OR Landscape Contractor key terms

Oregon license issued by the Landscape Contractors Board that authorizes a business to advertise and perform landscape contracting work. The business must also name a qualifying Landscape Construction Professional.

The individual who passes the LCB examination and is named as qualifier for a licensed landscape contracting business. This person is responsible for the business's landscape work and must complete continuing education.

State agency that licenses landscape contracting businesses and individuals, adopts administrative rules, investigates complaints, and enforces the landscape contracting provisions of Oregon law.

Oregon statute chapter governing landscape contracting, including licensing requirements, contract provisions, bonding, and prohibited practices. It is the legal foundation that LCB administrative rules implement.

Surety bond a licensed landscape contracting business must keep in force as a condition of licensure. A customer harmed by the licensee's work or practices may file a claim against the bond.

Oregon rule that residential landscape work above a set dollar threshold be documented in a signed written contract stating scope, price, payment terms, and required notices, with a copy given to the customer.

Written amendment signed by the owner and contractor documenting a change in scope, price, or schedule after the original agreement. It protects both parties and supports payment for added work.

Final list of incomplete or defective items compiled near substantial completion. The contractor returns to correct the listed work before final payment and project closeout.

Portion of each progress payment the owner withholds until the work is substantially complete or accepted. It gives the owner leverage to ensure completion and correction of defects.

Statutory claim against real property filed by a contractor or supplier who is unpaid for improvements. Oregon law sets specific notice content and strict deadlines for preserving the right.

Markup is a percentage added to cost to set the selling price; margin is profit expressed as a percentage of the selling price. Confusing the two understates price and erodes profit.

Timing of money moving into and out of the business. A company can be profitable on paper yet fail if payroll, materials, and loan payments come due before customer payments arrive.

Sales volume at which total revenue equals total fixed plus variable costs, producing neither profit nor loss. It is used to set minimum job size and pricing targets.

Geographic rating based on average annual minimum temperature, used to judge whether a plant will survive winter at a given site. Oregon spans several zones and many microclimates.

Local conditions such as reflected heat, wind exposure, frost pockets, and soil moisture that differ from the surrounding region and determine which plants will thrive at a specific spot.

Soil and roots retained around a plant when it is dug for transplanting. Its size relative to trunk caliper predicts transplant survival and dictates watering and staking needs.

Field-grown tree or shrub dug with a solid soil root ball, then wrapped in burlap and secured with twine or a wire basket for transport and planting.

Design principle of matching a species' light, water, soil, and mature-size requirements to the site so plants need less irrigation, pruning, pest control, and replacement.

Device such as a reduced-pressure assembly or pressure vacuum breaker that stops irrigation water from flowing back into the potable supply. Code requires installation and periodic testing.

Grouping of plants with similar water needs onto one irrigation valve so the zone can be scheduled with a single run time without over-watering one group and under-watering another.

Depth of water an irrigation system applies per hour over an area, expressed in inches per hour. Matching it to the soil's intake rate prevents runoff and puddling.

Combined water lost to evaporation from soil and transpiration from plants. Weather data, ET rates, and plant factors are used to build efficient irrigation schedules.

Low-volume system delivering water through emitters rated in gallons per hour directly to root zones, sharply reducing evaporation, overspray, and runoff compared with sprinklers.

Irrigation timer that adjusts run times using weather data, evapotranspiration estimates, or soil moisture readings so the schedule tracks actual plant water demand rather than a fixed clock.

Proportion of sand, silt, and clay particles in a soil. Texture governs drainage, water-holding capacity, and how much organic amendment a planting area requires.

Speed at which water moves down through soil, usually stated in inches per hour. It is used to size drainage systems and to judge whether beds need amendment or raising.

Gravel-filled trench containing perforated pipe and filter fabric that intercepts subsurface water and carries it away from a chronically wet area.

Final soil surface elevation after grading. It must slope away from structures, commonly at least two percent, so surface water drains away rather than ponding at the foundation.

Layer of crushed rock placed in lifts and compacted beneath pavers, walls, or slabs. It spreads loads and prevents settling, rutting, and heaving of the finished surface.

Synthetic mesh laid in horizontal courses between wall block and backfill in a retaining wall to reinforce the soil mass and resist overturning and sliding.

Wall built from interlocking concrete block with compacted leveling pad, drainage gravel, filter fabric, and reinforced backfill; height and loading rules determine whether engineered design is required.

Mowing practice of removing no more than one-third of the leaf blade at any single cut, which keeps turf vigorous and reduces stress, thinning, and thatch buildup.

Layer of dead stems, roots, and leaves between the live grass and the soil surface. Excess thatch blocks water and air, so core aeration or dethatching becomes necessary.

Mechanical removal of small soil plugs to relieve compaction, improve air and water movement into the root zone, and reduce thatch in lawns and sports turf.

Decision process combining monitoring, action thresholds, cultural and biological controls, and judicious pesticide use to manage pests with the least risk to people and the environment.

Pest population level at which treatment is justified because expected damage would exceed the cost of control. It is the core decision point in an IPM program.

Pesticide that may be applied only by, or under direct supervision of, a certified applicator because of elevated risk to human health or the environment; Oregon requires licensing.

Gloves, eye protection, respirators, boots, hearing protection, and other gear required by a product label or task to reduce worker exposure to chemicals, dust, noise, and physical hazards.

Standardized document from the manufacturer describing a product's hazards, safe handling, first aid, and spill response. It must be readily accessible to workers on site.

Worker trained to recognize existing and predictable hazards in excavations and authorized to take prompt corrective action, including inspecting trenches for cave-in risks before workers enter.