How to become a landscaper in Mississippi

The path in Mississippi, step by step

Mississippi licenses landscaping work at the state level through the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, Bureau of Plant Industry. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Submit the License Exam Application and qualify to take the exams.
2. Pass the exams on the scheduled date.
3. File a surety bond of at least $1,000.
4. Request the license and ID cards for you and your employees.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Mississippi

Mississippi has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Mississippi Apprenticeship Office 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 Mississippi

The license to aim for: Landscape Horticulturist License.

Trade exam. Landscape horticulturist exams, after you qualify to sit for them.

Keeping it. Every 3 years, with an updated surety bond.

What the Mississippi license costs

The fees the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, Bureau of Plant Industry lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What landscapers earn in Mississippi

The median landscaper in Mississippi earned $15.21 an hour in May 2025, the lowest median of 51 states, with 4,940 on payrolls. The national median was $18.82.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of landscapers in Mississippi earned under $13.54 an hour and a tenth under $11.72. At the top, a quarter earned over $17.99 and a tenth over $21.82.

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

Jobs ahead in Mississippi

Mississippi's labor market office projects jobs for landscapers growing from 7,360 in 2022 to 8,020 in 2032, a change of 9%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 1,050 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 3.6% projected nationally, ranking 29th 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 Mississippi

To contract on your own in Mississippi, the license is the Landscape Horticulturist License.

Bond. A surety bond of at least $1,000.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Mississippi median of $15.21 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $97.30 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.