Hiring a Landscaper in NYC

Start here: how ServHom is different

Most lead-generation marketplaces make money by selling the same homeowner request to multiple competing companies at once. ServHom takes a different approach: no landscaping company can pay for higher placement, and we surface the trust signals we have on file so you can compare companies on something other than who called first.

Use the checks in this guide with anyone you hire, whether you find them on ServHom or somewhere else, then compare real NYC landscaping companies using the links throughout this page.

Which kind of landscaping job do you actually have?

The word "landscaping" covers jobs that have almost nothing in common once you get past the name. Mowing, drainage work, tree work, and hardscaping are priced differently, regulated differently, and involve different questions to ask before you hire, so it is worth being specific about which one you actually need before you start collecting quotes.

Tree work is different from ordinary landscaping

A landscaper can mow your lawn or plant a bed without ever raising a legal question. Tree work is not the same. NYC has a real, specific rule about who is allowed to remove or prune a tree, and it trips up more homeowners than almost anything else in this category.

The tree standing in the strip of dirt between the sidewalk and the curb, the one that looks like it is "in front of your house," is in most cases a City street tree, not yours to remove. A tree standing entirely on your own lot is generally yours. Removing or damaging a street tree without a permit from NYC Parks is a real offense, punishable by a fine of up to $15,000. Construction or excavation within 50 feet of a street tree needs a permit too, even when the work itself happens on private property.

If you are not sure which kind of tree you have, confirm with a tree company or 311 before anyone starts cutting, and check your building or district's own rules if you are in a co-op, condo, or landmarked district, since those can require separate approval on top of the City's.

What landscaping actually costs in NYC

"Landscaping" is not one price category, current NYC cost data makes that clear on its own. Angi's 2026 New York data puts a standard professional landscaping project at $3,363 on average, while routine mowing, a much smaller recurring job, averages $243 for a standard yard, with small, frequent, straightforward jobs commonly running below that. Match the number below to the job you actually identified above, not to "landscaping" as one thing.

• Routine lawn mowing: usually priced per visit or as a recurring service. Angi's New York data puts a standard mowing job at $243 on average, though small yards on a frequent recurring schedule commonly start below $100 per visit, and yard shape or obstacles like play equipment can push the price higher.
• Seasonal yard cleanup: a separate, smaller job from a full landscaping project. Angi's New York data puts this at $215 to $1,130 depending on yard size and how overgrown it is.
• A full landscaping project (new plantings, redesign, general hardscaping): averages $3,363 in NYC per Angi, with lot size and design complexity driving the total up or down significantly.
• Sod installation: $1 to $3 per square foot installed, per NYC-specific data.
• Drainage work broadly (grading, catch basins, French drains, sump systems): NYC yard drainage projects average $4,571 per Angi. A French drain specifically is usually priced by linear foot, $10 to $75 per foot professionally installed, with most full NYC-area French drain projects in ServHom's own cost guide landing between $1,650 and $12,250 depending on length, depth, and where the water has to go. These two figures cover related but different scopes, not the same job priced two ways.
• Tree work is priced separately by size and whether the tree is a street tree or private, see the tree work section below and the dedicated tree removal cost guide.

The NYC rules most landscaping quotes leave out

A few real, checkable NYC rules apply to landscaping work, and none of them show up on a typical price list.

Since April 1, 2025, separating yard waste from regular trash for NYC Curbside Composting has been mandatory for property owners, and the Department of Sanitation can fine noncompliance. The less obvious part: DSNY is explicit that yard waste generated by a professional landscaper cannot be set out for curbside collection at all. A hired company is required to haul its own waste to a permitted composting facility, not leave it in your bin. Asking a landscaping company how they handle waste disposal is a real, practical vetting question, not a technicality.

For any job that involves drainage, grading, or a French drain, NYC's Plumbing Code prohibits site grading or drainage work that causes storm water to flow across a sidewalk or onto an adjacent property. Yards are required to drain into a storm sewer, a combined sewer, or another place of disposal approved by the Department of Environmental Protection. A private on-site system like a dry well is only permitted under specific conditions, generally when a public storm or combined sewer is not available or connecting to one is not feasible, not simply because the work happens on your own property, and where it is allowed it still has to sit at least 5 feet from any lot line and 10 feet from a foundation. "It drains away from the house" is not the same question as "is this outlet actually approved."

