Utah Landscaping License Requirements

Utah licenses defined landscape-construction work through the S330 Landscape & Recreation Contractor specialty classification. Its scope includes land preparation for architectural, horticultural, or decorative treatment and planting/arranging vegetation, with specified related work such as irrigation systems, retaining walls within the rule’s limits, decks, fences, decorative pools, and incidental concrete, excavation, or asphalt. It excludes ordinary electrical, plumbing, and natural-gas work except for narrow rule-defined allowances; those services require the properly licensed trade contractor. Utah separately exempts lawn aeration, fertilizing, power raking, and dethatching from contractor licensure. A landscaping business that uses or advertises pesticides for hire has a separate Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) commercial applicator/business path. State contractor licensing does not replace local building, grading, water, land-use, or inspection approvals.

Regulatory Body

Utah Division of Professional Licensing; Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (DOPL / UDAF) administers the credential or scope-specific rules discussed here under Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55; Utah Admin. Code R156-55a; Utah Code Title 4, Chapter 14. Whether that pathway applies depends on the work scope and conditions explained below. DOPL licenses S330 specialty contractors and administers contractor compliance. UDAF separately licenses commercial pesticide applicators and businesses. Local authorities administer project permits, plans, inspections, and utility/water approvals.

Official portal: https://commerce.utah.gov/dopl/contracting/
Address: 160 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 530-6628

Eligibility Requirements

This guide does not establish a minimum applicant age; confirm any age requirement with the issuing authority. Check the current application for identification and tax-number requirements. DOPL does not publish a landscape-specific Utah residency rule. An entity must complete Utah entity registration; DOPL provides separate instructions for sole proprietors and for applicants without an SSN.

Good moral character

The current Contractor Application requires disclosure of discipline, pending criminal matters, specified convictions, and financial-responsibility history. DOPL may request supporting records.

Background investigation

The current contractor page says a fingerprint-based contractor background-check requirement begins January 1, 2027. Do not represent fingerprinting as an already-effective 2026 S330 requirement.

Experience and Education

There is no published year count for this credential in the cited sources. What actually controls eligibility is The current specialty-contractor page requires a 25-hour pre-licensure course, insurance, business records, and application. It does not list the former two-year/4,000-hour S330 experience affidavit, supervisor verification, or education substitution..

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

25-hour approved specialty-contractor pre-licensure course completion
Current Contractor Application with S330 selected
Utah entity registration where applicable and EIN/sole-proprietor information
General-liability insurance certificate naming DOPL as certificate holder
Workers’ compensation certificate and tax/unemployment records when the business has employees, or a Workers’ Compensation Coverage Waiver when it does not
UDAF commercial applicator/category results and commercial-business records only when pesticide services are offered
Local permits, plans, water/backflow, and inspection records required for the project

Education substitution

The current DOPL materials do not state that horticulture coursework substitutes for an S330 experience threshold. Do not use voluntary landscaping education as a substitute for the 25-hour course or contractor application requirements.

Exam Requirements

No statewide examination is specified for this pathway. The controlling process is: No S330 contractor examination is listed in DOPL’s current contractor exam page

Examination fee: DOPL’s current exam page lists the Business and Law examination for specified general, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC classifications—not S330. Pesticide testing is separate and only applies to the pesticide work actually offered.

Retake policy: No S330 contractor retake rule is published on DOPL’s current exam page. For commercial pesticide work, UDAF directs applicants through AIMS/testing and requires the applicable exam results before it issues the individual license.

Insurance and Bonds

The cited materials impose no contractor license bond for this credential. Bear in mind that specific contracts, permits, or public works can still require their own bonds.

General liability

DOPL’s current contractor announcement sets the all-contractor minimum at $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. The specialty application page requires the certificate to name DOPL as certificate holder and cover the contractor’s scope.

Workers' compensation

With employees, submit workers’ compensation, Utah withholding-tax, and unemployment-insurance records (or approved PEO documentation). Without employees, obtain the Utah Labor Commission Workers’ Compensation Coverage Waiver.

Additional financial requirements

The current specialty application does not impose the former universal $6,000 qualifier-pool contribution or $50,000 individual S330 bond. DOPL may require a bond after reviewing financial responsibility under the statute and rule.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$175
Initial license	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every 2 years)	$128

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Utah landscaping.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Expect to renew the Utah S330 Landscape & Recreation Contractor — Conditional Pesticide Licensing every 2 years. Renewal currently costs $128. DOPL contractor licenses expire November 30 of odd-numbered years. Pesticide licenses have separate UDAF renewal/testing-or-CE requirements and should not be treated as S330 renewal.

Continuing education: Complete six approved CE hours per licensing period: three core hours and three core or professional hours. DOPL says no more than three hours may be completed online. If an S330 licensee installs a backflow device, the rule requires at least two of the six hours to concern backflow installation.

