Free Template

Free lawn care service agreement template

A mowing contract lives or dies on two clauses: the rain policy and the gate and debris clause. This agreement covers season dates, weekly or biweekly frequency, per-cut versus twelve-month leveled pricing, fertilization and aeration add-ons, and the 30-day price-change notice. Fill it in and print a ready-to-sign copy.

Lawn Care and Mowing Service Agreement

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Section 1: Parties

Section 2: Property and season

Season dates are targets driven by weather and growth, not fixed appointments. Contractor starts when the turf needs cutting and stops when it stops growing. In a wet spring or a warm fall the cut count moves, and the pricing method in Section 5 says who absorbs that.

Section 3: Services included at every visit

Cut height is set for turf health, not appearance preference. Cutting below the recommended height for the grass type stresses the turf, invites weeds, and Contractor will not do it. Clippings are mulched and returned to the lawn unless bagging is purchased as an add-on, because clippings return nitrogen to the soil.

Section 4: Add-on services

Add-ons are quoted and scheduled separately from the mowing program. Fertilization and weed control applications are performed by a licensed applicator where state law requires one, and Contractor posts notification flags after any application as required by state law.

Section 5: Pricing structure

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Per cut means the Client pays for the cuts performed, so a wet spring costs the Client more and a drought costs Contractor more. A leveled monthly rate spreads the season across twelve months, which gives the Client a predictable bill and gives Contractor winter cash flow. On a leveled plan the monthly amount does not change because a month had three cuts instead of four; that is the point of leveling.

A leveled twelve-month plan cancelled mid-season is reconciled against cuts performed. If the Client has paid less than the per-cut value of the work delivered, the difference is due at cancellation.

Section 6: Rain, skips and rescheduling

Contractor does not mow saturated turf. Mowing wet ground ruts the lawn, tears the turf, and clogs the deck, and the damage costs more than the cut is worth. A rained-out visit moves to the next dry day, normally within the same week. On a leveled plan the monthly amount does not change. On a per-cut plan the Client is not charged for a cut that was not performed.

Client may skip a scheduled cut with 48 hours notice. Two consecutive skips means the turf has grown past a single-pass cut, and the next visit is billed at 1.5 times the normal rate to cover double cutting and bagging.

Section 7: Gates, dogs, debris and irrigation

Client leaves gates open and yards clear on the service day. Toys, hoses, furniture, pet waste and debris left in the turf are mowed around rather than moved, and any area left inaccessible is skipped without a price reduction. Contractor is not responsible for damage to items hidden in tall grass, including landscape lighting, hoses, irrigation heads, invisible fence wire and pet stakes. Client marks anything that must not be hit before the first visit.

Contractor is not responsible for pet waste. A yard with waste left in the turf is mowed only where it can be avoided, and Contractor may skip the visit and bill it if the condition is a health hazard to the crew.

Broken irrigation heads are reported to the Client the same day. Contractor repairs them only if irrigation service is purchased separately.

Section 8: Price changes and term

Contractor may adjust pricing once per season with the written notice stated above. Fuel, labor and equipment costs move, and a season priced in 2024 does not cover a crew in 2026. Client may decline the increase and terminate without penalty before it takes effect. A material change to the property, such as new landscaping, a fence, or a pool, requires a re-quote at the time of the change.

Section 9: Payment, cancellation and termination

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Service pauses when an account goes 30 days past due, and the property is removed from the route. Either party may terminate with the notice stated above. Contractor may terminate immediately for non-payment, an unsafe property condition, or harassment of a crew member. On termination the Client pays for services already performed, and any leveled-plan balance is reconciled per Section 5.

Client agrees not to hire a Contractor employee directly for lawn services during this agreement and for twelve months after it ends. Contractor recruits, trains and insures every crew member, and side work carries no insurance for either party.

Signatures

This template is provided as a starting point and is not legal advice. Contract and consumer-protection law varies by state and by municipality. Have a licensed attorney in your state review the agreement before you put it into service.

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What should a lawn care service agreement include?

Nine sections. Two of them, the rain policy and the gate and debris clause, prevent most of the phone calls.

  • Season dates and cut count. When you start, when you stop, roughly how many cuts, and that weather moves both
  • Frequency and what happens each visit. Mow, edge, trim, blow, and whether beds get blown out
  • Cut height. Named, and framed as turf health rather than customer preference
  • Add-ons. Fertilization, weed control, pre-emergent, aeration, overseeding, mulch, hedges, leaf removal, each quoted separately
  • Pricing method. Per cut or a leveled monthly rate, with a plain sentence about who carries the weather risk
  • Rain and skip policy. You do not mow saturated turf, and what happens instead on each pricing method
  • Gates, dogs and debris. Open gates, dogs in, toys and hoses picked up, and unmarked items on the customer
  • Price-change notice. Once a season with 30 days notice, written in from day one
  • Payment, cancellation and non-solicitation. Late fee, notice on both sides, and no hiring your crew

Should I use per-cut or twelve-month leveled pricing?

The difference is not the total. It is who carries the weather and who has cash in January.

Per cut is simpler and every new operator starts there. The customer pays for cuts performed. A wet April with five cuts pays you well, a dry August with two cuts does not, and December pays you nothing at all. Every winter you are selling next season from zero.

Twelve-month leveled takes the whole season price, say 28 cuts, and divides it across twelve equal payments. The customer gets one predictable number instead of a bill that spikes in spring. You get revenue in December and January, which is when most lawn businesses run out of money. Leveled customers also stay longer, because cancelling means giving up a plan rather than declining a service.

