- North Carolina law says no one may do landscape construction or contracting, or call themselves a landscape contractor, without a license from the Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board.
- Plan for a trade exam.
- Pay runs from about $14.70 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of landscapers to $22.83 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 11.6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 3.6% projected nationally.
The path in North Carolina, step by step
North Carolina licenses landscaping work at the state level through the North Carolina Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Pass the Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board exam.
- Get your landscape contractor license before you advertise or take landscape construction work.
- If you install irrigation, get licensed by the Irrigation Contractors' Licensing Board too.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: landscaping and irrigation license in North Carolina.
Finding an apprenticeship in North Carolina
North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina
The license to aim for: Landscape contractor license.
Trade exam. Yes. The board gives the licensing examinations.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Irrigation contractor | Licensed separately by the NC Irrigation Contractors' Licensing Board. |
What landscapers earn in North Carolina
The median landscaper in North Carolina earned $18.22 an hour in May 2025, 37th of 51 states, with 32,730 on payrolls. The national median was $18.82.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of landscapers in North Carolina earned under $17.23 an hour and a tenth under $14.70. At the top, a quarter earned over $21.40 and a tenth over $22.83.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $14.70 | $30,580 |
| 25th percentile | $17.23 | $35,830 |
| Median | $18.22 | $37,910 |
| 75th percentile | $21.40 | $44,510 |
| 90th percentile | $22.83 | $47,490 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: landscaper salary in North Carolina.
Jobs ahead in North Carolina
North Carolina's labor market office projects jobs for landscapers growing from 37,590 in 2022 to 41,960 in 2032, a change of 11.6%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 5,500 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 11.6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 3.6% projected nationally, ranking 21st 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 North Carolina
To contract on your own in North Carolina, the license is the Landscape contractor license.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the North Carolina median of $18.22 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $102.59 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 North Carolina'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.
- NC Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board (checked 2026-10-09)
- NC Irrigation Contractors' Licensing Board (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.