Find a Pro Hiring guide
How to Hire a Landscaper in South Charlotte (2027)
Updated
Our 2027 landscaper rankings are in progress. Until they publish, this guide covers the license rules, permits and questions that apply in every South Charlotte town.
Does a landscaper need a license in North Carolina or South Carolina?
In North Carolina, a landscaping company needs a state license once all of its contracts for one job site over 12 months reach $30,000, and irrigation jobs of $2,500 or more need a separate irrigation contractor license. Mowing, edging, debris removal and lawn care alone need neither. In both states, anyone paid to apply pesticides to your lawn or beds needs a commercial applicator license, from the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or, in South Carolina, from Clemson University’s Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Before you sign, look a North Carolina company up with the NC Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Board, the NC Irrigation Contractors’ Licensing Board and the NCDA&CS credential search.
How to check a landscaper’s license
North Carolina splits yard work across three state licenses. The job decides which one you check.
- Landscaping construction (G.S. Chapter 89D): installing and managing plantings, finish grading, drainage, low voltage lighting, garden pools, retaining walls, walks and patios. Exempt are jobs under $30,000 per site in 12 months, owners working on their own property, licensed building, residential and public utilities general contractors, clearing and grading, erosion control, tree pruning and removal, and mowing, edging, debris removal and lawn care only. Local governments may not require a license for work under $30,000.
- Irrigation (G.S. Chapter 89G): installing, expanding, servicing or repairing irrigation systems for pay. Exemptions include jobs where all contracts for the site total less than $2,500 and owners working on their own property.
- Pesticides (license 026, Commercial Ground Applicator): anyone applying pesticides for pay on someone else’s property, with landscapers, lawn care and mosquito companies named as examples.
North Carolina
Find the number
A licensed landscaping contractor must display the license number on all business cards, contracts and vehicles.
Search the boards
Check the landscaping board’s licensee search, then the irrigation board’s NCICLB individual licensees and NCICLB corporate licensees for sprinkler or drip work.
Check the spray license
For weed control or any spraying, search the NCDA&CS credential search under license type 026, by last name.
South Carolina
For lawn and shrub treatments, ask for the company’s commercial applicator license in Category 3, Ornamental and Turf. Clemson’s Department of Pesticide Regulation says licensing is mandatory in that category, and new applicants must file an Evidence of Financial Responsibility form completed by their insurer.
Who issues tree permits in your South Charlotte town?
Tree rules change at each town line, and several towns fine by the tree.
Ask your town before anyone takes down a big tree. North Carolina’s landscaping license does not cover tree pruning and removal (G.S. 89D-13), so the rules to check are your town’s ordinance and your HOA’s guidelines. DBH below means trunk diameter at breast height.
| Town | Who to ask | What the rules say |
|---|---|---|
| Ballantyne, NC | City of Charlotte Urban Forestry; 311, or 704-336-7600 from outside Mecklenburg | A heritage tree is any North Carolina native tree 30 inches DBH or larger, and removing one takes a City tree work permit. A dead, dying or hazard heritage tree is exempt if an ISA Certified Arborist certifies it or its condition is documented in photos or video first. Removal brings replanting plus a mitigation payment. |
| Marvin, NC | Village of Marvin Planning, (704) 843-1680 | The Village says permits are required for tree removal, and the Tree Removal Permit fee is $50 (fee schedule adopted May 4, 2026). The Marvin Development Ordinance, adopted May 14, 2024, exempts routine maintenance, dead or diseased trees and land disturbance normally tied to living in an existing home. Disturbing trees before a permit carries a penalty of $10,000 per acre, prorated. Call before you cut. |
| Weddington, NC | Town of Weddington, through its Self-Service Permitting Portal | The Unified Development Ordinance, amended October 12, 2026, writes its tree rules for residential development and protects Heritage trees: deciduous, noninvasive native trees 20 inches DBH or larger, with lower lines for some species, such as 18 inches for hickories and pecans, 10 inches for magnolias, red and sugar maples and elms, and 5 inches for dogwoods. The penalty for removing a tree 8 inches DBH or larger without the administrator’s permission is $1,000 per tree, and $800 per inch for a Heritage tree, capped at $50,000 per tree. The UDO does not say whether an owner of an existing home needs permission for one tree, so ask first. |
| Waxhaw, NC | Town of Waxhaw planning staff | The Land Development Code (posted version revised November 15, 2023) applies its tree chapter to new development and substantially modified existing development. Heritage trees, 36 inches DBH or larger, are to be preserved on private land wherever feasible. Ask before removing a large tree. |
| Matthews, NC Indian Trail, NC Monroe, NC | Town of Matthews Planning, 704-847-4411; the Town of Indian Trail or City of Monroe planning office | Call the planning office before removing a tree and ask whether your lot needs a permit. |
| Fort Mill, SC | Town of Fort Mill Planning Department, 803-547-2034; York County planning outside town limits | The new zoning code, Ordinance 2026-38 (September 2026), applies its tree section only to major subdivisions and nonresidential development over two acres. |
| Indian Land, SC | Lancaster County planning, and your HOA | Ask the county before removing a tree. In Sun City Carolina Lakes, the HOA lets a homeowner remove any tree on the lot without approval (villa trees are removed by the Association through a work order), but planting a tree needs a modification request. |
Your HOA is a separate approval
The Sun City Carolina Lakes Architectural Design Guidelines (Vol. 8.3, approved February 11, 2026) require approval before exterior and landscaping changes, and say a Lancaster County permit does not bind the HOA’s committee. Read your own HOA’s guidelines before you plant or cut.
