Lawn Care Contract: What to Include (With Sample Clauses)
· 9 min read
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A lawn care contract is a written agreement that says which services you'll do on each visit, how many visits the season includes, what happens when rain or drought changes the schedule, how the customer pays (per cut, monthly or prepaid) and how the account is settled at the end of the season. Most lawn care disputes come from those last three points, so a good lawn care contract answers them in writing before the first mow.
Below are the 12 sections to include, with sample clauses and a worked season. Contract, consumer, tax and licensing rules vary by state and city, so have a local attorney review the version you use. This is general information, not legal advice.
Why a seasonal lawn agreement needs more than a price
A one-off mow needs little more than a quote. A seasonal plan moves all year:
Rain pushes visits back, so customers need to know whether a rain day means a late visit or a missed one.
Drought stops growth. You may skip visits to protect the lawn, and a flat-rate customer will ask where they went.
Monthly payments don't match visits, because some months have four mowing weeks and some five.
Customers cancel mid-season, and a prepaid customer who moves in July needs a written refund rule.
What to include in a lawn care contract
1. Parties, property and a service map
Your legal business name and contact details; the customer's name, service address and best contact for schedule changes. Attach a marked-up photo showing the areas you'll mow and edge, and anything to avoid: sprinkler heads, low-voltage lights, septic lids, a soft spot that ruts in spring.
2. Services included on each visit, and exclusions
List what one visit includes:
Mow all turf areas shown on the map
String-trim around obstacles and fence lines
Edge driveway and walks (say how often: every visit or every other visit)
Blow clippings off hard surfaces
Then list what's not included: leaf removal, bed weeding, shrub trimming, aeration, mulch, and fertilizer or weed control (see section 8). Each can be a priced add-on.
3. Season dates and number of visits
Write the season as dates and a number: "Weekly mowing from early April through mid-October, planned at 28 visits." The visit count makes the season-end reconciliation possible.
4. Schedule, rain delays and skipped visits
Name the usual service day, then cover the three ways a visit changes.
Rain delays. Sample clause: "If weather or ground conditions prevent service on the scheduled day, [Business] will service the lawn within the next 2 business days. A rain-delayed visit replaces that week's visit; it is not an extra visit and is not credited."
Drought and dormancy. Extension specialists advise mowing high (the University of Illinois Extension suggests 3 to 4 inches for most lawns) and limiting traffic of any type on a drought-stressed lawn. A mower is traffic, so give yourself permission to skip. Sample clause: "When the lawn is drought-stressed or dormant, [Business] may skip a mowing visit to avoid damaging the turf. We will notify you before the scheduled day. Visits skipped by [Business] are credited at the per-visit price at the end of the season."
Customer skips and lockouts. Sample clause: "To skip a visit, notify [Business] at least 24 hours before the scheduled day. Visits cancelled with less notice, or that cannot be completed because of a locked gate or pets left in the yard, count as completed visits."
5. Price and payment options
State the per-visit price, then the payment options you offer. Three common ones:
Per visit: invoice after each mow, or weekly.
Monthly plan: the season total divided into equal monthly payments, due on a set date.
Prepay: the full season paid before it starts, often for a small discount.
Add due dates, payment methods and any late fee; many states limit late fees and interest, so check first. To build the per-visit price itself, our guide on how much to charge for lawn mowing walks through it from your own costs.
6. End-of-season reconciliation
Most lawn care contracts leave this out, yet it's what keeps flat-rate plans fair. Sample clause: "The plan price covers [28] planned visits. At the end of the season, [Business] will compare completed visits (including visits counted as completed under section 4) with planned visits. Each visit short is credited at the per-visit price and, at the Customer's choice, refunded within 14 days or applied to fall cleanup. Extra visits the Customer requests are billed at the per-visit price."
7. Extra work and change requests
Sample clause: "Work outside the services listed in section 2 is quoted and approved in writing (text or email is fine) before it's done." This keeps "while you're here" requests from becoming unpaid work.
8. Fertilizer, weed control and other chemical applications
Keep chemical work out of the mowing agreement unless you hold the right license. Under federal rules, anyone who applies or supervises the use of restricted use pesticides must be certified, and certification is done by states, territories and tribes, according to the EPA. State rules often go further. In Illinois, for example, anyone applying even general-use pesticides to lawns for hire must be licensed, while fertilizer alone needs no license (Illinois Extension). Check with your state's pesticide agency. If you aren't licensed, write: "Fertilizer, weed control and pest control are not included. On request, [Business] can refer the Customer to a licensed applicator."
9. Access, pets, hidden objects and damage
Cover gate codes, dogs and dog waste (say who clears it). Then limit your damage responsibility to your own carelessness, and take dated photos at your first visit. Sample clause: "[Business] is responsible for damage caused by its own negligence. [Business] is not responsible for damage to objects that are hidden in the grass or not marked on the service map, such as unmarked sprinkler heads, cables or pet toys. Report any damage within 7 days, with photos."
10. Price changes, renewal and automatic renewal
Say whether the agreement ends with the season or renews, and how you'll give notice of a new price (for example, 30 days before the new season).
