Get Quotes from Top Lawn Care Companies in El Paso, TX

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Lawn Care Company in El Paso

El Paso homeowners with unkempt lawns risk criminal and civil penalties with a fine of up to $2,000. The city's dry weather and current drought situation may make DIY lawn care more time-consuming, stressful, and frustrating. Hence, it is a wise move to leave your lawn care to professionals with the right experience and equipment to keep your lawn in optimal condition. Good lawns do not only add beauty to a home's landscape, but they also enhance the market value of a home, with homeowners recouping up to 417% of the cost on resale.

However, before you hire anyone claiming to be a lawn care expert in El Paso, it is recommended to ask the following questions to determine their proficiency:

How Long Have You Been in the Lawn Care Business in El Paso?

Lawn care-related scams are common in El Paso. In May 2021, a lawn care professional was arrested in the city for defrauding homeowners of up to $30,000. Lawn care-related scams occur because most homeowners do not take the time to research a lawn care company before signing an agreement with them.

Residents of El Paso can avoid getting scammed by taking the extra effort to find out how long the lawn care company they intend to hire has been operating in the city. This is critical in determining whether the lawn care company they intend to hire is qualified for the job and in identifying potential scammers.

Homeowners must understand that lawn care companies that have built a reputation for themselves through years of practice are less likely to engage in fraudulent activities. These companies have a reputation to protect, and unlike new lawn care companies, they typically hire honest, experienced, and competent lawn care contractors to provide lawn care services.

In addition, long-established lawn care companies that have built a reputation for themselves through years of practice are more likely to hire lawn care professionals who are conversant with local ordinances governing the installation and maintenance of plants in the city. These professionals are often familiar with native grasses, trees, shrubs, and garden plants in the area. Some native El Paso grasses and garden plants commonly found in lawns throughout the city include:

  • Texas Bluegrass
  • Ryegrass
  • Buffalograss
  • Zoysia
  • St Augustine
  • Sunflower
  • Marigolds
  • Cosmos Bloom
  • White Beebrush
  • Arizona Kidneywood
  • Silver Berry
  • Sand Sagebrush
  • Red Barberry
  • New Mexico Privet

Having confirmed how long a lawn care company has been operating in the city, homeowners must now check customer reviews and the company's online business history via platforms such as the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, and Google Reviews. Finally, homeowners must also check these third-party websites for past complaints about the business.

Do You Hold Any Professional Qualifications Relevant to Lawn Care?

Before signing up for a lawn care package in El Paso, make sure that the lawn care contractor you intend to hire has obtained the necessary professional qualifications to perform the service you need. By ensuring that the lawn care contractor you intend to hire has obtained the necessary professional qualifications to perform the services you need, you can avoid shoddy work and potential fines that may result from violating any local or state laws governing lawn care in El Paso.

A common mistake homeowners make is hiring an individual to maintain their lawn without confirming if an occupational license or any other professional qualification is needed to perform such work in the city. For instance, anyone who wishes to operate as a contractor in the city must complete an annual registration process with the El Paso Planning and Inspections Department.

Interested persons are required to complete a Contractor Registration Application Form, pay a registration fee, and meet certain insurance and bond requirements. The completed form and copies of all other required documents and fees can be submitted at:

Planning and Inspections Department
One Stop Shop
811 Texas Avenue
El Paso, Texas 79901
Phone: (915) 212-0104

At the state level, lawn care contractors who provide services that involve the use or application of restricted-use or state-limited-use pesticides are required to obtain a commercial pesticide applicator license from the Texas Department of Agriculture. Interested persons can obtain this license online or by completing and submitting an Application for Commercial Pesticide Applicator License Form to:

Texas Department of Agriculture
P.O. Box 12076
Austin, TX 78711-2076

In addition to obtaining a contractor license and a commercial pesticide applicator license, lawn care contractors in El Paso may also obtain voluntary certifications in fields like arboriculture, agronomy, horticulture, organic farming, landscaping, and other niche areas from organizations like:

  • The Texas Nursery and Landscape Association
  • The West Texas Irrigation Association
  • The International Society of Arboriculture
  • The National Association of Landscape Professionals
  • The Professional Grounds Management Society

Finally, it is your responsibility to ask for proof of certification and verify with the relevant organization if your preferred lawn care provider claims to be accredited by any of the aforementioned organizations.

