Landscape Architect vs. Landscape Designer: Cost, License and What You Get

You want the yard planned before anyone digs, and quotes for a plan run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. Much of that spread comes down to who draws it, a licensed landscape architect or a landscape designer. Here is what each one does and charges, plus the three other ways homeowners get a plan.

What is the difference between a landscape architect and a landscape designer?

A landscape architect is a licensed professional, and every state requires the license, which usually takes an accredited degree, supervised experience and an exam. A landscape designer needs no license in many states and focuses on plants, beds and how the yard looks. Architects handle grading, drainage and walls, and usually charge more.

The Short Answer

Hire a landscape architect when the plan regrades the yard, changes where water goes or adds tall retaining walls, or when your town wants drawings from a licensed professional. For planting beds and a simple patio, a designer, an online service or a builder-drawn plan costs less and usually does the job. This is how the five options compare on price.

• Landscape architect: $100 to $250 an hour as a minimum, per HomeGuide, or often 5% to 15% of the project, per Angi. Licensed in every state.
• Landscape designer: $50 to $150 an hour, with typical plans at $700 to $3,000, per HomeGuide. No license required in many states.
• Design-build contractor: its designers bill $70 to $150 an hour, per HomeGuide, and the design fee usually comes off the build price if you hire the firm.
• Online design service: Yardzen lists backyard packages at $995 to $3,495, and our Single Space plans start at $349.
• Do it yourself: a tape measure, graph paper and a few weekends.

Landscape Architect vs. Landscape Designer vs. Landscaper

These three titles get used like they mean the same thing. They don’t. A landscape architect and a landscape designer draw the plan, and a landscaper, or landscape contractor, builds it. In Pennsylvania each one answers to a different rule, which tells you how to check them out. If you’re still deciding whether you need a plan at all, start with do I need a landscape designer.

	Landscape architect	Landscape designer	Landscaper or landscape contractor
Main job	Site design, including grades, drainage and stormwater	Layout, plants and how the yard looks	Builds and maintains the work
Training	Usually a BLA or BSLA (4 to 5 years) or an MLA (about 3 years), supervised experience and the four-section L.A.R.E. exam	Varies; many hold voluntary certifications	Varies
Pennsylvania rule	State license to practice or use the title; plans carry a “Registered Landscape Architect” seal	No license; planting plans by nurseries, gardeners and landscape contractors are exempt	Registers with the Attorney General once it does $5,000 or more of home improvements a year
Typical fee	$100 to $250 an hour minimum, or 5% to 15% of the project	$50 to $150 an hour; most plans $700 to $3,000	Priced on the build
How to check them	License lookup in PALS	Ask for credentials and a past plan set	PA registration number on the contract and estimate, or the Attorney General’s line at 1-888-520-6680

What a Landscape Architect Does

Landscape architecture is a licensed profession. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says “All states require landscape architects to be licensed,” which usually takes an accredited degree, supervised experience and a licensing exam. Their work includes site plans, specifications, cost estimates and checking construction against the plans. Angi’s architect cost guide adds help with permits, sourcing contractors and project management to that list.

That training earns its fee when a plan changes how the land works. HomeGuide recommends that a landscape architect or engineer evaluate plans with new walls and grading changes. Angi’s comparison guide lists regrading, drainage, retaining walls, pools and large water features as typical architect projects.

Rates run higher than a designer’s. HomeGuide lists $100 to $250 an hour as a minimum, and Angi’s comparison guide puts architects at $70 to $150 an hour. Angi’s architect cost guide says the fee is typically a percentage of the project, often 5% to 15% and around 10% on average, so a $40,000 backyard at 10% carries a $4,000 design fee.

Tall or loaded retaining walls are a separate step. Under the International Residential Code, a retaining wall that holds back more than 48 inches of soil needs an engineered design, and so does one over 24 inches that carries extra load such as parked cars. Budget for that engineering whichever kind of designer you hire. Our retaining wall guide collects our articles on wall design, drainage and block.

What a Landscape Designer Does

Landscape designers come from many backgrounds, and HomeGuide notes there are no licensing requirements for them in many states. Many join national organizations for certifications and ongoing training, according to Angi’s comparison guide, which describes their usual work as garden improvements, plant selection and how the yard looks.

