Landscaping Contract Template

On a one-time project like a patio, a planting redesign, or a retaining wall, the contract is the only thing standing between “what we agreed” and “what I thought you meant.” The job is big, the money moves in stages, and the work takes weeks, so surprises are expensive. A good project contract names the scope, fixes the price, ties each payment to a milestone, and says how changes are handled before anyone picks up a shovel. This template is built for that kind of job. It is not for recurring maintenance; for that, see the lawn care service agreement template.

Before you use this

This is a starting structure, not a finished contract, and it isn’t legal advice. Contract requirements, contractor licensing, home-improvement rules, customer cancellation rights, deposit limits, lien notices, and the rules for applying pesticides or fertilizer all vary by state, and sometimes by city. Some places require specific wording, specific notices, or a written contract above a certain size. Nothing in this template should be treated as required, or as enforceable, just because it appears here. Before you use the finished document with a customer, have an attorney or your state contractor board review it. Every bracket below marks a decision you need to make for your own business.

The contract template

Parties and project

• Contractor: [Your Company Name] · [phone] · [email] · [address] · [contractor license number, if your state requires one]
• Owner: [Customer name] · [billing address or email]
• Project address: [Street address where the work happens]
• Project name: [A specific title, such as “Back Yard Patio and Planting Bed”]
• Contract date: [Date]
• Estimated start: [Date or week] · Estimated completion: [Date or week]

If the owner is a tenant, HOA board, or property manager, name who can sign and approve changes.

Scope of work

Describe what you will build in plain terms, in the order the work happens.

1. Demolition and site prep: [What is removed, where it goes, and who hauls it]
2. Grading and drainage: [What is graded, and to what slope or outcome]
3. Hardscape: [Material, dimensions, color, pattern, base depth]
4. Planting: [Plant list with sizes and quantities, or “per attached plan”]
5. Soil, mulch, and edging: [Material and depth]
6. Irrigation or lighting: [Included work, or “not included”]
7. Cleanup: [Debris removal and final blow-down]

Attach the design, plan, or sketch the owner approved, and name it here: [Plan title, revision, date]. If it is not in the scope, it is not in the price.

Exclusions

State what is not part of the job. Common items:

• Permits, engineering, and inspection fees: [owner pays / contractor pays and adds to price]
• Removal or repair of underground items not marked before digging
• Rock, ledge, or contaminated soil found during excavation
• Tree removal or stump grinding: [excluded / priced separately]
• Ongoing watering and maintenance after installation

Price and payment schedule

• Contract price: [$XX,XXX], based on the scope above.
• Deposit: [$X,XXX], due at signing, before materials are ordered or the schedule is held. [State whatever deposit wording your attorney approves for your state.]

Milestone	Amount	Due
Signing	[$X,XXX]	[At signing]
Materials delivered / demolition complete	[$X,XXX]	[On delivery or completion]
Hardscape complete	[$X,XXX]	[On completion]
Planting complete	[$X,XXX]	[On completion]
Final walkthrough and punch list done	[$X,XXX]	[Within [X] days of completion]

Tie each payment to something the owner can see, not a calendar date. “Hardscape complete” settles itself; “week three” does not. Make the milestones add up to the contract price.

• Payment methods: [Check, bank transfer, online payment]
• Late payments: [State whatever policy your attorney has confirmed for your state.]

Allowances and materials

If the owner chooses things like pavers, boulders, or specialty plants, give the budget and the consequences.

• Allowance for [item]: [$X,XXX]. Choices above the allowance are added to the price; choices below it are credited back.
• Substitutions: The contractor may substitute materials of equal or better quality if the specified item is unavailable, with notice to the owner. [Plant substitutions follow the same rule.]
• Natural stone, pavers, and plants vary in color and texture from the samples shown.

Changes to the work

• Any change to scope, materials, or schedule is written down as a change order, with the new scope, the price change, and the schedule effect, and signed by both parties before the extra work begins.
• Unexpected conditions found during the work (see exclusions) are handled as a change order.

Schedule, weather, and access

• Dates above are estimates and depend on weather, material availability, inspections, and the owner’s decisions.
• Rain, frozen or saturated ground, and extreme heat can delay excavation, concrete, planting, and sod. Delays for these reasons do not make the contractor late. The contractor will tell the owner promptly, and a short note like the weather delay notice works well for this.
• The owner will provide access to the work area, water, and [electric/hose bib], and keep pets and children clear of the work.

Property damage and underground utilities

• Before digging, [the contractor / the owner] will request utility locates through the service your state provides. The owner will mark private lines the locate service does not cover, such as irrigation, low-voltage lighting, septic, and invisible fences.
• The contractor is responsible for damage caused by its own negligence. The contractor is not responsible for damage to unmarked or undisclosed lines and systems. [Replace with wording approved by your attorney.]
• Heavy equipment may mark lawns, driveways, and walks along the access route. Protection and repair of those areas is [included / priced here: [terms]].

Insurance and liability

• The contractor carries general liability insurance of [$X,XXX,XXX] and [workers’ compensation as required by state law], and will give the owner a certificate on request.
• Any limit on liability is written here, with your attorney’s help: [language].

Warranty and plant care

• Workmanship: The contractor will correct defects in installation reported within [X] [months/years] of completion. [Define what is and is not covered.]
• Plants: [Plants are replaced once within [X] days / plants are not guaranteed.] This covers failure from installation, and does not cover failure from missing water, pest damage, storm, freeze, or neglect.

Completion and acceptance

• The contractor will notify the owner when the work is complete, and the two will walk the site together.
• Items found at the walkthrough are listed on a punch list, and the contractor will fix them within [X] days.
• The owner’s final payment is due once the punch list is done, even if routine items such as plant establishment continue.

Cancellation and termination

• [State the owner’s right to cancel, with the notice period, in whatever wording your attorney approves for your state.]
• If the owner cancels after work or ordering has begun, the owner pays for work performed and for non-returnable materials ordered, plus [the percentage or amount you and your attorney decide].
• Either party may end the contract for an uncorrected material breach, after written notice and [X] days to fix it.

Signatures

• Contractor: ______________________ Date: ________
• Owner: ______________________ Date: ________

What to change for your business

Small project (a bed, a walkway, a planting). Shorten the scope to a paragraph, use two payments, and drop the allowance and schedule sections. For tiny jobs the landscaping estimate template may be enough.

Design and installation. The full template above. Start with a proposal so the owner approves the design first, then convert the accepted proposal into this contract. The landscape proposal template is built for that handoff, so the scope and price in the contract match what the owner already said yes to.

Phased work over a season or more. Break the payment schedule into phases and name each phase’s scope separately. Add a clause saying that work in later phases can be rescheduled if the owner delays the earlier ones.

How to use this template

Copy it into a doc, delete the sections that do not fit the job, and fill the brackets from your approved proposal rather than from memory. Walk the owner through the scope, payment schedule, and change order sections before they sign. Send each milestone invoice in the same words the schedule uses; the landscaping invoice template follows that pattern. If you want to build the quote and the payment schedule in one place, estimates and proposals in the software are made for that.