California C-27 Landscaping Contractor License: Scope, Verification, and Contractor vs. Architect

The C-27 classification covers installing and building landscape systems — planting gardens and lawns, irrigation, drainage, grading, and decorative outdoor work such as walkways and hardscape — to beautify, develop, or improve a parcel of land.

Some of that work overlaps other classifications: paver and retaining-wall work can fall under C-29 (masonry) or C-8 (concrete), and if the landscaper applies pesticides as part of the job, that is a separate California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) applicator credential to check.

A landscape contractor (CSLB C-27) builds and installs the landscape. A landscape architect designs it and is licensed by a different body — the Landscape Architects Technical Committee (LATC) — with a separate lookup. Homeowners often land on the wrong database searching to 'verify a landscaper.'

For someone building your yard, verify the CSLB C-27. For someone producing design or planning documents, that is the LATC credential.

Any project where combined labor and materials total $1,000 or more must be performed by a CSLB-licensed contractor — the threshold rose from $500 to $1,000 on January 1, 2025 under Assembly Bill 2622 (Business & Professions Code §7048). Below $1,000, a narrow minor-work exemption can apply only if the job isn't part of a larger project and the worker discloses, in advertising and bids, that they aren't licensed.

Larger landscape projects — grading, drainage, and hardscape — can also require city permits, separate from the contractor's license. For anything beyond minor planting, look for an Active C-27.

Confirm the license is Active and the C-27 classification is listed — on the CSLB "Check a License" tool or on the contractor's profile in this directory. Match the license to the business you're hiring. Check that the $25,000 contractor bond is on file (Business & Professions Code §7071.6) and that workers' compensation coverage — or a valid exemption — is shown.

Browse Active C-27 landscaping contractors by city in the California landscaping directory and see each one's dated CSLB status before you hire.

A landscaping contractor must carry workers' compensation insurance for any employees. A contractor that genuinely works alone can currently file a no-employee exemption, so the CSLB record may show an exemption rather than a policy — confirm one or the other before you hire.

Senate Bill 1455 will extend that requirement to every CSLB licensee — regardless of employees — on January 1, 2028, with CSLB's exemption-verification process live by January 1, 2027. Five high-risk classifications already carry no exemption at all — C-8 (concrete), C-20 (HVAC), C-22 (asbestos abatement), C-39 (roofing), and D-49 (tree service) — and must hold coverage regardless of employees.