USPTO Trademark Search system for the name and close variants in lawn and landscaping services. Filing your own federal application costs $350 per class in base fees, plus surcharges if the description is incomplete (USPTO fee schedule, effective Jan. 18, 2025).
• Domain and social handles. A name customers cannot find online costs you leads. Check the .com before you commit.
• Assumed name (DBA). If you operate under anything other than your legal name or exact LLC name, most states require an assumed-name or fictitious-name filing (fees in the table in Step 4).

Names that work in this trade tend to do three jobs: say the service (lawn, mowing, turf), say the place (a town, county or landmark) and stay short enough for a truck door and a 3.5-by-2-inch business card. Location names help local search but can box you in if you expand. Avoid names that promise licensed services you do not hold, such as “weed control” or “tree surgeon”, until you hold the license.

Step 4: How to start a lawn care business legally: entity and state fees

You can legally mow lawns for pay as a sole proprietor under your own name in every state; there is no state filing to exist. An LLC adds a state filing fee and, in some states, an annual fee, in exchange for separating business debts from personal assets. The industry leans corporate: 57.3 percent of employer landscaping firms were S corporations in 2022, and 24.5 percent were individual proprietorships (2022 Economic Census, legal form of organization). LLCs do not appear as a separate Census category because they file taxes as sole proprietorships, partnerships or corporations.

The table compares the 10 most populous states: what forming an LLC costs, what keeping it costs, what an assumed name costs, and how many no-employee lawn and landscaping businesses already operate there.

State	LLC filing fee	Ongoing state fee	Assumed name (DBA)	One-person landscaping businesses, 2024	Average receipts
Texas	$300	$0 franchise tax at or below $2.65 million in revenue; file a Public Information Report by May 15	$25 (state)	62,230	$33,532
Florida	$125 ($100 articles + $25 registered agent)	$138.75 annual report; $400 late fee after May 1	$50 (state)	52,323	$40,826
California	$70 + $20 Statement of Information	$800 minimum annual LLC tax (FTB); $20 Statement of Information every 2 years	County (fictitious business name)	50,994	$39,555
New York	$200 + newspaper publication + $50 certificate of publication	$9 biennial statement	$25 (state; no county fee for LLCs)	15,009	$42,021
Georgia	$100 online ($110 by mail)	Annual registration due April 1; $10 extra by mail, $25 late fee	County clerk of superior court (e.g., Douglas County)	32,209	$34,989
North Carolina	$125	$200 annual report	$26 (county register of deeds)	24,341	$37,722
Pennsylvania	$125	$7 annual report	$70 (state)	13,911	$43,018
Ohio	$99	None (no annual or biennial report for LLCs)	$39 (state)	16,999	$34,753
Illinois	$150	$75 annual report	$120 if filed in 2026 (prorated, state)	14,586	$32,817
Arizona	$50 by mail, $85 online or expedited; newspaper notice outside Maricopa and Pima counties	None (no annual report for LLCs)	Up to $10 (state trade name)	9,614	$53,840

Two costs hide outside the filing fee. California’s $800 minimum LLC tax makes it the most expensive state on the list to keep an LLC, even though filing costs $70. New York’s publication rule means paying newspapers in your county for six consecutive weeks of notices, a newspaper bill on top of the $200 filing fee. Arizona’s online filing costs $85, not the $50 paper fee. A sole proprietorship skips all of these, at the cost of personal liability.

Step 5: Get an EIN (free)

An Employer Identification Number is free and issued online the same day. The IRS warns to beware of websites that charge for an EIN: “You never have to pay a fee for an EIN.” A single-member LLC is disregarded as separate from its owner for income tax by default, so profit still lands on your Schedule C unless you elect corporate treatment. You need the EIN to open a business bank account, hire, or file excise and employment returns; banks usually ask for it even when the IRS does not.

Step 6: Get a local business license

Most cities and many counties require a general business license or business tax receipt before you work there, even for a no-employee mowing operation. Fees are set locally, so check the clerk’s office for every city where you will have customers, not only where you live. Some states also license landscape contractors above a dollar threshold; see the landscaping license requirements by state.

Step 7: Find out whether lawn mowing is taxable in your state

Sales tax on lawn care is the step most start-up guides skip, and it is where new owners get billed later for tax they never collected. Most states do not tax mowing. These do, according to their own statutes, rules and guidance (selected states; others not checked).

