Two closed binders and a pen on a conference table, How to Start a Landscaping Business in Nevada

How to Start a Landscaping Business in Nevada

Last verified: November 5, 2026

This guide is for someone who wants to run a landscape contracting company in Nevada: irrigation, desert planting, rock and hardscape, plus ongoing maintenance. The line that decides everything else is $1,000. Under NRS 624.031(6), repair or maintenance work valued under $1,000, labor and materials included, is exempt from contractor licensing, but not when a building permit is required, when the job is part of a larger project of $500 or more, or when you are the licensee's employee. Above that line you need a license from the Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) before you bid, and getting it takes months. If you only want to mow, trim and blow on small recurring accounts, start with How to Start a Lawn Care Business in Nevada instead.

Where the Demand Is: Southern Nevada Turf Removal

The clearest local demand driver is water policy. The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) Water Smart Landscapes rebate pays residential customers $5 per square foot of grass removed and replaced with desert landscaping, for up to the first 10,000 square feet, and $2.50 per square foot beyond that, per property per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). It also pays $100 per qualifying new tree. SNWA states that customers must get approval before removing grass and that you can hire any contractor or do the work yourself, so the rebate does not itself require a licensed contractor. (Amounts as shown on the SNWA page on November 5, 2026; they change, so check the page.)

The second driver is the nonfunctional turf rule. SNWA's laws and ordinances page says the restriction on irrigating nonfunctional grass takes effect January 1, 2027 for commercial, multi-family, government and other non-single-family properties, and does not apply to grass at single-family homes. Our reading: that makes 2027 a year to pursue property managers and HOAs with streetscape and courtyard turf, but a licensed contractor is the one who can legally bid the conversion when it crosses $1,000. Northern Nevada has no equivalent rebate that we verified, so do not assume this demand exists in Reno.

What It Costs to Get Legal

ItemCostNotes
LLC articles of organization$75NRS 86.561. One-time.
Initial list of managers or members$150NRS 86.263. Annual list is also $150.
State business license (LLC)$200NRS 76. Renews yearly; $500 for a corporation.
First-year state cost for an LLC$425$75 plus $150 plus $200. Recurring years: $350.
NSCB license feesSee notesNAC 624.130 lists $600 to issue or renew a license and $300 to consider an application for a classification you do not hold. Confirm the current fee schedule with the NSCB.
Contractor bond or cash deposit$1,000 to $500,000NRS 624.270(4). The Board sets the amount from your financial and professional responsibility. The premium you pay a surety is separate and varies by applicant.
Local business licenseVariesSet by each city or county. Confirm with the office in Step 4.

Equipment, vehicles and insurance are market prices, not set by any agency, so we do not print ranges. Get written quotes for a mower or two, a trailer or truck, and general liability and commercial auto coverage before you decide on a launch date, and keep the contractor license, bond and insurance in the budget from day one.

Step 1: Choose Your Business Structure

Use an LLC unless a lawyer or CPA tells you otherwise. Landscaping puts you on other people's property with trenchers, irrigation lines and equipment, so liability protection is the reason to form one. Be honest about its limit: an LLC does not protect you from your own negligence or from a bond claim you personally guaranteed, and mixing personal and business money can weaken it.

  • Sole proprietorship: no state formation filing, but you still need the state business license and you carry personal liability.
  • LLC: file Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State ($75), then the initial list ($150) and the state business license ($200). Nevada has no personal or corporate income tax, but the license and annual list recur every year.
  • Corporation: filing starts at $75, the state business license is $500, and the annual list starts at $150. Not worth the extra cost for most one-crew companies.

Nevada's Commerce Tax only applies above $4,000,000 in Nevada gross revenue per fiscal year, so a new landscaping company will not file one. See Nevada Department of Taxation: Commerce Tax. Once you have employees, the Modified Business Tax applies at 1.17% of quarterly wages above $50,000, and employers file every quarter even when nothing is due.

For the full filing walk-through see How to Start an LLC in Nevada. If you would rather not file yourself, compare LLC formation services in Nevada.

Step 2: File With the Secretary of State

Check that your name is available with the Nevada Secretary of State entity search, then file through the state's SilverFlume business portal, which now sends you to the ORION portal. You need a Nevada registered agent with a physical Nevada street address, your business address, and the articles. File the initial list and state business license in the same sitting: the SOS FAQ says they are due by the last day of the month after you file your articles, and a late state business license carries a $100 penalty. Expedite options exist; we have not verified the current expedite price list, so confirm it with the Secretary of State before paying for speed. The statute itself (NRS 86.263(1) and NRS 76.100) calls for the initial list and the license at the time of filing, so filing them together with the articles is the safe course; confirm the current due date with the Secretary of State.

