Lawn Care Service Agreement Template

A handshake works until the first dry July, the first skipped week, or the first neighbor who says the lawn looks different from last year. A written service agreement for a recurring account settles those moments before they start. It says what you do each visit, how often, what it costs, what happens when weather gets in the way, and how either side can end the arrangement. This is a lawn care contract template you can copy into a doc, keep as a master, and fill in per customer. Keep it short enough that a customer will actually read it.

Before you use this

This is a starting structure, not a finished contract, and it isn’t legal advice. Contract rules, licensing, home-improvement rules, customer cancellation rights, deposit and late-fee limits, and the rules for applying pesticides or fertilizer all vary by state, and sometimes by city. Something that is routine in one place may be restricted, or require specific wording, somewhere else. 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 agreement template

Parties and property

• Contractor: [Your Company Name] · [phone] · [email] · [mailing address] · [license or registration number, if your state requires it]
• Customer: [Customer name] · [billing email or address]
• Service address: [Street address of the property being serviced]
• Start date: [Date of the first visit]

Keep the service address separate from the billing address. Rental owners, property managers, and seasonal residents often live somewhere else.

Services included

Check what applies and delete the rest. If it isn’t listed, it isn’t included.

Service	Included	Frequency
Mowing	[Yes/No]	[Weekly / every other week / as growth requires]
Edging walks and drives	[Yes/No]	[Every visit / every other visit]
String trimming around fences and beds	[Yes/No]	[Every visit]
Blowing clippings off hard surfaces	[Yes/No]	[Every visit]
Fertilizer or weed control program	[Yes/No]	[[X] applications per season, timing set by contractor]
Aeration and overseeding	[Yes/No]	[Once per [season]]
Spring and fall cleanup	[Yes/No]	[Once each]
Bagging or hauling clippings	[Yes/No]	[Extra charge / not offered]

Write down the mowing height, or “contractor’s standard height for the grass type,” and name the areas included and any that are not (a meadow corner, a slope you won’t mow).

Schedule and service day

• Regular service day: [Day of the week], within a window of [X] days either side.
• The contractor will notify the customer of schedule changes by [text / email / phone] [X] hours before the visit where possible.
• Visits are skipped, not made up, when [the lawn does not need cutting / the grass is dormant], and the price schedule below says how a skipped visit is billed.

If you need to move a whole route for rain or equipment trouble, a short note like the service day change notice keeps the customer informed without a phone call.

Price and billing

• Pricing model: [Per visit at $[XX] / flat monthly at $[XXX] for [X] months / seasonal price of $[X,XXX]]
• Billing: [After each visit / on the first of the month / in [X] equal installments]
• Payment due: [On receipt / by [date] each month]
• Payment methods: [Online payment link, check, bank transfer]
• Extra work outside the listed scope is quoted first and billed at [$XX per labor hour] plus materials.
• Late payment: [State your late payment policy here only after your attorney has confirmed what your state allows.]

For the thinking behind the numbers, see how much to charge for lawn mowing.

Term and cancellation

• This agreement runs from [start date] through [end date], and [renews each season / continues month to month] unless one side ends it.
• Either party may cancel with [X] days written notice, by [email / mail].
• On cancellation, the customer pays for services performed through the last visit. [Prepaid amounts for visits not performed are refunded / credited.]
• The contractor may pause or end service if an invoice is [X] days past due, after notifying the customer.
• [Add any cancellation-rights wording your state requires here, after attorney review.]

Weather, access, and customer responsibilities

• Visits may be delayed or skipped for rain, saturated ground, extreme heat, drought, frost, or unsafe conditions. Delayed visits are completed on the next available day.
• The customer will keep gates unlocked, pets contained, and the lawn clear of hoses, toys, furniture, and debris before the visit.
• Items left in the lawn may be moved or may be missed. [The contractor is not responsible for damage to items left in the mowing area.]
• Lawn health depends on rainfall, irrigation, soil, shade, and pests. Results of any treatment program are [not guaranteed / guaranteed only as described here].

Property damage and utilities

• The customer will tell the contractor about the location of irrigation heads, shallow lines, invisible pet fences, low-voltage lighting, and drain covers, and mark them if they can.
• The contractor takes care around marked items. Damage to items that were not disclosed or marked is [the customer’s responsibility / shared as follows: [terms]].
• Stones and debris thrown by equipment are a known risk. The contractor will clear the lawn of visible objects before mowing, and will [repair or replace / have the customer’s insurance handle] covered damage.
• Report any damage within [X] days of the visit, with a photo if possible.

Insurance and liability

• The contractor carries general liability insurance of [$X,XXX,XXX] and will provide a certificate on request.
• [Workers’ compensation coverage statement, if applicable in your state.]
• Limits on the contractor’s liability, if any, go here, worded and approved by your attorney: [liability language].

Chemical applications (only if included)

• Products used: [fertilizer / pre-emergent / broadleaf control / other].
• The customer will be told before an application, and given the posting or re-entry guidance that applies to the product: [notification method].
• Applications are performed by [a licensed applicator / staff holding the license your state requires].
• [Add any state notice, posting, or registry language here, after review.]

Signatures

• Contractor: ______________________ Date: ________
• Customer: ______________________ Date: ________

Three versions of the same agreement

Per-visit mowing. Keep the schedule section, drop the chemical section, and bill after each cut. This is the lightest version and fits customers who want flexibility. The cancellation clause can be as short as one sentence.

Monthly flat plan. Choose a flat monthly amount across the growing season, and write down what happens in a drought month when fewer visits are needed. The customer is buying consistency, so spell out the number of expected visits and say plainly that the price stays the same whether a month has four cuts or five.

Full lawn program. Add the treatments, aeration, and cleanup rows, plus the chemical section. This version needs the most careful attorney review, because application rules vary the most from place to place. Pair it with a written estimate first: the landscaping estimate template covers the quote, and the proposal template covers larger multi-service accounts.

What to change for your business

• Rewrite the weather clause in your own words. A customer in a wet climate needs a different promise than one in a dry climate.
• Decide your skip policy before the first dry spell. Most disputes come from a customer who thinks they paid for a visit that never happened.
• Match the invoice to the agreement. Use the same service names so the bill never surprises anyone. The landscaping invoice template mirrors this structure.
• Plan the price increase now. If you expect to raise prices for year two, say so in the renewal clause, and send the price adjustment notice in good time. The lawn care price increase letter walks through how to word it.

How to use this template

Copy this into a doc, delete the services and clauses that do not apply, and fill in the brackets for each customer. Keep one master file, and change it only after a conversation with your attorney. Give the customer a signed copy, and keep yours with the account. When the book of recurring customers outgrows a folder of documents, contracts and renewals in the software handle multi-year terms with an annual price increase built in, available on the Pro and Scale plans.