How to check a lawn company’s FDACS license

In Florida, putting fertilizer, weed killer or insect control on someone else’s lawn for pay is regulated work. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) licenses the businesses that do it and certifies the people who apply it.

Which work needs a license

Commercial lawn and ornamental pest control — weed control, insect and disease treatments — is done under an FDACS pest-control business license, and the applicators need the matching certification. Commercial fertilizer application on urban landscapes needs its own FDACS limited certification, which requires Green Industries Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) training. Mowing, trimming, planting and installing sod or pavers generally don’t need an FDACS license, though local governments may require a business tax receipt or a contractor license for some projects.

This is general information, not legal advice. FDACS is the authority on what a given job requires: FDACS pest control licensing.

How to check a company

1. Ask the company for its FDACS business license number (many put it on their website, trucks or contract).
2. Look it up with FDACS, and check that the business name and address on the record match the company you’re hiring.
3. If someone different will apply treatments — a subcontractor, for example — ask whose license covers the work.

We record a license number only when the business shows it or the FDACS record matches the business’s name and address. So far that’s 7 pros of the 222 pros in our directory that list fertilizer or weed-control work (as of November 6, 2026). If a profile doesn’t show one, ask for it.

What the record doesn’t tell you

A license shows the business is authorized to do the work. It doesn’t tell you whether they show up on time, how they treat your yard, or how they handle complaints. It’s a baseline, not a recommendation.

Fertilization & weed-control pros · Summer fertilizer rules