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Trade Playbook

Landscaping & Hardscaping

No provincial trade licence required

Landscaping and hardscaping is one of the easiest construction-adjacent businesses to start in Ontario — no trade licence — though pesticide application, tree work, and retaining walls bring their own certifications and permits.

Landscaping & Hardscaping at a glance

Licence to do the work
Not required — open entry; pesticide and tree work have their own licences
Path in
Seasonal crew work — the classic summer job that becomes a business
Regulated by
Municipality; Ontario One Call for any digging
Insurance baseline
$1M–$2M CGL + equipment coverage

Where are you right now?

Learn it. Earn it. Own it. Pick the door that matches where you are.

Getting inBecome a landscaperHow people actually enter this trade: sponsors, registration, hours, and school.Open Going out on your ownStart a landscaping businessThe step-by-step from qualified tradesperson to incorporated, insured, bid-ready owner.Open Just lookingCommon questionsLicences, costs, timelines: the questions everyone asks, answered straight.Open

The licensing layer, explained

No provincial landscaping trade licence. You need a municipal business licence, WSIB, and insurance. Specific scopes add requirements: structural retaining walls may need engineering and permits, pesticide application requires a licence, and excavation triggers Ontario One Call locates. Manufacturer certification (interlock/SRW systems) supports hardscape warranty work.

Insurance to expect

Lower-risk overall, but equipment, vehicle, and client-property exposure apply. $1M–$2M CGL is typical; add equipment coverage for mowers, skid steers, and trailers.

Go to the source

The official pages that govern this trade. Bookmark these, they are the final word on requirements and fees.

Keep reading

IncorporationCRA RegistrationWSIB & ProvincialTrade LicensingInsuranceSafety ComplianceOperational SetupBid Readiness

Ready to build a landscaping business?

AEC Stack handles incorporation, licensing, insurance, compliance, and operations, so you can focus on the work.

Start your business