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

State	Is lawn mowing taxable?	Rule	Detail
Texas	Yes, residential included	Comptroller Pub. 94-112	Exempt if you work alone with no employees and $5,000 or less in receipts over the last four quarters
Ohio	Yes	Ohio Dept. of Taxation, Information Release ST 2003-02	“Landscaping and lawn care service” is a taxable service under R.C. 5739.01(B)(3)
Pennsylvania	Yes	61 Pa. Code 55.6	Lists “mowing, trimming, cutting or edging lawns” as taxable lawn care
New York	Yes, for maintenance	NYS Tax Bulletin TB-ST-505	Mowing is a taxable maintenance service; new lawns and plantings that are capital improvements are not
New Jersey	Yes, for maintenance	NJ Division of Taxation	Lawn mowing listed as a taxable maintenance service
Minnesota	Yes	Minn. Stat. 297A.61, subd. 3(g)(6)	Lawn care, fertilizing, mowing and spraying are taxable; installation under a construction contract is not
Wisconsin	Yes	Wisconsin DOR Pub. 210	Mowing of lawns listed as taxable
Iowa	Yes	Iowa Code 423.2(6)	“Lawn care, landscaping, and tree trimming and removal”
Connecticut	Yes	Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-407(a)(37)(V)	“Landscaping and horticulture services”
Kentucky	Yes	103 KAR 26:131	Mowing and trimming listed as taxable landscaping services
West Virginia	Yes	WV State Tax Dept. TSD-310	Mowing and lawn care listed as taxable
South Dakota	Yes	SD Dept. of Revenue tax fact	Mowing and trimming taxable when not part of a realty contract
District of Columbia	Yes	DC Office of Tax and Revenue	6 percent on landscaping charges
Hawaii	Yes (general excise tax)	Hawaii Dept. of Taxation GET brochure	GET applies to services generally
New Mexico	Yes (gross receipts tax)	NM Taxation and Revenue Dept.	GRT applies to services performed in the state
Arkansas	Partly	Arkansas DFA Rule GR-9.2	Lawn care of nonresidential property and all landscaping are taxable; residential mowing is not
Kansas	Partly	Kansas Pub. KS-1525 (archived Feb. 26, 2026)	Mowing and edging are not taxable; applying fertilizer or pesticide to residential lawns is
Florida	No	Florida Dept. of Revenue FAQ	“Mowing, blowing, weed eating, edging” are nontaxable services
California	No	CDTFA Regulation 1501	Service providers are consumers, not retailers; you pay tax when you buy mowers and supplies

Where mowing is taxable, register with the state revenue department before your first invoice, collect tax on the customer’s bill and file on the schedule the state assigns. Texas has the clearest small-operator break: a self-employed person with no employees and $5,000 or less in lawn receipts over the last four quarters does not collect, but must start the quarter after crossing $5,000. In states that do not tax the service, you still pay sales tax on the equipment and supplies you buy.

Step 8: Pesticide, fertilizer and contractor licenses

Mowing, edging and blowing need no state trade license in most states. Spraying does. Federal law requires certification for anyone applying restricted-use pesticides, and states, territories and tribes do the certifying (EPA). Most states go further and license anyone who applies any pesticide, including general-use weed killer, to someone else’s lawn for pay. Texas is explicit: applicators who apply “any pesticide (regardless of classification and including general-use)” to lawns for hire must be licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture, while fertilizer-only applicators need no TDA license. Florida requires a separate commercial fertilizer applicator license for any business hired to fertilize lawns: every applicator takes a six-hour Green Industries Best Management Practices class, passes a test and pays a $25 fee for a four-year license (UF/IFAS Extension).

