Licensing for landscape pros

The irony here though, he explains, is that the licensing board only has real leverage over the licensed contractor, who, almost by definition, is a responsible professional, but not over the unlicensed operator who, also almost by definition, is a fly-by-night not adhering to professional standards. Unlicensed contractors who run into problems in California, says Rohltes, often don't pay workers' compensation insurance, violate labor laws, pay their employees in cash, don't carry liability and other insurance and don't pay social security or income tax. The public relations effort that the OLA makes in lieu of licensing is to encourage homeowners to check out the credentials of landscapers they are thinking of hiring, in terms of liability insurance, workers' compensation and the like.