HomeGuide puts a typical plan at $700 to $3,000, with a national average of $1,850 and up to $9,000 for extra-large, high-end designs. Hourly rates run $50 to $150, and a first consultation usually costs $100 to $200 and covers the first hour. Angi’s designer cost guide reports a higher national average of $4,588, with most homeowners paying $1,934 to $7,267.

Smaller scopes cost less. HomeGuide prices a nursery horticulturist’s garden design, meaning a consultation, a plant list and basic sketches for roughly 600 to 1,000 square feet, at $200 to $600, and puts small projects at $300 to $600 overall. Large projects run $3,500 to $9,000.

For the fee, HomeGuide lists on-site consultations, budget planning, 2D or 3D concept plans, cost estimates, revisions and advice during construction. Angi adds a site analysis of sun, soil, slope and drainage, plus plants chosen for your region. Ask which of those your quote covers, since HomeGuide says the price depends on the type of plan.

Design-Build Firms and the Design Credit

A design-build contractor draws the plan and then builds it. HomeGuide says these firms “typically deduct fees for making plans from the total installation price,” so the fee comes back as a credit if they build it. In return, you are usually picking your builder before you have compared prices.

Get the credit terms in writing. Ask whether the credit expires, whether it covers the whole fee, and whether you can take the plan to other contractors if the build price comes in high.

Whichever route you take, our hardscape design guide lays out what the plan should settle and what each sheet should show, so you can tell a buildable plan from a pretty picture.

Online Design Services

Online services draw your yard from your photos and measurements. Yardzen’s package page lists backyard packages at $995 to $3,495, with zero to three revision rounds depending on the package, and says its designs are made “without ever stepping foot on your property.” Its Premium package lists photorealistic 3D designs, 2D CAD plans and check-in design calls, and the company aims to deliver a first draft within 5 to 10 business days.

Renders help you picture the finished yard. A contractor pricing a patio or wall also needs dimensions, base depths, drainage and quantities, and our Yardzen review looks at where remote plans need a builder’s input. Our landscape design cost guide compares the main online services side by side.

Our own online landscape design plans are drawn by a hardscape builder. A Single Space plan covers one patio, walk or wall, and a Full Yard plan is $895, both with a scaled 2D plan showing the layout, sizes and materials, and plants matched to your hardiness zone. The first draft comes in 10 business days, with one revision round on a Single Space plan and two on a Full Yard plan, and neither is a sealed or engineered drawing.

Drawing It Yourself

A DIY plan costs your time and not much else. It makes sense for a planting refresh or a simple patio on flat ground, where a mistake is cheap to fix. Draw it to scale so every contractor prices the same job, and bring in a professional when the plan regrades the yard, redirects water or adds a retaining wall.

Start from your survey or plot plan, which shows the lot lines and house, and add what it leaves out. Our guide to landscape plan drawing walks through the base map, measuring, scale, symbols and a material takeoff. The free Patio Planning Kit adds a graph sheet, measuring steps and hiring questions.

When Pennsylvania Law Calls for a Licensed Landscape Architect

Pennsylvania’s Landscape Architects’ Registration Law defines the practice broadly. It covers planning, design, drawings and specifications for land where the main purpose includes shaping and contouring the land, setting grades, determining drainage, stormwater management, and erosion and sedimentation problems. Practicing it takes a state license. Section 908 lets registered architects, engineers and land surveyors handle landscape work that is incidental to their own.

The same law carves out planting work. It says it does not stop people in nursery work, gardeners or landscape contractors from preparing planting plans and the items that go with them, and Section 908 exempts nurserymen, landscape gardeners and general or landscape contractors as their work pertains to planting design. So the beds and plant list can come from a nursery, a gardener or a landscape contractor without a landscape architect’s license.

The gray zone is grading and drainage. Section 908 also exempts home builders and graders, so the line is not always clean. If the plan’s main job is reshaping the ground or handling stormwater, or your township or a stormwater review asks for sealed drawings, bring in a licensed landscape architect or an engineer. Under Section 909, a landscape architect’s plans and specifications carry a seal with their name, registration number and the words “Registered Landscape Architect.” A designer’s plan has no seal, and neither do our Groundwork plans.