Insurance, bonding and warranties
A North Carolina license comes with a bond behind it. A licensed landscaping contractor keeps a $10,000 surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit, takes 7 hours of continuing education a year and renews every year, per the NC Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Board. A licensed irrigation contractor carries a $10,000 bond or letter of credit and takes 10 hours a year, 6 in irrigation and 4 in business. The pesticide license renews yearly for $75, and its certification runs five years.
For tree work, Marvin offers a useful benchmark. On Village land and rights of way, tree crews need an ISA Certified Arborist, ANSI A300 compliance, and liability and workers’ comp insurance, though the Village does not directly regulate tree companies on private property. It’s fair to ask any crew on your lot for the same.
Coming in 2027: the irrigation board proposes readopting its rules with a proposed effective date of January 1, 2027, including yearly random audits of continuing education and updated underground utility locate rules.
What to ask a landscaper before you hire, and the red flags
Get the contract right first. The NC Irrigation Contractors’ Licensing Board says a contract should carry the contractor’s full name, address and license number; the system design, materials and locations; a cost breakdown and total; the payment schedule and deposit; start and finish dates; and any warranties or insurance on parts, labor and installation. Then ask:
- Will you set the controller to my water schedule? In its normal level and Stage 1, the Union County Water Shortage Response Plan limits customers to three irrigation days a week, on the schedule at UnionConserves.com. Private wells are outside it.
- In Fort Mill, should I add an irrigation only meter? The Town offers them so irrigation water is not billed for sewer, and the homeowner or a plumber connects the line. Fort Mill Utilities: 803-547-7158.
- What is your pesticide license number? Then look it up yourself.
Red flags
A door to door offer. A company using another firm’s license number. A business that does not advertise a physical address. Report pesticide misuse to the NCDA&CS Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division at (984) 236-4625.
When should you book lawn work in South Charlotte?
For a tall fescue lawn, book your fall work early. N.C. Cooperative Extension calls tall fescue a cool season grass and says September through mid October is a good time to seed it, with fall also a good time to aerate and to fertilize after a soil test. Warm season lawns such as bermuda and zoysia wait until spring and summer. Get on a company’s schedule before September.
Questions about hiring a landscaper in South Charlotte
Do landscapers need a license in NC?
For bigger jobs, yes. The NC Landscape Contractors Licensing Board license is required when all contracts for a job site over 12 months total $30,000 or more, under G.S. 89D-13. Mowing, edging, debris removal, lawn care only, tree pruning and removal, and clearing and grading are exempt. Irrigation is separate and needs a license once a job reaches $2,500.
Do I need a license to spray herbicides in NC?
Yes, to spray them for pay on property owned by someone else. The NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services requires the 026 Commercial Ground Applicator license for anyone applying pesticides, other than from the air, for compensation, and it names landscapers and lawn care companies as examples. The license renews every year for $75. Ask a lawn company for its number and check it on the NCDA&CS credential search.
Can I cut down a tree on my property myself?
Check your town and your HOA first, because the answer changes by place. In Charlotte, including Ballantyne, a native heritage tree 30 inches DBH or larger needs a City tree work permit unless it is dead or hazardous and documented. In Marvin, the Village requires a $50 tree removal permit, with exemptions such as routine maintenance and dead or diseased trees. In Sun City Carolina Lakes in Indian Land, the HOA does not require approval for a homeowner to remove a tree on the lot, though villa trees are removed by the Association.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Charlotte NC?
For a heritage tree, yes. The Charlotte Tree Ordinance, adopted May 15, 2023, lets a heritage tree come down when a City tree work permit is requested and approved. Dead, dying or hazard heritage trees are exempt when an ISA Certified Arborist certifies the condition or it is documented first. The civil penalty for the total loss of a protected tree runs up to $20,000 per tree.
How do I find a certified arborist near Charlotte?
Start with the ISA website, which is where the Village of Marvin points property owners to find ISA Certified Arborists. That credential carries weight locally: Charlotte accepts an ISA Certified Arborist certification as the way to show a heritage tree is dead, dying or a hazard.
Changes to this page
- November 3, 2026: 2027 edition published.