Step 3: Get Your C-10 Landscape License

Landscape contracting is classification C-10 under NAC 624.280. It covers grading and preparing plots for architectural horticulture; decoratively planting and maintaining gardens, lawns, shrubs, trees and other vegetation; drainage and landscape irrigation systems; rock, sand, gravel and other landscape materials; xeriscape work; hydroseeding; and nonengineered decorative ponds, trellises and arbors. It also allows limited related work such as nonload-bearing brick or stone walkways up to 200 square feet and landscape retaining walls up to 3 feet high. Anything beyond that scope, such as a taller retaining wall or electrical work, needs a different classification or a subcontractor, and bidding past your license scope is grounds for discipline.

What the Board requires

  • Experience: at least 4 years, within the 15 years before you apply, as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the classification you want (NRS 624.260(6)). Approved secondary or postsecondary training can count for up to 3 of those years (NAC 624.590).
  • Exam: the applicant or a qualified employee must pass an exam given by an independent testing service within 6 months of filing the application (NAC 624.600). A third failure voids the application, and you must wait at least 30 days to refile.
  • Bond or cash deposit: required before the license issues, between $1,000 and $500,000, set by the Board (NRS 624.270). After 5 consecutive years of licensed activity in Nevada the Board may release you from it.
  • Financial responsibility and good character: the Board measures these independently of your owners' personal assets (NRS 624.263, 624.265). Expect to submit financial statements.

We could not verify the exam passing score, the current exam fees or the typical processing time from here, so do not rely on any number you see in a prep-course ad: ask the NSCB for its current fee schedule and application timeline. For the application mechanics, see our Nevada contractor license guide.

What unlicensed work costs

An NSCB citation for acting as a contractor without an active license can include an administrative fine of up to $50,000 (NRS 624.341(2)(b)). Advertising a construction project without the responsible licensee's name and license number is also cause for discipline (NRS 624.3017), so put the number on your truck, website and bids.

Step 4: Register for State and Local Requirements

  • EIN: free from the IRS EIN page. Beware paid look-alike sites. You need one for a business bank account and to hire.
  • Sales tax: the Department of Taxation states a 6.85% base state rate, with local add-ons that vary by county. A seller's permit costs $15 per location. Whether you collect tax depends on how you structure and invoice materials, so ask the Department of Taxation before your first job instead of guessing.
  • Local business license: required by the city or county where you work. Start with City of Las Vegas, Clark County, City of Henderson or City of Reno. Fees are not verified here: confirm with the office.

Step 5: Insurance and Employees

Buy general liability before your first bid, and add commercial auto if you drive a work truck: a personal auto policy typically excludes business use, so confirm with your agent. When you hire your first employee you must carry workers' compensation under NRS 616A and register for unemployment insurance; the Nevada Department of Business and Industry's Division of Industrial Relations covers the workers' compensation side. Landscaping injury risk is real (heat, equipment, trenching), so price this coverage before you set hourly rates, not after.

Launch Order That Avoids Expensive Mistakes

  1. Confirm you meet the 4-year experience rule. If not, work for a licensed C-10 contractor first.
  2. Form the LLC and get the EIN and state business license.
  3. Apply to the NSCB, arrange the bond or deposit, and schedule the exam.
  4. Register with the local city or county where you will work.
  5. Bind liability, commercial auto, and workers' compensation if hiring.
  6. Pursue only work under $1,000 and within the exemption's conditions until the license is in hand, or subcontract to a licensee.
  7. Bid with your license number on every ad, contract and vehicle.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Treating the $1,000 exemption as a loophole. It ends once a permit is required or the job is part of a larger project of $500 or more.
  • Bidding outside C-10. A retaining wall over 3 feet, a gas line, or electrical work belongs to another license.
  • Ignoring the monetary limit on your license. NAC 624.640 says a bid or contract that exceeds the limit placed on your license is void.
  • Assuming a rebate means no license. SNWA lets homeowners use any contractor, but the Board still decides whether you may bid the job.

Sources

Important Disclaimer

This article is informational and not legal, tax or business advice. Licensing rules, fees and tax rates change, so confirm current requirements with the Nevada State Contractors Board, the Nevada Secretary of State, the Department of Taxation and your city or county before you file or bid. Consult a Nevada-licensed attorney about structure and liability and a CPA about taxes.

Keep exploring: related Nevada guides