Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules
What the statute covers
ORS 671.520 defines landscape contracting broadly: preparing property for landscaping, installing, planting or placing landscape materials, and maintaining an installed landscape. The definition reaches lawns, planting beds, irrigation systems, and the hardscape features that are part of the landscape. Anyone who advertises or contracts to do that work for pay on another person's property must hold a landscape contracting business license from the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board (LCB), carry the required surety bond, and maintain liability and workers' compensation coverage.
Exemptions and traps
Exempt activity includes owners working on their own property, growing and selling nursery stock, and agricultural or timber operations. The classic trap is the one-truck maintenance operator who believes mowing and pruning are unregulated; maintenance is expressly within the definition. Another trap is assuming a crew member must be individually licensed; the business holds the license and workers must be its employees or properly licensed subcontractors. Working without a license exposes the contractor to civil penalties and generally cuts off the ability to sue to collect for the work.
How the LCB operates
OAR Chapter 808 governs licensing, advertising (the license number must appear on advertisements and business documents), contract and record requirements, and the complaint and investigation process. When a dispute arises, the LCB asks for the written contract, change orders, and job file first, so documentation discipline is a legal issue, not just an administrative one.
Rule of thumb: if the work changes the soil, the plants, or the water delivery on someone else's property for compensation, assume it is licensed landscape contracting unless a specific exemption clearly applies.