Reciprocity

Utah does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

DOPL’s current contractor process is endorsement based on a similar active out-of-state contractor license held in good standing for at least one year, with ownership-continuity evidence. It does not publish the former S330-only Arizona/California/Nevada trade-exam waiver. UDAF applicator reciprocity is a separate application route.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Landscaping license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Landscaping Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Utah's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

Arizona Landscaping License Requirements — Arizona Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems Contractor (C-21, R-21, or CR-21)
Colorado Landscaping License Requirements — Colorado Landscaping — Local Requirements; CDA Licensing for Pesticide Application
Idaho Landscaping License Requirements — Idaho Contractor Registration for Landscaping + ISDA Pesticide Rules
Nevada Landscaping License Requirements — Nevada C-10 Landscape Contractor License Requirements
New Mexico Landscaping License Requirements — New Mexico Landscaping — Local Requirements; Separate Trade/Pesticide Scope
Wyoming Landscaping License Requirements — Wyoming Landscaping Contractor — Local Requirements and Pesticide Licensing Guide

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Map the proposed work to S330 and other trades. S330 covers defined landscape/recreation construction and related scope. Identify electrical, plumbing, gas, structural, or pool work that needs another licensed contractor or a different classification.
Separate exempt maintenance from licensed construction. Utah’s rule specifically exempts lawn aeration, fertilizing, power raking, and dethatching. For other maintenance-only services, evaluate the actual scope and statutory exemptions rather than assuming S330 always applies.
Complete the 25-hour specialty pre-licensure course. DOPL identifies ABC, UHBA, and AGC as approved providers. This course is required for specialty contractor licensing.
Prepare the DOPL business, insurance, and employment records. Register the entity where applicable, obtain an EIN or use the sole-proprietor route, obtain current required liability coverage, and provide workers’ compensation/tax/unemployment records or a coverage waiver as applicable.
File S330 and secure project approvals. Submit the current Contractor Application and primary-classification fee. Then obtain the applicable city/county permits, inspections, grading/site approvals, and water/backflow approvals.
Add UDAF credentials only for pesticide services. A person using, advertising, or making pesticidal claims for hire/compensation needs the UDAF commercial applicator path; a business offering that work has separate commercial-business requirements. Select the Core and category testing that actually fits the service.

Application Checklist

The most critical documents or confirmations the applicant should have in hand before filing with DOPL / UDAF:

Written scope map distinguishing S330 work from electrical, plumbing, natural-gas, structural, and pool scope
25-hour DOPL-approved specialty pre-licensure course
Utah entity registration where applicable and EIN/sole-proprietor records
$1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate liability certificate naming DOPL
Workers’ compensation certificate and tax/unemployment records, or coverage waiver
$175 DOPL application fee plus current surcharges
Current local building, grading, land-use, water/backflow, and inspection approvals
UDAF commercial applicator and business records only if pesticide work is offered
Appropriate Core and pesticide-category results for pesticide services

Common Filing Mistakes

Based on the board's own instructions and the sources cited here, the problems below are what most often stall a Utah Landscaping application.

Using the old S330 “Landscaping and Irrigation Sprinkling” scope

The current classification is S330 Landscape & Recreation Contractor. Check the current rule for its detailed scope, trade exclusions, and pool limitation.

Claiming the old two-year, 25-hour, two-exam path

The 25-hour specialty course is current, but DOPL’s current specialty/exam pages do not support the former two-year experience or S330/Business-and-Law examination claims.

Using obsolete insurance and bond-pool figures

DOPL’s current announcement states $1 million per occurrence/$2 million aggregate. The current application does not establish a universal $6,000 pool contribution or $50,000 S330 bond.

Treating pesticide credentials as part of S330

S330 and UDAF pesticide credentials are separate. Add UDAF individual and business licensing only when the company actually offers covered pesticide work.

Skipping local or trade-specific approvals

State S330 licensure does not replace city/county permits or the separate electrical, plumbing, gas, water/backflow, or pool contractor requirements for work outside S330 scope.

Study and Reference Materials

The references below are either cited by the board, used during the application, or standard preparation for the trade. They are listed purely for convenience — CLR earns no commission on any of them.

DOPL specialty-contractor application and 25-hour course providers — Utah DOPL. Current specialty application, fees, insurance, employment records, and approved pre-licensure course providers.
Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act Rule, R156-55a — Utah Office of Administrative Rules / DOPL. S330 scope, trade exclusions, specified maintenance exemptions, backflow CE, and specialty-contractor limits.
UDAF pesticide licensing and educational materials — Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Use the current AIMS application/testing instructions and the Core/category material only when providing pesticide services.

Other Utah Trade Licenses

Should the Landscaping path not apply, these other Utah trade guides from CLR may help:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Utah require an S330 license for landscaping?

Utah uses S330 for the defined Landscape & Recreation Contractor construction scope. The rule separately exempts lawn aeration, fertilizing, power raking, and dethatching. Assess the actual work and statutory exemptions rather than treating every landscape-maintenance service as S330 work.

Does S330 include irrigation work?

The S330 scope includes specified sprinkler and artificial-watering/irrigation systems. It limits culinary-water connections and has specific backflow conditions; electrical, other plumbing, and gas work remain outside the ordinary S330 scope.

Does S330 require two years of experience and two contractor exams?

The current DOPL specialty-contractor page requires the 25-hour pre-licensure course but does not list the former two-year experience, S330 trade exam, or Business-and-Law exam claims. DOPL’s current exam page does not list S330.

Do landscape companies need a UDAF pesticide license?

Only if they use or apply pesticides for hire/compensation, make pesticidal claims/remedies, or advertise/solicit pesticide work. That is separate from S330 and can require both an individual commercial applicator and a commercial pesticide-business license.

Can an S330 contractor install a swimming pool?

The 2026 DOPL rule materials remove swimming-pool installation from S330 and identify B100 General Contractor or R100 Residential Contractor as the applicable pool-installation paths. Decorative pools and specified self-contained/factory-built spas remain expressly listed in S330 scope.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.