How Much Do You Charge Compared to Other Lawn Care Companies in the City?

Lawn care contractors in El Paso typically consider certain factors when calculating the cost of their service. These factors include, but are not limited to:

  • The size of the lawn to be worked on
  • location of the lawn to be worked on
  • The nature and type of service the client needs
  • The current condition of the lawn
  • The type of equipment and tools required for the job
  • The amount of labor required to complete the job
  • The time of the year
  • The frequency of the required lawn care services

While every lawn care company in the city takes the aforementioned factors into account when calculating their price, homeowners should be aware that many unscrupulous contractors use some of these factors as an excuse to charge exorbitant fees.

When searching for lawn care services in El Paso, homeowners can avoid paying exorbitant prices for lawn care services by obtaining and comparing quotes from at least three different lawn care companies in the city. On the one hand, this will help the homeowner get a fair price for the service, and on the other hand, it will expose the homeowner to the different billing structures used by lawn care contractors in the city.

Most lawn care contractors in El Paso typically consider the type of billing structure that best suits the nature of the service they will be providing before reaching any agreement with a homeowner. Reputable lawn care contractors will discuss their preferred billing structure with a potential client to see if it is also favorable to the client. Homeowners are advised to speak up if a proposed billing structure is not favorable to avoid misunderstandings in the future. Most lawn care companies in El Paso utilize any of the following billing structures:

  • Hourly Structure: in this case, the lawn care contractor bills for the time used to execute the requested lawn care service. These are called billable hours; in El Paso, hourly rates can range from $25 to $80 per hour. However, homeowners should bear in mind that hourly rates will increase as the scope of work increases.
  • Per Square Foot: this involves the lawn contractor billing the client for each square foot of lawn area worked on. Per square foot price for a lawn care service in El Paso can range between $3 - $10
  • Per Visit/Per Project: this involves the lawn care contractor charging a fixed price for each type of service the client wants. Homeowners who need multiple lawn care services should expect higher prices under this billing structure. Lawn care companies can charge anywhere between $40 to $1,000 per visit/project.

Lawn care contractors in El Paso earn an average wage of $26,900 every year. The list below compares the average wages earned by these contractors per hour against the average hourly wages of lawn care contractors in other parts of Texas and also in other locations across the United States:

El Paso Lawn Care Contractors Average Hourly Wage
$12.93
Dallas Lawn Care Contractors Average Hourly Wage
$16.30
Austin Lawn Care Contractors Average Hourly Wage
$16.08
Midland Lawn Care Contractors Average Hourly Wage
$16.62
Los Angeles Lawn Care Contractors Average Hourly Wage
$18.89
Boston Lawn Care Contractors Average Hourly Wage
$20.88
Houston Lawn Care Contractors Average Hourly Wage
$15.56
Philadelphia Lawn Care Contractors Average Hourly Wage
$17.82

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

What Is Included in Your Lawn Care Program?

Lawn care companies in El Paso offer various services ranging from lawn clean-up to irrigation repair to hydroseeding. However, depending on the current condition of a lawn, reputable lawn care companies often create a treatment and maintenance plan to meet their client's specific needs.

This treatment and maintenance plan is otherwise known as a lawn care program, and it often includes a list of lawn care activities to be performed and the time and order in which they will be performed. Listed below are some of the activities that may be included in a lawn care program:

  • Lawn fertilization
  • Aeration
  • Soil testing and amendments
  • Grub control
  • Seeding
  • Mowing
  • Detaching

Before signing an agreement with a lawn care company, discussing what will be included in your lawn care program is critical. You should also ensure that a company representative inspects your lawn before deciding on a lawn care package. This ensures that the lawn care company identifies the specific services you require and that you are not billed for services you will not receive.

Homeowners should avoid lawn care companies that claim to offer an all-inclusive lawn care package and ask them to sign up for a lawn care program without first visiting the lawn to be worked on. Failure to do so may expose homeowners to dishonest city lawn care contractors who make empty promises.