State	License for for-hire lawn pesticide work	Agency	State landscape contractor license?
Texas	Structural pest control business license plus certified applicator (Lawn and Ornamental, Weed Control categories); fertilizer-only work exempt	Texas Dept. of Agriculture	No (irrigation needs a TCEQ license)
Florida	Pest control business license with Lawn and Ornamental category, or limited certifications; separate certification to apply commercial fertilizer	FDACS (via UF/IFAS)	No
California	Qualified Applicator License or Certificate (Category B, Landscape Maintenance) plus a business license, or a Maintenance Gardener license	Dept. of Pesticide Regulation	Yes: C-27 for jobs of $1,000 or more
New York	Certified commercial applicator (3A or 3B) plus pesticide business registration	NYS DEC	No (local licenses in some counties)
Georgia	Commercial applicator, Category 24 Ornamental and Turf, plus a Pesticide Contractor License	Georgia Dept. of Agriculture	No
North Carolina	Commercial ground applicator license, Category L Ornamental and Turf	NCDA&CS	Yes, for $30,000+ a year at one site; mowing and lawn care are exempt
Pennsylvania	Commercial applicator certification, Category 07 Lawn and Turf	7 Pa. Code 128.42	Home improvement registration for residential hardscape
Ohio	Commercial pesticide applicator, Category 8 Turf (6a/6c ornamentals), plus pesticide business license	Ohio Dept. of Agriculture	No
Illinois	Commercial applicator or operator license, Turf (3.2) and Ornamental (3.1) categories	Illinois Dept. of Agriculture	No (irrigation contractors register with IDPH)
Arizona	Ornamental and turf certification plus a pest management business license	A.R.S. 3-3614	Hardscape and irrigation only (R-21/C-21)

The licensing hub covers every state, and you can look up a license the same way customers will look up yours.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Fees, tax rulings and licensing rules change; confirm with the agency linked for your state before you file, spray or bill.

Step 9: Insurance in one paragraph

Buy general liability before the first paid cut: thrown rocks and mower damage to cars and windows are the classic claims. Among Insureon‘s landscaping customers, the median general liability premium is $63 a month ($761 a year), and $57 a month for lawn care professionals specifically, typically for a $1 million per-occurrence limit. The same page puts commercial auto at $299 a month, workers’ compensation at $150 a month and tools and equipment coverage at $53 a month (median policies sold through Insureon, checked Oct. 18, 2026). Check whether your personal auto policy covers business use, and expect a workers’ comp requirement once you have employees (thresholds vary by state). Our separate lawn care insurance guide covers limits and state rules in detail.

Step 10: How much does it cost to start a lawn care business?

Expect $3,129 to $4,399 in equipment for a part-time push-mower start, $12,761 to $18,175 for a full-time solo zero-turn setup, and $23,960 to $42,024 for a two-person crew, before a truck. Add the state filing fee and the first year of insurance. The ranges come from manufacturers’ and retailers’ posted prices, checked Oct. 18, 2026.

Budget for upkeep too: a Kawasaki FR691V zero-turn engine takes 2.2 quarts of oil every 100 hours, and our guide to mower oil by engine lists the grade and interval for each maker.

When a mower quits on a route, our lawn mower won’t start checklist puts the fuel, plug and battery checks from 13 maker manuals in order.

Formula. Start-up budget = equipment tier + trailer (if not in the tier) + state filing fee + first-year insurance + truck (if you need one).

Worked example (solo zero-turn, low end): $12,761 equipment + $50 LLC fee + $684 general liability ($57 × 12) = $13,495.

Tier	What it includes	Low	High
Push-mower start	21-in. commercial push mower; String trimmer; Backpack blower; Stick edger	$3,129	$4,399
Solo zero-turn	Commercial zero-turn, 48–60 in.; 21-in. commercial push mower; String trimmer; Backpack blower; Stick edger; Hedge trimmer; Open landscape trailer, 5.5×10 to 6×12; Broadcast spreader; 4-gallon backpack sprayer	$12,761	$18,175
Two-person crew	Commercial zero-turn, 48–60 in.; Commercial stand-on mower; 21-in. commercial push mower; 2 × String trimmer; 2 × Backpack blower; Stick edger; Hedge trimmer; Open landscape trailer, 5.5×10 to 6×12; Broadcast spreader; 4-gallon backpack sprayer (high end: heavy-duty zero-turn and enclosed 6×12 trailer)	$23,960	$42,024

Mowing setups to equip (setups)Equipment tierPush-mower start (21-in. mower, trimmer, blower, edger; your own truck)Solo zero-turn (commercial zero-turn, 21-in. mower, hand-held kit, open trailer)Two-person crew (zero-turn plus stand-on, two trimmers and blowers, trailer)

Add-ons

LLC state filing fee (10 largest states) ($50 to $300) General liability insurance, first year (Insureon medians) ($685 to $760) Commercial auto insurance, first year (Insureon median) ($3,590 to $3,590) Workers' comp, first year (Insureon median) ($1,800 to $1,800) New half-ton pickup, base trim (manufacturer starting prices) ($38,600 to $42,400)

Estimated start-up budget$3,860 to $5,460

Uses the tier totals, LLC fee range and insurance medians in this guide. Excludes sales tax, local license fees and pesticide license fees. See How we built these numbers.

