LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Some Licenses and Certifications Related to Landscape Horticulture Work

I occasionally get questions from people who are interested in getting into landscape-related work for pay. The easiest type to get into is general yard work, including mowing, edging, and hand-weeding. Without a state license, as long as the work is not on commercial property, one can also engage in “trimming of hedges and shrubbery, under the direction and responsibility of the owner of the property” and pruning trees “under the specific direction and responsibility of the owner of the property” if “the branch to be removed is two inches or less in diameter and is within ten feet of ground level.”

If a person is paid a fee for doing landscape work beyond what is described above, Louisiana generally requires a license. A Landscape Horticulturist license allows a person to do things such as preparing beds, installing landscape plants or sod, giving advice on plant selection and placement, fertilizing, and doing shrub pruning beyond what is described in the above paragraph. Licensing requires passing an exam administered by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) and paying a fee. The study guide for the exam is called The Louisiana Manual for the Environmental Horticulture Industry and can be ordered from the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association.

It’s not required by law, but some people who do landscaping work also choose to get Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional (CNLP) certification through the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association (LNLA). The study guide for this is the same one for the state license exam. LNLA hosts CNLP manual review and exam sessions.

One thing that a Landscape Horticulturist license does not allow people to do is to be paid for a landscape plan itself. While a Landscape Horticulturist can draw plans while preparing to install plants, they cannot sell a landscape design itself. In Louisiana, to do this, one must be licensed as a Landscape Architect. (Describing what’s required to become a landscape architect is beyond the scope of this article.)

Another profession for which state licensure is required is arborists. These are people who, as well as removing trees, care for them by doing things such as pruning, fertilizing, and cabling. As with the Landscape Horticulturist license, to attain the Arborist license, one must pass an exam and pay a fee. The study guide for this exam is the Arborists' Certification Study Guide from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). There is a separate certification, Utility Arborist, for those who remove trees or prune “along utility rights of way.”

There are also options to get tree work credentials beyond the required state license. For example, some people choose to become Certified Arborists through ISA.

People who do landscape work sometimes want to be able to, for example, apply herbicides for lawn weeds or use fungicides or insecticides on landscape plants. State law requires those who apply herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, or other pesticides to others’ landscapes for a fee to have a pesticide applicator’s license and commercial applicator certification. (For Arborists, there is an exception that allows application of “…pesticides only for the purposes of retarding decay or disease.”) Those who will be applying pesticides to landscape plants and turfgrass take a general standards exam and the ornamental and turf pest control exam. The study materials for these are the National Pesticide Applicator Certification Core Manual and the Ornamental and Turf Pest Management study guide, respectively. Both can be ordered from LSU AgCenter’s Online Store.

For more information about Landscape Horticulturist, Arborist, and related licenses and permits, you can check out LDAF’s Nursery and Landscape Licensing website (https://www.ldaf.la.gov/plants/nurseries-landscaping). People interested in hiring someone can also use this website to find names of licensed individuals. For information on pesticide licenses, see LDAF’s Pesticide Licensing website (https://www.ldaf.la.gov/plants/pesticides/pesticide-licensing).

There will likely be other requirements for operating a landscape-related business, such as a business license from the local government entity in which it’s based. Organizations such as the Louisiana Small Business Development Center or your local chamber of commerce can likely provide guidance.

Let me know if you have questions.

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Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).