STATE LICENSE
RequiredUtah Division of Professional Licensing (…
The S330 Landscape and Recreation Contractor specialty covers grading and preparing land for decorative treatment, planting lawns and trees, irrigation systems (connected to culinary water only through a backflow device installed by a licensed plumber), retaining walls within load limits, patios and decks, fences, garden lighting on class 2 or 3 power-limited circuits, sports courts, and pools — but no electrical or plumbing trade work. Tree removal and artificial turf installation are exempt by DOPL rule.
Applying pesticides or herbicides for hire is regulated separately by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food: a certified applicator license, a pesticide applicator business registration, or — for 'caution'/'warning' herbicides on ornamental and turf weeds — an ornamental and turf technician permit. A 2026 amendment requires landscape specialty contractors to take one CE hour per cycle on water-conservation or fire-risk landscaping.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
DOPL licensing preempts local contractor licenses (§ 58-55-301(1)(c)); retaining walls, fences, and pools may need local permits. Pesticide licensing is statewide through UDAF.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Utah 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.
In Utah, grading and planting for decorative treatment are inside the S330 contractor scope — not just hardscape.
S330 may subcontract plumbing and electrical work but not perform it; garden lighting must stay on class 2 or 3 power-limited circuits.
Landscape specialty contractors spend one of their six CE hours on water-conservation or fire-risk landscaping principles.
A practical sequence for a new landscaping contractor in Utah. 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 a construction trade or acting as a contractor without the appropriate license (or an exemption) is unlawful conduct; DOPL may cite instead of prosecuting, and citations escalate.
A contractor may not sue in a Utah court to collect compensation for licensed work without alleging and proving it was licensed when the contract was made and when the claim arose.
Violating the agriculture title, including applying pesticides for hire without a license.
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: Current text of the R156-55a-301 scope of practice for this classification (adminrules.utah.gov renders client-side and could not be retrieved); scope wording here comes from the 2019 consolidation rulemaking (DAR File No. 43747), and the classification name from DOPL's 2026 application · Whether routine lawn mowing and garden maintenance (not construction) fall outside the S330 licensing requirement — no official statement retrieved · That tree removal and artificial turf installation remain on the current R156-55a-301 exempt-activities list (confirmed in the 2019 rule text only) · UDAF ornamental and turf technician permit fee and pesticide applicator CEU recertification hours
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.