If the project involves any digging, NYC requires contractors and excavators to contact New York 811 at least 48 hours before beginning work so underground utility lines can be marked. Ask whether this has been done before anyone breaks ground, not after.

When landscaping becomes construction

A landscaping project can cross into a different set of NYC rules once it stops being maintenance and starts being a structure. Fences and retaining walls are the two most common ways this happens.

• Fences: for one- and two-family homes, DOB generally does not require a permit for a fence 6 feet or less, and a homeowner can install one themselves. But zoning can cap it lower: in lower-density districts (R1 through R5), fences are limited to 4 feet unless the fence was built before April 30, 2008. Taller fences, other property types, and different fence heights need a DOB filing.
• Retaining walls: a wall that faces a public right-of-way and is 10 feet or higher at any point requires a mandatory inspection every five years by a Qualified Retaining Wall Inspector, with real civil penalties (starting at $250 a month) for a late or missing filing. This is an ongoing compliance obligation for the owner, not a one-time construction detail.
• If a project involves a fence, retaining wall, or significant grading near a property line, confirm exactly where that line is before work starts. A few feet of uncertainty is a much bigger problem once something has already been built or excavated.

Do you need a licensed contractor for this?

Landscaping is not a standalone licensed trade in NYC the way plumbing or electrical work is, but that does not mean no license ever applies.

• DCWP's own licensing page is explicit that a Home Improvement Contractor license covers "the construction, replacement, or improvement of basements, driveways, fences, garages, landscaping, patios, porches, sidewalks, swimming pools, terraces, and other improvements" to residential property, and applies once the job costs more than $200.
• For purposes of this specific license requirement, NYC Admin Code defines the covered building as one with four residences or dwelling units or fewer, which is the overwhelming majority of NYC properties with an actual private yard. A routine mowing visit rarely rises to the level where this matters in practice, but a bigger landscaping, grading, drainage, fence, or retaining wall project usually should.
• Do not just take a company's word for it. DCWP runs a free, public license search where you can check whether a business actually holds a current license before you sign anything.

How to vet a landscaping company

The signals to check are different from a licensed trade like plumbing: insurance, a real business, and a written scope matter more than a single license number.

• Ask for proof of general liability insurance. Damaged fences, irrigation lines, or a neighbor's property from a stray mower, trimmer, or excavation are a real risk on almost any landscaping job.
• For anything beyond routine mowing, check whether the company holds a current NYC Home Improvement Contractor license using DCWP's own license search, not just by asking.
• Ask how they handle yard waste disposal, and for any digging, whether New York 811 has been contacted. A company that cannot answer either question clearly is a real red flag.
• For drainage work specifically, ask exactly where the water outlet is planned, whether it is an approved connection, and get it in writing. A vague answer here is the single biggest red flag in that category.
• Get the scope in writing: exactly what is included, the frequency or timeline, and whether cleanup, waste disposal, restoration of the lawn or pavers afterward, and permits are billed separately.
• Get at least three written quotes for the same scope before assuming a number is high or low. A lower quote is often missing something the higher ones include, waste hauling, soil, restoration, or permit costs, so compare what each one actually covers before comparing the final number.

Landscaping quote red flags

A few specific answers are worth treating as a real warning sign, not just a preference.

• Wants to start digging without mentioning New York 811.
• Proposes routing drainage toward the sidewalk or a neighbor's property.
• Says a dry well is automatically fine because it is on your own property, without addressing whether it is actually a permitted system for your situation.
• Cannot explain who is responsible for hauling away yard waste generated on the job.
• Wants to remove a front-yard tree without confirming whether it is actually a City street tree.
• Cannot show a current HIC license for a job beyond basic recurring maintenance, or resists you checking it yourself.
• Gives a major drainage or hardscaping quote without ever seeing the property in person.
• Asks for a large deposit before any work starts. NYC contract rules require progress payments to bear a reasonable relationship to work actually done, not an arbitrary large upfront percentage.

Finding a landscaper you can trust

On many lead-generation marketplaces, a "verified" badge is often just a paid listing fee, not a real check on insurance or licensing. Do not assume a badge tells you exactly what was checked, look for the underlying evidence instead: license records, insurance information, and other source-labeled facts. ServHom takes a different approach: no landscaping company can pay to rank higher, and you see real, ranked businesses with the trust signals we have on file, so you can decide who to contact yourself.

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