Top 10 Best Landscapers in Marin County, California (Updated 2026)

What a C-27 landscaping license covers

A landscaping contractor in California holds a C-27 Landscaping license from the Contractors State License Board. CSLB's C-27 classification says the contractor constructs, maintains, repairs, installs or subcontracts the development of landscape systems and facilities for public and private gardens, and prepares and grades the land for that work.

The regulation ties that work to the grounds within or surrounding a structure, or a plot of land. More than six in ten housing units in Marin County are detached single-family houses, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, table B25024. The table counts buildings, not yards.

Business and Professions Code section 7027.5 adds prime contracts for an outdoor cooking center, or an outdoor fireplace not attached to a dwelling, when it is part of a residential landscape project the contractor supervises.

Gardener or landscaping contractor

CSLB's consumer sheet on gardeners and landscaping contractors says gardeners who routinely maintain yards, by mowing, weeding and trimming shrubs, generally are not required to hold a state license. A license is needed once they install construction-related extras or do repairs above the dollar limit for unlicensed work.

CSLB sets that limit at $1,000 in combined labor and materials. A license is required at any price if the job needs a building permit or the person uses employees or other workers. The general contractors page covers that rule, contracts and down payments.

CSLB's consumer sheets list yard projects that require a license.

The tree rule comes from Business and Professions Code section 7026.1. It treats anyone who removes trees, prunes trees or removes stumps as a contractor, except a gardener who does incidental pruning of trees less than 15 feet tall in the normal course of routine work. CSLB's list of limited specialty classes shows D-49 Tree Service as now under the C-49 Tree and Palm Contractor class. Those companies are on the tree service page.

How to check a landscaper's license

1. Ask for the contractor's license number. It has up to eight digits and no letters.
2. Enter it in CSLB's Check a License tool. You can also search by business name or by the name of a person on the license.
3. Confirm the license is current and carries the C-27 classification, or another class that fits the job.

CSLB also verifies licenses by phone at (800) 321-CSLB (2752).

Landscape architects hold a separate license

The Landscape Architects Technical Committee (LATC), under the purview of the California Architects Board, licenses individual landscape architects, not firms or corporations. Its license search lists them by license number, name or city.

Business and Professions Code section 5641.4 lets a licensed landscape contractor design systems and facilities for work it will perform and supervise. The same section bars the contractor from using the title landscape architect without that license.

Section 5641 lets any person draw planting plans and conceptual designs for a single family dwelling, but site changes that need grading and drainage plans must be prepared by a licensed professional. Architects have their own page in the directory.

When the water efficient landscape ordinance applies

California sets water efficiency standards for new and renovated yards through the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, known as MWELO. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) says every local agency must adopt and enforce MWELO, or a local ordinance at least as effective. The ordinance text that DWR publishes on that page applies by project size.

Both apply only when the project requires a building or landscape permit, plan check or design review. Registered historical sites are exempt.

Permits in Marin County come from the city or town where the property is, or from the County of Marin for unincorporated areas. Those offices are on the government and services page.

Spraying pesticides for hire needs its own license

The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) says California requires a license or certification for businesses that apply pesticides for hire, and it names maintenance gardener pest control businesses among them.

DPR's licensing packet says a maintenance gardener who occasionally does pest control in support of a gardening business must hold a Maintenance Gardener Pest Control Business License. Each business must have a qualified applicator with a valid Qualified Applicator Certificate or License. That person supervises all of the pest control the business does.

The packet says a business whose primary purpose is pest control needs a Pest Control Business License instead. The directory lists pest control companies on their own page. Pest control that is incidental to new construction, including establishing new landscapes, does not require the maintenance gardener license.

Landscapers are one of the trades listed in the home services section of this directory.

Who licenses landscapers in Marin County?

The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses landscaping contractors statewide under the C-27 Landscaping classification. There is no separate Marin County license. Landscape architects are a different profession. They are licensed as individuals by the Landscape Architects Technical Committee, which is under the purview of the California Architects Board.

Does a gardener need a contractor license in California?

CSLB says gardeners who routinely maintain yards by mowing, weeding and trimming shrubs generally are not required to hold a state contractor license. That changes if they install construction-related extras or do repairs above the dollar limit for unlicensed work. CSLB requires a license for work valued at $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials.

How do I check a landscaper's license in California?

Use the license check on the Contractors State License Board website, or call (800) 321-CSLB (2752). You can search by license number, business name or the name of a person on the license. Confirm the license is current and carries the C-27 Landscaping classification, or another class that fits the job.

How do I file a complaint against a landscaper in California?

File a construction complaint with the Contractors State License Board, online or with a printed form. CSLB handles complaints about licensed and unlicensed contractors for up to four years from the date of the act. CSLB states that an investigation is not meant to obtain restitution, and points people who want money back toward the courts.

When does California's water efficient landscape ordinance apply?

The state's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance applies to new construction projects with a landscape area of 500 square feet or more, and to rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more. In both cases the project must require a building or landscape permit, plan check or design review. Local agencies enforce it.

Does a gardener need a license to apply pesticides in California?

Yes, when the work is for hire. The Department of Pesticide Regulation says a maintenance gardener who occasionally does pest control in support of a gardening business must hold a Maintenance Gardener Pest Control Business License. Each business must have a qualified applicator who holds a valid Qualified Applicator Certificate or License.