How can I tell if my landscaper is licensed in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, there is no statewide landscaper license to verify. Minnesota does not separately license landscape contractors at the state level. Pesticide and fertilizer applicators require a Department of Agriculture license; residential landscapers doing over $15,000/year of contracting work need Residential Remodeler licensing. This means "is my landscaper licensed" has a different answer here than in states like California or Florida, where every landscaper must hold a state license.

What to verify instead: (1) Local jurisdiction. Many Minnesota cities and counties require landscapers to register or hold a local contractor license. Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Rochester typically have local building-department registration requirements. Check the city's building department website.

(2) Business entity status. Even without a trade-specific license, the landscaper's business should be registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State (https://mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us/). The entity status should be active or in good standing — not dissolved, withdrawn, or administratively revoked.

(3) Public-record history. Court judgments, mechanics' liens, OSHA citations, and BBB complaints are the strongest trust signals when there's no state license to anchor verification. A landscaper with multiple recent judgments or an unresolved lien is a hard stop.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) pulls all three categories in under 90 seconds. For trades without statewide licensing like landscapers in Minnesota, the public-record verdict is the trust verdict. The contractor is never notified.

Detailed Minnesota landscaper rules: earthmove.io/trust/license/landscaper/minnesota.