STATE LICENSE
RequiredNevada State Contractors Board (NSCB)
A C-10 licensee may grade and prepare plots for horticulture, plant and maintain gardens, lawns, shrubs and trees, build drainage and landscape irrigation, install xeriscape rock and gravel, hydroseed, control erosion, and install nonengineered decorative ponds, trellises and arbors. Alongside that work, C-10 also allows brick or stone walkways up to 200 sq ft, patios up to 400 sq ft, retaining walls up to 3 ft, and landscape lighting up to 24 volts (NAC 624.280).
Chemicals are a second license: under NRS 555.280, anyone applying pesticides for hire needs a Department of Agriculture applicator license, and the business needs a pest control business license — the urban categories include C1 limited landscape and C6 weeds.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Contractor licensing is exclusively state (NSCB) and pesticide licensing is exclusively state (Department of Agriculture). Cities and counties issue permits, inspect, and set local landscape water rules; local business licensing is set by each jurisdiction.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Nevada 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.
C-10 covers landscape lighting up to 24 volts; anything above is electrical C-2 work.
The NSCB license does not authorize pesticide application — that is the Department of Agriculture's license, renewed every December 31.
Every Nevada license carries a monetary limit — the largest contract you may take on one site for one client — set from your financial statement. Bidding over it voids the bid; one-project increases must be approved before you bid.
A practical sequence for a new landscaping contractor in Nevada. 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.
Acting as a contractor or bidding without an active license; penalties escalate with each offense, and the maximum fine may be enhanced by up to 10% of the contract value if work began or money was received.
In addition to prosecution, the Board may fine each violation of the license requirement or unlawful advertising.
A bid or contract made without a license is void from the start, and an unlicensed contractor cannot sue to collect payment.
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: Which classifications the Board treats as 'significantly affecting the health, safety and welfare' of the public — work in such a classification loses the under-$1,000 exemption under NRS 624.031(6)(c); no Board list was retrieved · Whether the Board treats routine mowing and yard maintenance under $1,000 per job as exempt under NRS 624.031(6) or as C-10 work (C-10 scope includes 'maintain' lawns and gardens) · Current PSI exam fees for the Business and Law (CMS) and trade exams (set by the testing vendor; not published in NAC 624) · Whether the Board is currently collecting the full statutory Recovery Fund assessment or a reduced amount under NRS 624.470(3) (the Board FAQ lists the full $200 / $500 / $1,000 schedule) · The NSCB General Requirements FAQ still lists older unlicensed-contracting fines (first offense 'not more than $1,000'; second $2,000–$4,000; third $5,000–$10,000). NRS 624.750(2) as amended in 2025 sets $1,000–$4,000, $4,000–$10,000 and $10,000–$20,000 — the statute is used here
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.