Lawn care here in the United States is a booming business, with over 25 million homes using the services of professional lawn care companies. We have all become very accustomed to waking up to the sounds of leaf blowers and the hum of mowers at the crack of dawn as the contractors get to work maintaining the yards and gardens of North America.
So, how much does it cost to hire your own contractor to take care of your yard? What services do they provide, and how do you choose? In this article, I will go into depth and explain the different packages available and the factors that will determine what you’ll pay.
How Much Does a Lawn Care Service Cost? (The Short Answer)
The national average cost for lawn care services is approximately $45 a week. Prices can vary from $20 a week to over $200 a week depending on the location, yard size, grass type, cuts per year, and required additional services. The packages start with simple “Mow & Go Price per Cut” services and expand all the way to “All Inclusive” packages.
Lawn Care Pricing Chart – What You Should Expect to Pay
Lawn care packages vary greatly, from the services offered to the price you can expect to pay. It’s difficult to determine an average estimate because pricing also varies between contractors and their abilities.
So first, let’s take a look at the different types of packages and services you can employ from your local lawn care providers.
| Lawn Care Services | Average Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Mowing | $20 + per cut |
| Aeration | $65 + per service |
| Dethatching | $175 + per service |
| Weeding | $50 + per service (method dependent) |
| Fertilizing | $50 + per application |
| Seeding | $300 + per application |
| Sod Installation | $1 + per ft2 supply & installation |
| Leaf Removal | $50 + per hour |
| Mulching | $25/yard supply & installation |
| Bush Trimming | $50 + per hour |
| Hedge Trimming | $55 + per hour |
| Yard Clean Ups | $150 + per service |
Lawn Mowing
When hiring a lawn care contractor for your home, you will need to decide which lawn services you need. Mowing packages can consist of tasks such as edging and leaf blowing. If you are looking for a cheaper option, then a “mow and go” service could be the better choice. Usually, these services just take care of the actual mowing and leave the rest to the homeowner.
Budgets for single cuts or “one-offs” can start as low as $20 per cut. This is obviously dictated by the size of the lawn and other factors. Therefore, an $80 per month contract should be an average starting point for a lawn care package.
Lawn Aeration
This lawn care method uses a spiked or similar device that cuts into the ground to allow air, nutrients, and water to get to the roots. Lawn aeration is a service that is more specific to subsoils with poor drainage or for over-compacted ground. This is one of the specialist services that contractors can include within their regular services or offer it as a stand-alone.
For an average lawn, $65 is a good starting point to have a contractor perform aeration services on your yard. It’s a relatively simple process, but it does require an expensive piece of equipment.
Lawn Dethatching
Thatch has many benefits for a lawn, but once it is allowed to become too thick, it can cause some problems with irrigation and nutrient access. Dethatching is only suitable for a certain grass type, and a lawn care expert can easily advise whether it’s a good fit for your yard. Additionally, these are services that they will happily include within the lawn care package.
Detaching follows a similar process as mowing but does demand extra cleanup as the thatch removed from the lawn needs to be cleared. Lawn dethatching and clean-up should cost around $175 or more per service.
Bed Weeding
Weeding is one of those jobs nobody really likes to do, and thankfully lawn care companies will gladly take this pesky task off your hands. The price for weeding will depend on the method the contractor uses. Some homeowners may need weeds to be hand pulled, while others may want weeds to be sprayed weekly as part of the lawn care package.
It’s very difficult to determine how much a weeding job will cost because it depends on the amount of weeds and the size of the yard. Therefore, contractors like to quote an hourly rate for this service. Beyond the initial weed removal, many companies will add weekly weed spraying to the lawn care package for an extra $5 or more per week.
Lawn & Plant Fertilizing
You may want to consider fertilizing for more than just your lawn. Lawn care companies provide additional services such as specialist fertilizing. If you have palms, trees, shrubs, citrus, or even roses, lawn care providers can provide specialist plant-specific services on a monthly or annual program.
