Oregon regulates landscaping more tightly than any other state, and it comes with a trap that catches homeowners regularly: a contractor who shows you a CCB registration is still unlicensed for landscape work. Oregon requires a Landscape Contractors Board licence specifically, and the two are not interchangeable. That one check filters the Portland market faster than anything else. This page lists landscapers serving Portland.
What Portland landscapers handle
Native and adapted planting design. Portland has a genuinely strong native plant culture, and the regional palette is distinctive.
Stormwater management — rain gardens, bioswales, permeable paving. In a city with this much winter rain and strict on-site stormwater expectations, this is mainstream work.
Irrigation design, repair and winterisation, all of which require the LCB licence.
Invasive species control — English ivy, Himalayan blackberry and similar are a persistent regional battle.
Hardscape — patios, retaining walls, steps — on sloped, often wet sites.
Licensing: Oregon’s LCB, and the CCB trap
Oregon licenses landscape contracting through the Landscape Contractors Board (LCB). Most operators need both an individual landscape construction professional licence and a landscape contracting business licence.
Requirements are substantial: four years of experience or equivalent education, the LCB examination, a $20,000 surety bond, and proof of liability insurance. Businesses must carry both the bond and insurance.
Work requiring the licence is defined broadly and covers most of what people hire a landscaper for:
- Planning or installing lawns, shrubs, vines, trees and nursery stock
- Preparing property, including adding and incorporating soil amendments, rototilling and grading
- Installing or repairing irrigation systems
- Maintaining irrigation systems with compressed air — meaning the annual winterisation blow-out
The trap. Some landscapers register with the Construction Contractors Board (CCB) and present that as their credential. Under ORS 671, the LCB licence is the mandatory one for landscape work — a contractor holding only CCB registration is still unlicensed for the work described above.
So the question isn’t “are you licensed?” It’s “do you hold an LCB licence, and what’s the number?” The board maintains licensee lookups. Verify before signing.
What’s specific to Portland
Wet winters, dry summers. Portland sits around USDA zone 8b–9a with a Mediterranean-influenced pattern that surprises newcomers: heavy rain from roughly October through May, then a genuinely dry summer. Consequences:
- Summer irrigation is necessary, despite the city’s rainy reputation. Established plants still need water in July and August
- Winter drainage is the bigger design problem. Plants die of waterlogged roots far more often than of drought here
- Autumn planting is ideal. Winter rain establishes roots with no irrigation effort at all
Heavy clay and winter waterlogging. Much of the Portland area sits on clay that drains slowly. Combined with months of rain, that produces saturated soil for long stretches. Practical responses: raised beds and berms rather than fighting the profile, genuine drainage design, and plants that tolerate wet winter feet. A landscaper who plants a Mediterranean drought-lover into a flat clay bed has installed something that will die in February, not August.
Stormwater is regulated. Portland takes on-site stormwater management seriously, and projects that add impervious surface may trigger management requirements. Rain gardens, permeable paving and bioswales are common local solutions and often expected rather than optional. Confirm what applies before adding a large patio or driveway.
Tree regulations. Portland protects trees through city code, with permits typically required for removal of trees above certain sizes and rules covering both private property and street trees. Confirm before removing anything substantial — penalties and mitigation planting requirements are real.
Invasive species are a genuine workload. English ivy, Himalayan blackberry, clematis and others spread aggressively in this climate and escape into natural areas. Responsible local landscapers won’t plant known invasives and will discuss ongoing control rather than one-off removal, because these come back.
Moss is not a failure. In a shaded, damp climate, moss in lawns is the environment telling you something. Repeatedly killing it and reseeding grass in deep shade is an annual subscription to the same problem — converting to shade planting or embracing moss is often cheaper and better looking.
Pricing expectations
Typical US ranges for 2026 are listed on the homepage.
Portland sits at or somewhat above national averages.
Two contract items: irrigation winterisation, which is annual and legally requires an LCB licence, and drainage assessment before any planting on clay — the most common cause of plant loss here.
Neighborhoods served
Landscapers listed here work across Portland, including Alberta, Hawthorne, Sellwood-Moreland, Laurelhurst, Irvington, Alameda, Woodstock, Multnomah Village, St. Johns, Mount Tabor and the Pearl District.
Most also serve surrounding communities — Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Tigard, Milwaukie, Gresham, Hillsboro, West Linn and Vancouver, Washington.
How this directory helps
Every landscaper here is listed with business name, address and phone so you can verify them yourself, with LCB licence numbers where available.
The single most valuable question in this city: “What’s your LCB licence number?” If the answer is a CCB number instead, they are not licensed for landscape work in Oregon regardless of how the conversation is framed. After that, ask how they’d handle winter drainage on your soil — the honest answer usually involves raising beds rather than amending clay indefinitely.