- Plan for a trade exam.
Do you need a state license in North Carolina?
North Carolina licenses landscaping work at the state level through the North Carolina Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board. Below is what the board asks for, in the order you will run into it.
The North Carolina license for this work
There is one license to aim for here.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Irrigation contractor | Licensed separately by the NC Irrigation Contractors' Licensing Board |
Steps to get licensed in North Carolina
- 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.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
The license to apply for. Landscape contractor license.
North Carolina landscaping exams
Trade exam. Yes. The board gives the licensing examinations.
Business and law exam. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
What it costs in North Carolina
We could not confirm the current fee schedule on an official page. Check with the board before you budget: North Carolina Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board.
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 North Carolina
- Irrigation contracting has needed its own license since June 30, 2009, from the Irrigation Contractors' Licensing Board.
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 North Carolina Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board 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.