Landscaping licence in Dubai, a lighter file
Garden upkeep is one of the lighter licences. Public green areas and hardscape work add the approvals.
- Usual route
- Mainland (DET)
- Extra approval
- Dubai Municipality
- Timeline
- Days to weeks
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
A landscaping licence in Dubai is a DET activity, and Dubai Municipality's approval for agricultural work now comes as an instant approval inside DET's licensing. Planting and maintaining gardens is a light file. Work in municipality-supervised parks and green areas needs a NOC for each site, and pools, paving and structures are contracting work.
- Covers
- Planting, lawn care, irrigation and garden maintenance contracts
- Not covered
- Garden design, plant nurseries, pest spraying and building works
- Premises
- An office, plus a yard for tools and vehicles
- Timeline
- Days to weeks for a maintenance licence
What a gardening and landscaping licence covers
The activity covers planting and caring for green spaces under contract, from a single villa garden to a hotel's grounds.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by Engineering consultancy
- Covered by Pest control
- