A commercial landscape technician mows, trims, fertilizes and checks irrigation at HOAs, business campuses and shopping centers, working to each contract's written standard. They run wide-area mowers and spreaders, catch broken heads and thin turf early, and log each visit so the property manager has a record.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Serve as a dedicated landscaping professional responsible for delivering high-quality commercial groundskeeping services. Execute mowing, trimming, fertilization, irrigation, and general groundskeeping tasks to enhance property aesthetics and functionality. Support the operations team in meeting service and safety standards while fostering positive client relationships.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Provide expert landscaping services on commercial properties, ensuring each site meets established quality standards.
Perform mowing, trimming, fertilization, irrigation, and general groundskeeping duties efficiently and safely.
Adhere to all safety and operating procedures in compliance with industry and company guidelines.
Conduct routine equipment checks and schedule maintenance to ensure optimal operational performance.
Document and report job completion, client feedback, and any maintenance issues to supervisors.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Inspect assigned commercial sites each morning to determine landscaping needs.
Execute daily mowing, trimming, fertilization, and irrigation tasks with precision and care.
Communicate effectively with property managers and team members regarding service updates.
Manage landscaping tools and equipment, ensuring they are charged, cleaned, and in good working condition.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Job completion rate: Achieve 95% or higher on scheduled tasks.
Customer satisfaction rating: Maintain a rating of >4.8 stars from client feedback.
Callback percentage: Keep customer callbacks below 5% on completed tasks.
Equipment uptime: Achieve a 100% adherence to scheduled maintenance visits and inspections.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent with a strong work ethic and reliability.
Minimum of 2 years’ experience in landscaping or grounds maintenance.
Proficient in operating standard landscaping tools and machinery safely.
Strong communication skills and ability to follow detailed instructions.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior work experience in commercial landscaping or large-scale groundskeeping projects.
Familiarity with commercial irrigation systems and modern fertilization techniques.
Experience with equipment maintenance and minor repairs in a landscaping setting.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and move up to 50 pounds regularly.
Endurance for prolonged periods of standing, walking, and manual labor.
Capacity to work in outdoor settings under varying weather conditions.
Possession of a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for site visits.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, based on site requirements.
Occasional requirement for evening or weekend work during peak seasons.
Regular outdoor work in diverse weather conditions is expected.
Frequent on-site team interactions ensuring effective communication and task coordination.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $18 - $25 per hour, based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonuses to reward quality service delivery.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans.
401k plan with company matching contributions to support long-term savings.
10. Company Culture and Overview
A growth-oriented environment that values individual contributions and continuous learning.
Committed to providing opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
An inclusive culture that promotes innovation, teamwork, and respect for diverse perspectives.
Focused on community engagement and delivering exceptional service to our valued clients.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Commercial grounds are bigger, busier with the public and spelled out in a contract. That changes the machines, the chemical rules and the record of each visit.
Parking lot weeds can need another license
States license commercial pesticide work by category. Pennsylvania puts lawn and turf in category 7, and ornamental and shade trees, which also covers shrubs and flowers, in category 6. Weed control around parking lots, fences and industrial buildings is category 10, right-of-way and weeds. Check which categories your applicators hold before anyone sprays curb lines at a retail center. Source: 7 Pa. Code § 128.42: Categories of commercial and public applicators (Cornell LII).
Florida certifies fertilizer work too
Since 2014, Florida has required anyone applying commercial fertilizer to an urban landscape to hold a limited certification. It lasts four years. Renewal takes four hours of classes. The card does not cover weed and feed, which mixes fertilizer with weed killer. It also does not let coworkers without one spread fertilizer while the holder watches. Source: Florida Statutes 482.1562: Limited certification for urban landscape commercial fertilizer application (2026).
Mower safety rests on the general duty clause
OSHA has no mower rule of its own for landscapers; its landscaping page points to general rules. It lists ANSI B71.4, the consensus standard for commercial turf equipment, as guidance and says such standards are not OSHA regulations. The OSH Act still bars recognized hazards that are likely to kill or seriously injure workers. Keep guards, discharge chutes and seat switches in place and working, and park any mower with one bypassed. Source: OSHA: Landscaping and horticultural services, standards.
Irrigation checks on the visit
If your contracts include irrigation checks, the technician runs each zone from the controller and looks for heads knocked over by mowers or cars, water spraying onto pavement, leaks and clogged nozzles. They fix what the contract covers and log the rest by zone with a photo, so the repair can be quoted and the property manager sees why.
Mowing where the public walks
A retail center doesn't close for the crew. Technicians mow islands next to parked cars, trim along storefronts and blow off walks while people pass. Good ones aim discharge away from cars and doors, shut the blower off when someone comes near, and pick up litter before mowing so the deck doesn't throw it.
How much commercial landscape technicians make
The closest BLS group for commercial landscape technicians is landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $19.49 an hour ($40,530 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $39,150 median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers in all industries. About 573,760 of the 952,640 landscaping and groundskeeping workers in that survey work for landscaping companies.
Hourly, with overtime during peak months, plus the template's quality bonus. Decide up front whether a technician who earns the state applicator or fertilizer credential your work needs moves to a higher rate.
Landscaping companies
$40,530$40,530 median Middle half $36,860–$46,840 10th–90th $34,660–$56,290
All industries
$39,150$39,150 median Middle half $36,190–$46,830 10th–90th $31,150–$56,730
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping companies
$34,660
$36,860
$40,530
$46,840
$56,290
All industries
$31,150
$36,190
$39,150
$46,830
$56,730
BLS reports residential and commercial landscaping companies together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Mows big turf areas with straight stripes and clean edges
Calibrates a rotary spreader and keeps granules off pavement
Runs an irrigation zone check and spots broken heads and overspray
Stops the machine when people come close
Follows a written site standard without being reminded
Teach these on the job
Your state's applicator exam and the categories your work needs
The controller brands on your properties
Site maps and visit checklists in your field app
Seasonal color installs and your mulch specs
Pre-use checks on each machine before it leaves the trailer
Expect wide-area walk-behind and stand-on mowers, string trimmers, stick edgers, backpack blowers and a rotary spreader, plus a sprayer for licensed technicians. Irrigation checks use the site's controller, a remote or key, and a bag of spare heads and nozzles. In the ad, name the mower types and any license or certification you'll pay for.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Spotting site changes
While mowing, you see standing water and soft turf in an area that was dry last week. What do you do?
A strong answer: Checks for a leak, keeps the heavy mower off it to avoid ruts and reports it with a photo.
Behavioral · Working to a schedule
Tell me about a time you had to finish a large property within a set time without cutting corners.
A strong answer: Planned the order of work, kept a steady pace, checked quality on visible areas and told the crew leader early if time was short.
The template's targets will do at first. Replace them after a full year of visit records. Compare technicians on similar sites, since a big HOA and a small office lot don't score the same way.
Job completion rate
Tasks on each site's visit checklist marked done, out of all scheduled, by technician, from your field app. Spot-check a few sites a month so the checkmarks match the ground.
Customer satisfaction rating
On commercial accounts the person rating the work is the property manager. Use walk-through scores and comments tied to the technician's sites, gathered each quarter.
Callback percentage
Return trips to fix something the visit should have caught, such as missed trimming or a broken head left running, divided by the technician's completed visits for the month.
Equipment uptime
Pre-use checks and service intervals the technician completed on assigned machines, measured against the number scheduled, from your equipment log each month.
Career path
Laborer / helperPicks up litter, blows off walks and loads trailers.
Landscaper / technicianMows, trims, fertilizes and checks irrigation to the contract spec.
Spray or irrigation specialistHolds a state license or irrigation skills and covers many sites.
Crew leaderLeads a crew across a set of commercial properties.
They keep commercial grounds to the contract's standard on each visit. That means mowing, string trimming and edging, blowing off walks and lots, pruning, bed care, fertilizing, and checking irrigation zones. They also run pre-use checks on their machines and log what they did, what they found and any client requests for the crew leader.
How much does a commercial landscape technician make?
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $19.49 an hour ($40,530 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $36,860 and $46,840 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Does a landscape technician need a pesticide license?
The answer turns on the product and the state. Under federal rules, only a certified applicator, or a trained worker they directly supervise, may apply restricted use pesticides. States go further. Pennsylvania, for one, requires a commercial applicator license, or registration as a trained technician at a licensed business, to use any pesticide on someone else's property. Ask your state pesticide agency what a technician needs before they spray.
Is a landscape technician the same as a groundskeeper?
Mostly. BLS counts landscaping and groundskeeping workers as one job, and the daily work on commercial grounds is much the same. Titles differ by company. Some say technician for someone who also does fertilizer, spray or irrigation work, and groundskeeper for mowing and cleanup. Pick the title people in your area actually type into job sites.
Should technicians talk to the property manager?
The template asks them to share service updates with property managers, so yes, within limits. A technician can answer what was done today and what they noticed. Requests for extra work, price questions and complaints go to the crew leader or the office, so nothing gets promised that the contract doesn't cover.
How should a grounds job ad describe the physical work?
Name the tasks instead of the template's endurance line, which is about the worker's body. A commercial technician walks behind or stands on a mower for hours, carries a trimmer and backpack blower, lifts bags of fertilizer or mulch up to 50 pounds, and works outside through summer and fall. The EEOC treats a test where applicants show actual job tasks as something other than a medical exam, so a short tryout on your equipment is fair game if all finalists get it.