Most lawn care companies in El Paso offer two main types of lawn care programs, namely:

  • Standard Lawn Care Services: in this case, the lawn care company will focus on lawn maintenance and ensuring the plants continue to thrive and flourish. Standard lawn care services will include mowing, edging, trimming, and grass and leaf blowing. Homeowners must understand that standard lawn care services alone can not improve the health of the soil, grasses, trees, shrubs, and other plants in a lawn.
  • Full-Service Lawn Maintenance: in this case, lawn care provides services that improve soil health, reduce turf disease, and impact the growth of plants. Full-service lawn maintenance also includes services such as:
    • Leaf Removal
    • Seasonal Pruning
    • Aeration and Lawn Overseeding
    • Mulch Installation
    • Tree Trimming and Pruning
    • Lawn Fertilization
    • Pre- and Post-Emergent Weed Control
    • Mowing, Edging, and Trimming
    • Lawn Disease Remediation

Cost estimates of lawn care services commonly included in El Paso lawn care programs are provided below:

Lawn mowing & maintenance (per visit)
$33- $80
Lawn fertilization (per application)
$55 - $150
Weeding
$55 - $160
Lawn aeration
$74 - $280
Lawn seeding
$360 – $1,000
Hydroseeding (per square foot)
$0.15 - $0.30
Leaf removal
$63 - $300
Sod installation (per square foot)
$0.98 - $1.90
Mulching (per hour)
$44- $100
Sprinkler system installation
$1,850 - $4,500
Hedge/Shrub trimming (per hour)
$45 - $80
Tree trimming/pruning
$320 - $750
Garden cleanup and debris removal
$140 - $400
Landscape design (per hour)
$59 - $150
Landscape installation (per hour, labor only)
$22 - $55
Retaining wall installation
$750 - $4,500

Do You Provide Organic Lawn Care Services?

Most lawn care companies in El Paso offer organic lawn care services to interested persons. Organic lawn care services involve the use of materials derived from plants, animals, minerals, and other natural substances to improve the overall health of a customer's lawn. One advantage of using natural lawn care materials is that they have fewer environmental effects than chemicals. Other advantages of using organic lawn care include:

  • It lightens the soil, allowing air to flow freely to plant roots.
  • It enables plants to retain water.
  • There is no risk of over-application; it reduces soil and water pollution, and it makes your soil more resistant to pests and diseases.
  • It aids photosynthesis and saves you money in the long run.

It is important to note that organic lawn care is not the only way to manage a lawn in El Paso. Like organic lawn care services, the use of chemicals such as fertilizers is not illegal in El Paso.

However, homeowners are encouraged to use organic lawn care because the use of chemicals exposes not only homeowners and their families to several health risks but also fines that may result from violating any regulation concerning the use of such chemicals in the city.

As a homeowner, it is your responsibility to confirm the type of lawn care service a lawn care contractor can provide expertly before signing up for their lawn care program. If the company claims to offer organic lawn care services, you should ask for a list of previous clients who have received these services and their contact information. Always ensure that you contact the people on the list to get a firsthand review of the lawn care company's experience and expertise in organic lawn care.

Do You Offer a Warranty for Plants Installed?

One important factor to consider when choosing a lawn care company in El Paso is whether the company offers some warranty for plants installed on a customer's lawn. Most reputable lawn care companies in El Paso offer some plant warranty, often expressed as a guarantee that plants will be replaced if they do not thrive within a specific timeframe.

Hiring a lawn care company offering a plant warranty means that you do not have to worry about the liabilities resulting from a plant's inability to thrive or flourish. While this is a good bargain, homeowners must understand that the terms and scope of plant warranties vary from one lawn care company to another. Therefore, it is critical to determine the terms and scope of the plant warranty used by their preferred lawn care company before signing an agreement.

For instance, many lawn care companies in the city offer a one-year plant warranty from the date the work was completed. This type of warranty is usually subjected to rules and regulations, which typically include a plant inspection and often covers the one-time replacement of the bad plant and all labor necessary to replace the plant. Some lawn care companies may also include certain conditions that must be met for a client's warranty to remain valid. These conditions may include watering schedules, mowing schedules, acceptable mowing height, and fertilization requirements needed to support and sustain plant growth. Failure to comply with any of the above-mentioned conditions may lead the lawn care company to void a client's plant warranty.