The calculator multiplies the number of mowing setups by the tier range, then adds the items you tick. It uses exactly the tier totals above, the LLC fee range from Step 4 and Insureon’s median premiums.

1. Push-mower start$3,129
2. Solo zero-turn$12,761
3. Two-person crew$23,960

Source: Green Industry Report estimate from manufacturer and retailer posted prices, checked Oct. 18, 2026 Sum of the item prices in the tier table; excludes sales tax, truck and insurance.

Show the numbers

	Low	High
Push-mower start	$3,129	$4,399
Solo zero-turn	$12,761	$18,175
Two-person crew	$23,960	$42,024

Equipment prices, item by item

Item	Model (seller)	Posted price
Commercial 21-inch push mower	Exmark Commercial 21 X-Series (gas) (Exmark)	$1,899.00 Cash price; page also shows $2,100.23 price
Commercial 21-inch push mower	Exmark Commercial 21 V-Series (battery) (Exmark)	$2,699.00 Cash price; page also shows $2,920.23 price
Residential zero-turn (not used in tiers)	Toro TimeCutter 42 in. (77401) (Toro)	$3,499.00
Residential zero-turn (not used in tiers)	Cub Cadet Ultima ZT1 54P (Cub Cadet)	$4,179.00 MSRP
Residential zero-turn (not used in tiers)	Bobcat ZT2000 (42 to 52 in.) (Bobcat)	$5,699.00 Starting price; promotions may be lower
Commercial zero-turn, 48 to 60 in.	Exmark Radius E-Series 48 in. (Exmark)	$6,699.00 Cash price
Commercial zero-turn, 48 to 60 in.	Exmark Radius S-Series 52 in. (Exmark)	$7,699.00 Cash price
Commercial zero-turn, 48 to 60 in.	Toro Z Master 2000 52 in. (77283) (Toro)	$9,599.00
Commercial zero-turn, 48 to 60 in.	Toro Z Master 2000 60 in. (77285) (Toro)	$9,999.00 Excludes tariff surcharge per page
Heavy-duty commercial zero-turn	Bobcat ZT6000 (52 or 61 in.) (Bobcat)	$13,199.00 Starting price
Heavy-duty commercial zero-turn	Exmark Lazer Z X-Series 52 in. (Exmark)	$16,699.00 Cash price
Commercial stand-on mower	Exmark Vertex E-Series 36 in. (Exmark)	$10,399.00 Cash price
Commercial stand-on mower	Exmark Vertex S-Series 52 in. (Exmark)	$13,499.00 Cash price
String trimmer	Husqvarna 525L (Husqvarna)	$349.99 MSRP
String trimmer	STIHL FS 91 R (STIHL)	$379.99
String trimmer	ECHO SRM-2620T (ECHO)	$449.99 MSRP
String trimmer	ECHO SRM-3020T (ECHO)	$549.99 MSRP
Backpack blower	ECHO PB-580T (ECHO)	$449.99 MSRP
Backpack blower	ECHO PB-9010T (ECHO)	$699.99 MSRP
Backpack blower	STIHL BR 800 C-E MAGNUM (STIHL)	$699.99 Sale price; regular $749.99
Stick edger	STIHL FC 91 (STIHL)	$429.99
Stick edger	ECHO PE-2620 (ECHO)	$449.99 MSRP
Hedge trimmer	ECHO HC-2020 (20 in.) (ECHO)	$399.99 MSRP
Hedge trimmer	STIHL HS 82 T (24 in.) (STIHL)	$719.99
Open utility trailer, small	Carry-On 5 x 8 ft wood floor (5X8GW2K) (Northern Tool)	$1,099.99
Open landscape trailer	Carry-On 5.5 x 10 ft mesh side (5.5X10UM3K) (Northern Tool)	$2,099.99
Open landscape trailer	Carry-On 6 x 12 ft wood floor, rear ramp (6X12GWRSL3K) (Northern Tool)	$2,599.99
Open landscape trailer	Carry-On 6 x 12 ft mesh side, 2,990 lb GVWR (6851914) (Northern Tool)	$2,599.99
Enclosed cargo trailer	Carry-On 6 x 12 ft enclosed cargo (Northern Tool)	$4,999.99 6 x 12 size selected on page; in-store only
Broadcast spreader	EarthWay 2170 100 lb commercial (EarthWay)	$310.99 Sale price
4-gallon backpack sprayer	Solo 425 (Gemplers)	$121.99
4-gallon backpack sprayer	Chapin 63900 (Gemplers)	$145.99

