How to become a landscaper in Louisiana

The path in Louisiana, step by step

Louisiana licenses landscaping work at the state level through the Louisiana Horticulture Commission, Department of Agriculture and Forestry. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Pass the Horticulture Commission exam for your profession.
2. Get licensed by the Horticulture Commission.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: landscaping and irrigation license in Louisiana.

Finding an apprenticeship in Louisiana

Louisiana 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 Louisiana State Apprenticeship Agency 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 Louisiana

The license to aim for: Landscape Horticulturist license (Landscape Irrigation Contractor for irrigation).

Trade exam. Yes. Licenses are issued through examination.

What landscapers earn in Louisiana

The median landscaper in Louisiana earned $16.76 an hour in May 2025, 49th of 51 states, with 8,510 on payrolls. The national median was $18.82.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of landscapers in Louisiana earned under $14.24 an hour and a tenth under $11.88. At the top, a quarter earned over $17.78 and a tenth over $20.52.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: landscaper salary in Louisiana.

Jobs ahead in Louisiana

Louisiana's labor market office projects jobs for landscapers growing from 10,680 in 2022 to 10,940 in 2032, a change of 2.4%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 1,400 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 2.4% from 2022 to 2032, slower than the 3.6% projected nationally, ranking 46th 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 Louisiana

To contract on your own in Louisiana, the license is the Landscape Horticulturist license (Landscape Irrigation Contractor for irrigation).

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Louisiana median of $16.76 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $100.02 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.