Be careful with plans that renew and charge a saved card automatically. As of October 2026, there is no federal "click-to-cancel" rule in effect: a court vacated the FTC's 2024 rule in 2025, and the FTC asked for public comment on a new approach in March 2026. Many states have their own automatic renewal laws. California's, as amended by AB 2863 for contracts made or renewed from July 1, 2025, requires the customer's separate, express consent to the automatic renewal, a yearly reminder, and notice 7 to 30 days before a price change. The simplest habit anywhere: renew only with a clear yes each season.
11. Cancellation and the FTC Cooling-Off Rule
If you sign residential customers at their home (door-knocking, or a walkthrough that ends with a signature on the spot), the federal Cooling-Off Rule may apply. The FTC says it covers sales of $25 or more made at the buyer's home, gives the buyer until midnight of the third business day to cancel, and requires a dated copy of the contract plus two copies of a cancellation form.
After that, write your own terms. Sample clause: "Either party may end this agreement with 14 days' written notice. Completed visits are charged at the per-visit price; any prepaid amount above that is refunded within 14 days. Prepay discounts apply only to a completed season."
12. Sales tax, insurance and signatures
Some states tax lawn care. Texas, for example, lists planting, mowing, trimming and edging grass as taxable landscaping services, with a narrow exemption for self-employed providers with no employees and $5,000 or less in receipts over the last four quarters (Texas Comptroller). Check your state and say whether prices include tax.
Commercial and HOA clients will often ask for a certificate of liability insurance. Both parties sign and date, and the customer gets a copy.
Worked example: a 28-visit season with a reconciliation
Fictional Maple Row Lawn Co. signs a weekly residential lawn. Every number is an example; build yours from your own costs.
Per-visit price: $55
Season: early April to mid-October, planned at 28 visits
Season total: 28 × $55 = $1,540
Monthly plan: 7 payments (April to October) of $1,540 ÷ 7 = $220
Prepay option: 5% off if paid by March 15, so $1,540 × 0.95 = $1,463
How the season actually went
24 visits completed
3 visits skipped by Maple Row during a dry stretch in late July and August
1 visit counted as completed under the lockout clause (gate locked, no notice)
Check: 24 + 3 + 1 = 28 planned visits.
Completed visits for the reconciliation: 24 + 1 = 25. Visits short: 28 − 25 = 3. Credit: 3 × $55 = $165.
The customer chooses to apply the credit to a fall leaf cleanup quoted at $240, so the cleanup invoice is $240 − $165 = $75.
What if a customer cancels mid-season?
A prepay customer who paid $1,463 moves away after 12 completed visits. Under the cancellation clause, used visits are charged at the full per-visit price: 12 × $55 = $660. Refund: $1,463 − $660 = $803. The discount was for a completed season, as the clause says.
A monthly-plan customer who leaves at the end of June after 12 visits has paid 3 × $220 = $660, which equals 12 × $55 = $660, so nobody owes anything.
The Lawn Care & Landscaping Business Starter Kit has a Seasonal Plan Calculator that turns a per-visit price into a season total, monthly payments or a prepay price, plus a Seasonal Maintenance Agreement starter with rain-delay and end-of-season reconciliation terms to customize and review locally.
Common mistakes
No visit count. "Weekly mowing for the season" can't be reconciled; "28 planned visits" can.
Silence on drought. If the contract doesn't say skipped visits are credited, a flat monthly price looks like paying for nothing in August.
Fertilizer and weed control bundled in without a license. Refer it out or get licensed first.
Auto-charging a saved card for next season without the customer's clear consent and the notices your state requires.
No first-visit photos, so damage claims come down to memory.
Pre-signing checklist
Service map with obstacles marked
Services, exclusions, season dates and planned visit count
Rain-delay, drought-skip and lockout rules
Payment option, due dates and any late fee (checked against state rules)
Reconciliation clause with the per-visit credit rate
Chemical work excluded or license details included
Damage reporting window, renewal and price-change terms
Cancellation form attached for at-home sales
Sales tax checked; both signatures; customer copy
If you add snow removal in winter, our snow removal contract guide covers that agreement in the same format.
FAQ
Should a lawn care contract use a flat monthly price or per-visit billing?
Both work. Per-visit billing needs no reconciliation. A flat monthly price gives the customer a predictable bill and you steadier cash flow, but it needs a planned visit count and a season-end reconciliation.
Can I charge for a visit I skip because of rain?
Usually you move it rather than skip it: a rain-delayed visit happens within a day or two and counts as that week's visit. Visits you skip for drought or your own reasons should be credited.
Do I need a license to offer fertilizer and weed control?
Often, yes. Applying restricted use pesticides requires certification, and some states, such as Illinois, also license anyone applying general-use pesticides for hire. Check your state's pesticide agency before you offer it.
Should my lawn care contract renew automatically?
It's simpler to ask each customer to renew each season. If you auto-renew and auto-charge, follow your state's automatic renewal law, which may require separate consent, reminders and price-change notice.