A single application of lawn fertilizers usually starts at around $50 + and needs to be carried out a few times a year. Once you move into plant fertilizing, another $50 + should cover an average garden’s shrubs but will vary depending on the types and amount of plants.
Seed Application
More and more lawn companies are entering into more specialist tasks, this includes seeding and reseeding lawns. You no longer need to contact a specialist to have your lawn seeded and rolled or if you want to try hydroseeding. Some companies also offer reseeding as part of an annual service that can be offered within a pro-rata annual package.
If you want lawn seeding service done, it will be at an average cost of $300 +. This price should include all the prep, seeding and rolling.
Sod Installation
If you find that you have a large area of sod to install, then you may want to give a lawn care service a call. Taking a number of trips to the Home Depot to buy sod can be hard work, and a lawn care contractor could be a welcome help. A lot of the time, you’ll find that contractors can beat the DIY cost as well.
Leaf Removal
You guys in the north know all too well how big of a task leaf clean-up can be once fall rolls in and leaves scatter across your yard. Hiring a lawn care company that offers leaf removal services can be a welcome break and allows you to sit back and enjoy the fall.
Prices for leaf removal can vary greatly. Different companies use different techniques, from rakes to ride-on leaf vacs. So, the bigger the task, usually the bigger the equipment, and this is reflected in the price. So, for one guy, you’ll look to pay $50 + per hour. If you need the leaves removed, then you could be looking at additional costs.
Bush, Hedge & Tree/Palm Trimming
Another great service that lawn care services provide is the trimming of plants and trees around a homeowner’s yard. Periodic trimming of shrubs and trees are items that most lawn services will be happy to include in your lawn care package. I recommend that you check first to make sure that they do in fact offer these services.
Costs are reflected by the method the contractors have to use. Works that can be performed from the ground and don’t need a ladder are the most affordable. Once the contractor has to use a ladder, prices start to go up. So, a starting cost of $50+ per hour seems to be an average starting point. The price really goes up when you start looking at trees. Hiring your lawn care contractor to trim trees can get expensive, especially if they have to use bucket trucks and chippers. So, even a small tree can cost a few hundred bucks to trim.
Yard Clean-Ups
The last item on the lawn care pricing chart is yard clean-up. Some may be concerned that their yard needs to be of a certain standard before a lawn care contractor will take on full-time or even part-time service. This is definitely not the case. Many lawn care services take on these kinds of projects and are more than happy to help you get your lawn in the shape you want.
From what I have been told and using information from lawn care pricing near me, yard clean ups equate to 4-6 weeks’ worth of lawn work. So, if your lawn costs $25 per cut, then a clean-up would be around $100-150. Also, this would only include getting the lawn cut to the correct height, beds reformed, and the weeds knocked down in the bed.
Factors That May Influence the Cost of Lawn Care
When you’re looking at hiring a lawn care company, it’s important to understand that the prices on my lawn care pricing chart are for average costs in the United States. There are several factors that will affect how the lawn care pricing chart applies to your specific yard. Let’s have a closer look at those factors that could either make it cheaper or more expensive for you.
Location
You should expect to pay different rates depending on the state, county or city you live in. The varying prices come down to a number of reasons, such as contractor licensing, state taxes, gas pricing, and even the cost for the contractor to live in your area. All these items make up the contractor’s overheads which are passed on in the price. For example, lawn care in cities tends to cost more than lawn care in suburban areas.
Average Lot Sizes
An additional factor that will most definitely affect the cost of lawn care is the average lot size within the state where you live. Understandably, those states with larger lots would expect to pay more. So, average lots in Vermont are 10x bigger than those in Illinois. This will mean that for those larger lots, you’ll sit on the high side of averages.
Contractor Route
Contractors like to keep new clients within their specific weekly route. I have heard of many people being charged higher rates because their contractor doesn’t work anywhere nearby. If a contractor can have multiple clients in the same area, they can increase their profits. So, it’s always good to check if your contractor works close by.
Lawn Size
Lawn size plays a big part in how much a lawn care package will cost, but not as much as you would think. Contractors really only have a few different prices that depend on yard size and tend to charge on a time basis. It is unlikely that a contractor would charge you any more if your yard were 10-20% bigger than another yard on their route. Prices are usually calculated on additional factors, such as the other items in this list. But, if you have a yard that is twice the size of a standard yard, then obviously this will reflect in the price.
Yard Access
Most lawn care companies will mow your yard with a zero-turn lawn mower. This means that they need access to the entire yard. If you have big banks or small gates, then the contractor will have to bring out a walk-behind or a weedeater. Even if you have a small yard but have limited access, it’s going to take the contractor longer to cut the yard.
Yard Design
Trees, flowerbeds, and pathways all make a difference in how much a lawn care contractor will charge. Again, these all require extra time; therefore, extra money. Additional work with edgers, weedwhackers, walk-behinds, and blowers not only takes longer but also puts wear on equipment and increases contractor overheads.
Grass Type
If you have had different grass types in the past, you’ll know that some of them are harder to cut than others and can take longer. Again this is reflected in the cost you’ll expect to pay for lawn care services.
Different Services Offered by Lawn Care Companies
I’m sure by now you’ve realized that working out how much lawn services cost is not as simple as you would first think. But thankfully, contractors offer different packages to give homeowners some straightforward options. Let’s take a close look at a couple of packages most contractors offer.
Mow & Go Lawn Care
Mow & Go is as simple as lawn care gets. If all you want is the lawn cut and nothing else, then this is by far the cheapest option. The contractors will cut the grass and then blow the clippings back into the yard. They are not going to weedwack, edge, or take care of the weeds. The cost for grass cutting starts at around $20 a cut, but you should receive a discount if you take on weekly service.
Basic Lawn Care
If Mow & Go is too basic for your needs, then the next step up is the basic package. This usually includes cutting the lawn, weed whacking the grass the mower can’t get to, edging the paths/patios/driveways, and blowing the clippings back into the lawn. Also, it’s common for the contractors to include spraying the weeds on a weekly basis. The additional cost should only be an extra $20 a month for the additional service, but this will depend on the factors above.
Full-Service Lawn Care
If you have a garden with shrubs and low hedges that need to be taken care of, then a full-service package should take care of all your needs. These packages cover all the items in the basic package and have the added benefit of maintaining low-level shrubs. You should expect to pay an additional 50% fee for this type of service.
All Inclusive Lawn Care
Lawn care service prices really depend on how much or how little you want. An All-Inclusive package can include any or all of the items on the lawn mowing price chart above. So, if you want to include mulching, fertilizing, and annual tree trimming within your lawn care, then there are plenty of packages and contractors willing to take on your yard. The cost for All-Inclusive packages can run into several thousand dollars per year, so make sure to do your research and get more than one price quote to review.
Check Out Your Lawn Care Contractors
Before you take on a lawn care contractor, be sure to check them out. There are several boxes they have to tick before you should let them onto your property. If the contractor is a reputable company, then these should not be difficult for them to provide. Here are some examples of what they should have and what you should ask for.
- State Licence
- Country Licence
- City License
- Material Transport Licence
- Tree/Palm Transport Licence
- Fertilizer Applicators Licence
- Chemical Applicators Licence
- Invasive Removal Licence
- Agricultural Certification
- Best Practice Certification
- Arborist Certification
- Liability Insurance
- Workers Compensation
Know What you are Allowed to Do in Your Yard
Once you employ a lawn care contractor you take on the responsibility of their actions. This includes what time of day they are allowed to work on your property, how loud their equipment can be, and even if they are allowed to leave things on the curb for the trash guys. Not every homeowner realizes that there is one rule for the homeowner and one for the contractor, even though it’s the same job. You’ll find all the information you need about city ordinances at your local city hall or on their website. Educating yourself about ordinances could help you avoid a citation.
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