Two choices move the budget most. A residential zero-turn costs about half a commercial one (Toro’s 42-inch TimeCutter is $3,499 against $6,699 for Exmark’s entry commercial Radius E 48-inch), but check whether its warranty covers commercial use before you mow for pay with it. And a stand-on mower adds $10,399 to $13,499 for a second operator. Battery handhelds avoid fuel but cost more up front: STIHL lists its FSA 200 R trimmer at $699.99 for the unit alone, with no battery or charger.

Truck, trailer, DOT number and CDL

Any half-ton pickup can pull a single-axle landscape trailer; the 6-by-12 Carry-On mesh-side model above is rated 2,990 pounds gross. New base trims start at $38,600 for the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 WT and $42,400 for the 2026 Ram 1500 Express (manufacturer starting prices before destination and tax, checked Oct. 18, 2026). If you already own a pickup with a tow package, it is the largest line in this budget you can skip.

Two federal weight lines matter once you tow. If your truck and trailer have a combined weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more and you cross state lines for work, you need a USDOT number (FMCSA). A Class A CDL applies at a combined rating of 26,001 pounds or more when the trailer itself is rated over 10,000 pounds, so a 2,990-pound trailer never triggers it. The USDOT line is closer than it looks: add your pickup’s gross vehicle weight rating (on the door-jamb sticker) to the trailer’s rating. Many states also apply DOT-number rules to in-state commercial vehicles.

Write it off faster

Equipment is deductible. For tax years beginning in 2026, the Section 179 expensing limit is $2,560,000 (IRS Publication 946), and qualified property acquired after Jan. 19, 2025 can take a permanent 100 percent bonus depreciation deduction under the 2025 law (IRS Notice 2026-11). Either way a first-year mower purchase can usually be expensed; ask a tax preparer which election fits your income.

Step 11a: Price your work so it pays

Operators in trade forums warn about underpricing more than any other start-up mistake. Set an hourly target first, then convert it to per-visit prices. The full method for bids is in how to bid landscaping jobs; here is the start-up version.

Formula. Hourly rate = (your pay per hour × 1.153 for self-employment tax + overhead per hour) ÷ (1 − profit margin). Overhead per hour = annual overhead ÷ billable hours. (The 1.153 slightly overstates the tax, which applies to 92.35 percent of net earnings; the cushion is deliberate.)

Worked example: pay yourself $28.09 an hour, the national median for first-line supervisors of landscaping workers (BLS OEWS, May 2025). With self-employment tax that is $32.39. Annual overhead of $4,414 ($684 general liability and $636 equipment insurance at Insureon medians, plus $3,094 a year to replace the midpoint solo zero-turn kit over 5 years) over 1,200 billable hours (30 weeks × 40) is $3.68 an hour. At a 15 percent margin: ($32.39 + $3.68) ÷ 0.85 = $42.44 an hour, before fuel and repairs.

That answers a question people search: how much to charge for 3 hours of mowing. At that rate, 3 hours is about $127, plus fuel. If you hire, a helper at the $18.82 national median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers (BLS OEWS, May 2025) adds payroll taxes and workers’ comp on top of the wage.

• CPI gardening and lawn care services
• CPI all items

Source: BLS CPI-U series CUUR0000SEHP02 and CUUR0000SA0, not seasonally adjusted Rebased by us to Aug. 2020 = 100. BLS did not publish Aug. 2022 or Aug. 2025 values for the lawn care series.

Show the numbers

	CPI gardening and lawn care services	CPI all items
Aug 2020	100	100
Aug 2021	102.10	105.30
Aug 2023	112.60	118.10
Aug 2024	127.80	121.10
Aug 2026	159.90	128.90

Pricing power has been on the operator’s side. The BLS consumer price index for gardening and lawn care services rose 59.9 percent from August 2020 to August 2026, against 28.9 percent for all items. Commercial turf equipment prices rose 25.2 percent from 2020 to 2025 on the BLS producer price index (annual averages). Customers have absorbed steady increases, so review your prices every season.