Finally, before signing an agreement, homeowners should inquire about the scope of coverage expressed in the plant warranty being offered to them. This will help them understand when to make a warranty claim and when not to. Plant warranties provided by El Paso lawn care companies do not cover areas like:

  • Damage due to neglect on the part of the homeowner
  • Damage caused by animals, including the client's pets
  • Damage due to natural disasters such as lightning, earthquakes, floods, and high winds

Do You Carry the Necessary Insurance Policy for Lawn Care Companies in the City?

There are no occupation-specific insurance requirements for lawn care companies in El Paso. However, reputable lawn care companies will purchase and maintain the necessary insurance policy to protect their clients from legal and financial liabilities that often result from property damage and bodily injury that occurs while executing a project.

Homeowners must understand that lawn care workers are frequently exposed to machines, chemicals, and severe weather conditions, and the likelihood of sustaining injuries while executing a project is relatively high. At least 100 people are killed yearly while engaging in lawn care and landscape-related activities.

Homeowners can protect themselves from any liability that occurs during a lawn care project by ensuring that the lawn company they hire is insured. Homeowners can confirm a lawn care company's insurance status before signing an agreement with them.

To confirm a lawn care company's insurance status, the homeowner should ask the company's representative for an insurance certificate and verify the information with the insurance company that issued the certificate.

If the lawn care business is registered as a contractor with the city's Department of Planning and Inspections, it must possess a minimum general liability insurance coverage of $100,000 per occurrence and a blanket building construction bond of $25,000. Interested persons can verify whether their preferred lawn care company has an insurance certificate on file with the Department of Planning and Inspections by calling (915) 212-0104.

Similarly, if the lawn care business is licensed as a commercial pesticide applicator with the Texas Department of Agriculture, it must possess a minimum general liability insurance coverage of at least $200,000 in personal injury and property damage, with a minimum total aggregate of $300,000 for all incidents. Interested persons can verify whether their preferred lawn care company has an insurance certificate on file with the Texas Department of Agriculture by calling (866) 918-4481, sending an email, or visiting the Department's physical office at:

Texas Department of Agriculture
1700 N. Congress, 11th Floor
Austin, TX 78701

How to File a Complaint Against a Bad Lawn Care Service in El Paso

Complaints involving bad lawn care companies in El Paso can be filed with the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Lawn care service-related scams are not new in El Paso. Many residents have lost hundreds to thousands of dollars to unscrupulous individuals who claimed to be legitimate lawn care professionals. These individuals employ various scam tricks to deceive their victims. Some of these tricks include:

  • Offering significantly lower prices than a competitor
  • Charging high service fees and subcontracting the work to an inexperienced laborer
  • Offering low-cost lawn care programs to increase their cost after being hired
  • Including hidden charges in a lawn care service contract

However, as a homeowner, you can ensure that you do not fall for these scam tricks by taking the following precautionary steps:

  • Avoid lawn care professionals who knock at your door unsolicited or call you out of the blue and offer discounted services
  • Avoid lawn care companies that show up in front of your house in an unmarked truck
  • Do not hire anyone because they are offering low prices
  • Avoid lawn care companies that make use of pressure tactics to get you into signing up for their lawn care programs on the spot. Note that reputable companies will give you time to research before making your decision.
  • Check the lawn care company on Better Business Bureau to see customer reviews and testimonials.
  • Always obtain and compare cost estimates for your project from multiple lawn care providers.
  • Do not hire lawn care professionals who cannot provide you with at least three valid local references. You should also contact any references that you are given to get reviews and opinions on the contractor.
  • Make sure that you are given a written contract. However, do not rush into signing this contract. Take the time to read and understand it and make sure that it contains every necessary detail of the project.
  • Do not sign any contract that has blank spaces.
  • Avoid cash payments and do not pay the project's full cost upfront.

You can file complaints concerning lawn care scams with the Texas Attorney General's Office by completing and mailing a consumer complaint form to:

Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548

Complaints can also be filed with this office online or by calling (800) 621-0508.

If the complaints also involve pesticide exposure or misuse, you can report the incident to the Texas Department of Agriculture's Structural Pest Control Service at (866) 918-4481 or by email.