Leveled only works if two sentences are in the agreement. First, the monthly amount does not change because a month had three cuts instead of four, since that is the entire point of leveling. Second, a mid-season cancellation reconciles against cuts delivered, so a customer cannot take eight months of spring mowing on four months of payments and walk in July.

Set the number itself from real cost per stop. The lawn care pricing calculator builds a per-visit rate from lot size, services, labor and drive, and the lawn care pricing guide covers what the market supports. The lawn care estimate template is what you hand the customer before this agreement gets signed.

Which lawn contract clauses stop the phone calls?

Four clauses, each written because somebody learned it the expensive way.

  • The rain clause. "We do not mow saturated turf" turns a complaint about a missed Tuesday into an explanation the customer respects. Mowing wet ground ruts the lawn and the repair costs more than the cut
  • The gate clause. A locked gate means the back yard is skipped at full price, because the drive, the front yard and the crew time all happened anyway. Say it before it happens, not after
  • The debris clause. Toys, hoses, furniture and pet waste are mowed around, not moved. Unmarked irrigation heads, landscape lighting and invisible fence wire are the customer risk, and marking them is on the customer before the first visit
  • The double-cut clause. Two skips in a row and the grass is past a single pass. Bill the next visit at 1.5x for double cutting and bagging, and state it in the agreement so it is a policy rather than a surprise

One more that pays for itself: report every broken sprinkler head the same day, even though the agreement puts unmarked heads on the customer. The contractor who calls keeps the account. The one who says nothing loses it the day the customer finds the geyser.

Once it is approved, the agreement should turn into a schedule by itself. In Claver for lawn care companies, an approved agreement becomes a recurring plan at the frequency you set, so every visit lands on the calendar without anybody rebuilding it each week. E-signature is on the Crew plan. Pricing starts at $1 for 14 days, then $19/mo.

Related lawn care tools

Lawn care estimate template Recurring services, materials, and seasonal scope on one estimate. Totals update as you type. Lawn care pricing calculator A per-visit rate from lot size and the services you provide, with labor, materials, and drive cost included. Lawn treatment coverage calculator Enter the area and the product rate. Get ounces needed, tank loads, and how many packages to buy. Landscaping cost calculator Price a landscape install: mulch, rock, sod and pavers by area, plus labor, equipment and markup.
Read next How should you price lawn care? Claver for lawn care →

Keep the numbers when the job is booked

Inside Claver the same estimate becomes the quote you send, and the quote becomes the invoice you get paid on, so nobody retypes a price between the driveway and the bank.

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Lawn care service agreement FAQ

What should a lawn care service agreement include?
A lawn care service agreement should cover the season start and end dates, the mowing frequency, exactly what happens at each visit, cut height, add-ons like fertilization and aeration, the pricing method, the rain and skip policy, gate and dog access, debris and irrigation liability, the price-change notice, and cancellation terms. The two clauses that prevent the most arguments are the rain policy and the gate and debris clause.
Should I charge per cut or a flat monthly rate for lawn care?
Both work, and they move the weather risk to different sides. Per cut means the customer pays for cuts performed, so a wet spring pays you more and a drought pays you less. A twelve-month leveled flat rate divides the season price across twelve payments, giving the customer a predictable bill and giving you cash flow in January. Leveled plans hold customers longer, and they only work if the agreement says the monthly amount does not change with cut count.
What should a lawn care contract say about rain?
It should say you do not mow saturated turf, and what happens instead. Mowing wet ground ruts the lawn, tears the turf, and clogs the deck, and that damage costs more than the cut. Write that a rained-out visit moves to the next dry day, normally within the same week, that a leveled monthly amount does not change, and that a per-cut customer is not billed for a cut that did not happen.
How do I handle a locked gate or a dog in the yard?
Put it in writing before the first visit. The agreement should say the customer leaves gates open and dogs secured on the service day, and that a yard the crew cannot access is skipped without a price reduction. Do not reduce the price for a skipped back yard on a leveled plan, because the drive and the front yard still happened. Text the customer the morning of service and most gate problems disappear.
Who pays when a mower breaks a sprinkler head?
The agreement should put unmarked items on the customer. State that the customer marks irrigation heads, landscape lighting, invisible fence wire and pet stakes before the first visit, and that the contractor is not responsible for damage to items hidden in tall grass. Report every broken head the same day anyway. A contractor who reports it keeps the account; one who says nothing loses it when the customer finds the geyser.
How much notice should I give before raising lawn care prices?
Thirty days written notice, once per season, written into the agreement from the start. Fuel, wages, insurance and equipment all move, and a route priced two seasons ago does not cover a crew today. When the increase is a scheduled annual review the customer expects it. When it arrives out of nowhere it reads as a penalty, and that is when customers shop the route.
Should a lawn care agreement have a non-solicitation clause?
Yes if you have employees. You recruit, train and insure a crew member, then a customer offers them cash to mow on Saturday. A clause covering the agreement term plus twelve months stops that conversation before it starts, and it protects the employee too, since side work carries no workers compensation coverage for either party.
What cut height should the agreement specify?
Specify it, and specify that it is set for turf health rather than preference. Most cool-season grasses do best around 3 to 4 inches, and raising the deck in midsummer heat shades the soil and reduces water loss. Cutting too short stresses the turf and invites weeds, then the customer blames the service for a thin lawn. NALP and most extension programs publish recommended heights by grass type, and naming the standard in the agreement makes it a professional decision rather than an argument.
Can Claver send lawn care agreements and schedule the visits?
Yes. On Crew, Claver stores the agreement as a document template; once the customer signs, set up the recurring plan at that frequency, and every visit lands on the calendar automatically. E-signature is on the Crew plan. The agreement, visit history, and invoices stay on the same customer record.

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