STATE LICENSE
ConditionalSee what applies
Mowing, planting, and hardscaping need no state trade license in Indiana. The trigger is product: since SEA 216 took effect July 1, 2024, any business that applies pesticides or fertilizer materials to another person's property for hire must hold a Pesticide Business License from the Office of Indiana State Chemist, carry liability insurance, and employ a licensed for-hire applicator. Fertilizing turf for hire requires a Category 3b (Turf) certification — a rule most lawn-care start-ups miss.
The local layer is the second trap. Indianapolis Code § 875-101 requires anyone doing construction, land alteration, driveway, or excavation work in the Consolidated City to be a licensed (listed) contractor with a $10,000 bond and $500,000 liability coverage.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Product licensing is state-level through OISC. Construction-type landscaping is local: Indianapolis requires a BNS listing for land alteration, driveway, and excavation work, and other jurisdictions apply their own permit rules. Indiana has no statewide contractor license outside plumbing, so the license question is answered where the work is: the Consolidated City of Indianapolis (BNS, Revised Code Chapter 875) runs a real licensing program with bonds and insurance; Allen County's Building Department licenses building, residential, home-improvement, and sub-contractors for the Fort Wayne area; and cities like Lafayette and counties like Monroe run their own electrical boards. The Attorney General's own guidance is that licensing requirements vary from community to community.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Indiana county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Indiana regulates fertilizer application for hire alongside pesticides — a lawn company that only fertilizes still needs the business license and a 3b-certified applicator or registered technicians.
Pure mowing, planting, and maintenance carries no state license fee. Costs start when you spray, fertilize, or alter land in a licensing city.
Using pesticides on a golf course without a Category 3b license carries its own civil penalty line in 357 IAC 1.
A practical sequence for a new landscaping contractor in Indiana. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Engaging in the business of applying pesticides for hire without a pesticide business license.
Using or supervising pesticide use on a golf course without a Category 3b commercial applicator license.
Applying a pesticide so it drifts in sufficient quantity to harm a non-target site.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Whether Indianapolis applies § 875-101 'land alteration' to routine landscape installation without grading or excavation · Whether irrigation tie-ins to potable water fall under the state plumbing license in every case
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.