Step 11b: Bank account, bookkeeping and taxes

• Separate bank account. Open it with your EIN and formation documents. Mixing personal and business money weakens an LLC’s liability shield and makes deductions harder to prove.
• Self-employment tax. 15.3 percent (12.4 percent Social Security plus 2.9 percent Medicare) once net earnings reach $400 (IRS).
• Quarterly estimates. Required if you expect to owe $1,000 or more. 2026 due dates: April 15, June 15 and Sept. 15, 2026, and Jan. 15, 2027 (Form 1040-ES).
• Mileage. The IRS business rate for 2026 is 72.5 cents a mile for Jan. 1 to June 30 and 76 cents from July 1 to Dec. 31. Log every trip between yards.
• Paying helpers. For payments made in 2026, Form 1099-NEC is required at $2,000 per person a year, up from $600. Whether a helper is a contractor or an employee is a legal test, not a choice.

Step 11c: Get your first customers (business cards included)

Route density beats volume. Ten customers on two streets can earn more per day than fifteen spread across a county, because drive time is unpaid. Market street by street.

• Google Business Profile. Free, and it puts you on Google Maps for searches in your service area. Fill in the service area, hours and photos of finished lawns.
• Door hangers on the street you already mow. Neighbors see the result the same day.
• Referral offer. A free cut for every referred customer who signs a season.
• Answer the phone and call back the same day. Operators in trade forums repeat this more than any other tip, and it costs nothing.

Lawn care business cards: what to put on them

Lawn care business cards still work because they stay on the fridge. The U.S. standard size is 3.5 by 2 inches (Vistaprint specification). Put on the front: business name, one line on services, the phone number you actually answer, and your website or Google profile. On the back: service area, a license number if you hold one, and a referral line. Hand one over with every finished lawn and leave one with each quote. Skip slogans that promise licensed work you cannot legally do.

In our view, software earns its cost at around 20 recurring accounts, when scheduling, invoicing and route planning start eating evenings. The software hub compares the options for lawn and landscaping businesses.

Step 11d: Hiring your first helper

• Complete Form I-9 for every employee (USCIS) and report each new hire to your state within 20 days (HHS Office of Child Support Services).
• Pay: the national median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers is $18.82 an hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). State medians in the 10 largest states run from $17.66 in Texas to $21.90 in California (BLS OEWS state file). See landscaper salary data for metro detail.
• Teen helpers: under federal rules, 14- and 15-year-olds may not operate power-driven lawn mowers, trimmers, edgers or weed-eaters (29 CFR 570.33). 16- and 17-year-olds may work in any non-hazardous occupation (DOL Fact Sheet 43), but driving rules still limit them on public roads.
• Seasonal visas: the H-2B program is capped at 66,000 visas a fiscal year (USCIS), and landscaping and groundskeeping workers were the top H-2B occupation in FY2025 with 89,013 positions certified, 38.3 percent of the total (DOL OFLC).

Hiring guidance for owners, including job postings, lives in the hiring section.

Starting with little money, part-time or as a teenager

How to start a lawn care business with no money

There is no zero-dollar version, but the floor is low: a sole proprietorship needs no state filing, an EIN is free, and the push-mower tier starts near $3,129. Federal grants are not an option: the SBA states it “does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business“. Fund the first season with deposits on spring cleanups and buy the zero-turn from first-year profit.

How to start a lawn mowing business (mowing only)

A mowing-only business is the cheapest version: the push-mower tier, a business license, liability insurance and, in the states in Step 7, a sales tax permit. You skip the pesticide license entirely as long as you do not spray or apply weed-and-feed. The trade-off is price competition, since mowing is the service nearly half of all employer landscaping establishments already sell.

One-man lawn mowing business

A solo operator is the normal case: 537,970 of the industry’s businesses have no employees (Census, 2024). The ceiling is hours. At $50 a cut, $100,000 in receipts takes 2,000 cuts, about 67 a week over a 30-week season. That is a full route five days a week with no rain days, which is why owners who get there usually hire.

How to start a lawn mowing business as a kid or teen

The federal child-labor rule in 29 CFR 570.33 governs employment: it bars anyone who hires a 14- or 15-year-old from putting them on a power mower. A teen running a neighborhood mowing business for themselves is not an employee, but state labor rules vary, so check your state labor department. Self-employment tax still applies once net earnings reach $400 in a year, the same as for adults.