Matching the Designer to the Yard

• Mostly plants and beds: a landscape designer or an online service.
• A patio, walk or short garden wall on gentle ground: a designer, a design-build firm or a builder-drawn plan with construction details.
• Regrading, drainage changes, a steep lot or a town that wants licensed drawings: a landscape architect, plus engineering for tall or loaded walls.
• A big yard built over several seasons: one master plan first, then build in stages, as we lay out in phasing a backyard project.

What to Ask Before You Pay a Design Fee

• Credentials: a landscape architect’s state license number, or a designer’s training and certifications.
• Drawings: a scaled plan with dimensions on every patio, walk, bed and wall.
• Planting: plant names, sizes and counts, matched to your hardiness zone.
• Quantities: square feet of paving, tons of stone, block counts and feet of edging, so bids line up.
• Revisions and 3D: how many rounds are included and whether renders are in the price.
• Site visit: whether anyone walks the property, or the plan comes from your photos and measurements.
• Use of the plan: whether you can hand it to any contractor for bids, and what the design credit requires.

Whoever you hire, get the deliverables, revision rounds and your right to bid the plan out in writing before you pay. Then hold each quote up against a real drawing set, such as our sample landscape design plans, so you know what a buildable plan looks like.

FAQ

Do landscape architects need a license in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Pennsylvania law makes it unlawful to practice landscape architecture or to use the title landscape architect without a state license. The Department of State requires a landscape architecture degree, one to two years of supervised experience depending on the degree path, and a passing result on the Landscape Architect Registration Exam (LARE).

How do I check a landscape architect’s license in Pennsylvania?

Search the Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS) from the Department of State’s license verification page. It shows a licensee’s license number and status, and whether they have ever faced disciplinary action by their licensing board. Ask for the license number before you pay a design fee.

Do I need a permit or an engineer for a retaining wall in Pennsylvania?

Under 34 Pa. Code Section 403.62, a residential retaining wall up to 4 feet tall, measured from the lowest level of grade to the top of the wall, needs no UCC permit unless it supports a surcharge. Under the IRC, a wall holding back more than 48 inches of soil needs an engineered design. Check your local ordinances too.

Is a landscape architect worth the money?

It pays off when the plan changes how the land works. Angi lists regrading and drainage among typical landscape architect projects. For planting beds or a simple patio on gentle ground, a fee that Angi puts at 5 to 15 percent of the project usually buys more than the job needs.

What is the difference between a landscape architect, a landscape designer and a landscaper?

A landscape architect is licensed in every state and designs the site, including grades and drainage. A landscape designer works on layout and plants and needs no license in many states. A landscaper or landscape contractor builds and maintains the work. In Pennsylvania, a contractor doing $5,000 or more of home improvements a year, landscaping included, must register with the Attorney General.

Can a landscape designer draw a grading or drainage plan in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania’s Landscape Architects’ Registration Law lists setting grades, determining drainage and stormwater management as landscape architecture, which takes a state license. The same law lets nursery workers, gardeners and landscape contractors prepare planting plans. For a plan whose main job is grading or stormwater, or one your township wants sealed, hire a licensed landscape architect or an engineer.

How much do landscape architects make?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for landscape architects at $79,870 in May 2025, or $38.40 an hour. It counts about 23,500 landscape architect jobs in 2025, and 17 percent of landscape architects were self-employed.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Landscape Architects; HomeGuide, landscape design cost; Angi, landscape architect cost; Angi, landscaper vs. architect vs. designer; Angi, landscape designer cost; Yardzen, packages; ICC, 2015 IRC Section R404.4 retaining walls; 63 P.S. Section 903, Landscape Architects’ Registration Law; 63 P.S. Section 902, definitions; 63 P.S. Section 908, exemptions; 63 P.S. Section 909, seal of registrants; Pennsylvania Department of State, landscape architect licensure; Pennsylvania Department of State, verify a license; CLARB, L.A.R.E. examination process; Pennsylvania Attorney General, Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act; 34 Pa. Code Section 403.62.

Written and reviewed by Thayne Muthler, owner of Muthler Landscaping & Construction. How we check facts: editorial policy.