- Alabama requires a Horticulture Professional Services License from the Department of Agriculture and Industries for businesses that do landscape design, landscape planting, tree surgery or ornamental and turf pest control, with a certified operator.
- The business needs a certified operator who has passed the exams for each category.
- Plan for a trade exam.
- Pay runs from about $12.68 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of landscapers to $22.73 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 7.6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 3.6% projected nationally.
The path in Alabama, step by step
Alabama licenses landscaping work at the state level through the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Pesticide Management Section. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Pass the exams for your categories, such as Setting of Landscape Plants or Landscape Design.
- Get certified through the department.
- Apply for the Horticulture Professional Services License and pay $175.
- Renew every year before September 30.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: landscaping and irrigation license in Alabama.
Finding an apprenticeship in Alabama
Alabama runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship as the contact.
Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.
Across the country. Grounds maintenance work is learned on the job, usually in 1 month or less. Pesticide sprayers, handlers and applicators may need more training, up to 1 year.
License levels and exams in Alabama
The license to aim for: Horticulture Professional Services License.
Trade exam. Exams for each category, given by computer through Metro Institute.
Keeping it. Every year. Licenses run October 1 to September 30.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Setting of Landscape Plants (SLP) | Planting landscape plants. |
| Landscape Design (LD) | Landscape design. |
| Tree Surgery (TS) | Tree work. |
| Ornamental and Turf Pest Control (OTPS) | Pest control on ornamentals and lawns. |
What the Alabama license costs
The fees the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Pesticide Management Section lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Horticulture Professional Services License, yearly | $175 |
What landscapers earn in Alabama
The median landscaper in Alabama earned $17.13 an hour in May 2025, 47th of 51 states, with 12,020 on payrolls. The national median was $18.82.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of landscapers in Alabama earned under $14.26 an hour and a tenth under $12.68. At the top, a quarter earned over $18.54 and a tenth over $22.73.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $12.68 | $26,370 |
| 25th percentile | $14.26 | $29,650 |
| Median | $17.13 | $35,630 |
| 75th percentile | $18.54 | $38,570 |
| 90th percentile | $22.73 | $47,270 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: landscaper salary in Alabama.
Jobs ahead in Alabama
Alabama's labor market office projects jobs for landscapers growing from 14,020 in 2022 to 15,080 in 2032, a change of 7.6%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 1,960 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 7.6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 3.6% projected nationally, ranking 30th of the 50 states in the file.
These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
Starting your own landscaper business in Alabama
To contract on your own in Alabama, the license is the Horticulture Professional Services License.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Alabama median of $17.13 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $100.67 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.
The full checklist is in how to start a landscaping business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.
Where this comes from
The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is Alabama's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.
- Professional services licenses (checked 2026-10-09)
- Commercial applicators (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-3011
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2022 to 2032 (state labor market offices) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship System (Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agencies) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Offices (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Program (checked 2026-10-09)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Grounds Maintenance Workers (checked 2026-10-09)
Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become a landscaper.