Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

The credential path, step by step

1. 1
   Get hired without a credential1 month or less of on-the-job training

   BLS says entry-level grounds maintenance jobs typically have no formal education requirements, although employers may prefer a high school diploma or equivalent, and that workers typically need 1 month or less of on-the-job training to learn planting and maintenance and to use mowers, trimmers, leaf blowers, small tractors and other equipment.

2. 2
   Understand which spraying needs a licence

   Federal rules under 40 CFR Part 171 govern applicators of restricted use pesticides and set the standards states, tribes and federal agencies must meet in their own certification plans. The relevant commercial category for this work is ornamental and turf pest control, which covers the use or supervised use of restricted use pesticides to control pests in the maintenance and production of ornamental plants and turf. States and tribes are the certifying authorities under EPA-approved plans, and most extend their own licensing beyond restricted use products to cover commercial application generally, which is why BLS says most states require a licence for anyone applying pesticides.

3. 3
   Meet the minimum age and pass the exams

   Federal rules require a commercial applicator to be at least 18 years old and to pass a written examination covering both the core standards applicable to all categories and the standards for each category sought, plus any performance testing the certifying authority requires. In California, for example, the Qualified Applicator Certificate requires you to be 18 before being admitted to the examinations, and to pass the Laws, Regulations and Basic Principles exam plus at least one pest control category exam at 70 percent or higher. The categories relevant to this trade are B Landscape Maintenance and subcategory Q Maintenance Gardener; applicants for Q only take the Q examination, which includes the laws and regulations content.

4. 4
   Or work under direct supervision while you get certified

   Federal rules allow a noncertified applicator to use restricted use pesticides under the direct supervision of a certified applicator, but only if conditions are met: the noncertified applicator must be at least 18 (16 only for a family member supervised by a private applicator, and never for fumigants or aerial application), must have been instructed within the last 12 months in the safe operation of the equipment they will use, must have access to the product labelling at all times, must be given site-specific and pesticide-specific instructions they can understand, and must have a means of immediately contacting the supervising applicator.

5. 5
   Budget for renewal, because it is on a clock

   Federal rules provide that each commercial and private applicator certification expires five years after issuance unless recertified, and allow the certifying authority to set a shorter period. Recertification is by written examination or through an approved continuing education programme. California runs a shorter cycle: QAC holders renew every two years on a schedule set by the first letter of their surname, and after the first renewal must accumulate at least 20 hours of approved continuing education every two years, four of which must cover pesticide laws and regulations. Holders of subcategory Q only need eight hours.

6. 6
   Add voluntary certification if it helps you win work

   BLS notes professional certification is not required but demonstrates competency and reliability for prospective clients and employers, and points to CareerOneStop for the options. It also notes that pesticide sprayers, handlers and applicators may need additional training lasting up to 1 year, and that large institutional employers such as golf courses, university campuses and municipalities may supplement on-the-job training with instruction in horticulture, arboriculture, urban forestry, insect and disease diagnosis, tree climbing or small-engine repair.

Exams you have to pass

• Commercial pesticide applicator certification examination

  A written examination that must cover the core standards applicable to all categories plus the specific standards for each category sought, with any additional performance testing the certifying authority requires. The certifying authority is the state or tribe, not the EPA, so the exam, fees and delivery differ; the competency standards the exam must meet are federal.

  Administered by State, tribal or federal certifying authority under an EPA-approved plan.

Who governs the credential

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  Sets the federal standards for certification and recertification of applicators of restricted use pesticides at 40 CFR Part 171, defines the commercial applicator categories including ornamental and turf pest control, sets the minimum age of 18 and the five-year certification life, and approves the state and tribal certification plans that actually issue the credentials.

• California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)

  An example of how a state implements the federal floor: DPR examines, licenses and certifies pesticide applicators and the businesses that apply pesticides for hire, including maintenance gardener pest control businesses, and issues the Qualified Applicator Certificate whose category B and subcategory Q cover landscape work.