How to bid lawn care jobs, residential and commercial

Say a homeowner calls in early spring and asks what you charge to mow "a normal-size yard" every week. You could say a number off the top of your head. The trouble is that the number decides your whole season: once a weekly customer accepts a price, it is hard to change it in July, and a price that is five dollars too low on thirty lawns becomes a lot of money by October.

Lawn care bids look simple because the work is repetitive. That is exactly why small mistakes multiply. This guide shows how to price a residential visit and a commercial season from your own costs.

What a lawn care price has to cover

Every visit carries the same four costs as any other trade job, with one addition: equipment wears out fast.

Step 1: work out your real labor cost

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for grounds maintenance workers at $19.27 an hour (May 2025). That is the wage. The cost to you is higher, because payroll taxes, workers' compensation and any benefits come on top. On average across private employers, wages are about 70 percent of total compensation cost, so a quick estimate is wage ÷ 0.70: $19.27 ÷ 0.70 = $27.53 an hour. The complete pricing guide explains this step and how to refine it with your own payroll.

Step 2: put a price on your equipment hours

Equipment is the cost lawn care businesses underestimate most. A simple way to price it: add up what your mowing equipment cost, divide by the hours you expect it to last, then add fuel and maintenance per hour.

Let's say your mower, trimmer and blower cost $9,000 together and you expect them to last three seasons of about 700 working hours each. That is $9,000 ÷ 2,100 hours = $4.29 an hour. Add, for example, $3 an hour for fuel, blades, oil and repairs, and each working hour carries $7.29 of equipment cost. Use your own purchase prices and records; these are example numbers.

Step 3: time the visit, including the drive

Time a few properties from the moment you park until you are loaded and ready to leave. Then add the drive to the next stop. Routes matter more than people think: two lawns on the same street can be priced lower than two lawns ten minutes apart, and still earn more.

For a typical suburban lawn, say it takes one person 45 minutes on site and 15 minutes to reach the next stop. That is one hour per stop.

Step 4: add overhead and margin

With $1,200 of monthly overhead and about 130 billable hours a month, each hour carries $1,200 ÷ 130 = $9.23 of overhead. Now build the visit price:

That is about $55 a visit for this lawn, built from your costs rather than from a guess. Dividing by 0.80 is what keeps 20 percent of the price as profit; adding 20 percent to cost would keep less, as markup vs margin shows.

How to bid a commercial property

Commercial customers usually want a price for the whole season, often paid monthly. The method is the same, with more hours per visit and a count of visits.

Picture an office complex that needs a two-person crew for 2.5 hours per visit, plus half an hour of driving each way for the crew:

• Crew hours per visit: 2 people × (2.5 h + 0.5 h) = 6 hours
• Cost per visit: 6 h × $44.05 = $264.30
• Price per visit at 20 % margin: $264.30 ÷ 0.80 = $330.38
• Season of 28 visits: 28 × $330.38 = about $9,250

Spread over eight months of billing, that is roughly $1,156 a month. Commercial bids also need clear terms: how often you visit, what is included (mowing, edging, blowing, litter pickup), how extra work is priced, and what happens when rain cancels a visit.

Chemicals change the rules

If you plan to offer weed control or fertilizing, check the licensing rules before you quote. The EPA requires anyone who applies or supervises the use of restricted use pesticides to be certified, and state pesticide regulatory agencies issue those certifications. The BLS also notes that most states require licensing for workers who apply pesticides, and that licensing for fertilizers varies by state. Contact your state's pesticide agency before adding these services.

Things to write into every lawn care agreement

1. Visit frequency and the days you normally come.
2. What is included and what costs extra, such as leaf cleanup or hauling.
3. Weather policy: when you skip a visit and whether it is billed.
4. How prices change if the season runs longer or the property changes.
5. Payment terms, especially for monthly billing.

What to do next

Time three of your properties this week, including the drive, and rebuild their prices with the steps above. The job price calculator can check each one in a minute. If you are still getting set up, the guide to starting a lawn care business covers equipment, licensing and first customers.

Frequently asked questions

Should I charge lawn care per visit or per month?

Residential customers usually pay per visit; commercial customers often prefer a seasonal price billed monthly. Build both from the same cost per visit.

How do I price equipment into a lawn care bid?

Divide what your equipment cost by the hours you expect it to last, add fuel and maintenance per hour, and include that amount in every working hour.

Do I need a license to spray weeds or fertilize lawns?

Applying restricted use pesticides requires certification issued by your state, according to the EPA, and the BLS notes that most states require licensing for workers who apply pesticides. Check with your state pesticide agency.