- Generally, if labor and materials are over $1,000, or a permit is needed at any price, you need a license.
Do you need a state license in Arizona?
Arizona licenses some landscaping work at the state level and leaves the rest alone. Which side of that line a job falls on decides whether you need the state license.
Generally, if labor and materials are over $1,000, or a permit is needed at any price, you need a license.
Arizona license types for landscaping work
Arizona splits the work into 2 licenses. Pick the one that matches the jobs you take, since working outside its scope is the same as working without one.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| R-21 Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems | Residential patios, walkways, low decks, garden walls, fences, short retaining walls, landscape lighting, water features and irrigation systems |
| CR-21 Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems | Dual license covering both the commercial C-21 and residential R-21 scopes |
Steps to get licensed in Arizona
- Pick the R-21, C-21 or CR-21 class for the work you do.
- Apply to the Registrar of Contractors.
- Remember the $1,000 line: above it, or whenever a permit is needed, you need the license.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
The license to apply for. R-21 Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems (residential), C-21 (commercial) or CR-21 (both).
Arizona landscaping exams
Trade exam. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Business and law exam. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
What it costs in Arizona
We could not confirm the current fee schedule on an official page. Check with the board before you budget: Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
Insurance and bond
Insurance. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Bond. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Reciprocity. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Good to know in Arizona
- The old CR-21 Landscaping and Irrigation Systems licenses were renamed CR-21 Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems.
After you are licensed
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for a landscaper near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors and the official pages below, checked October 9, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.
More for your trade: how landscaping companies run on Koira.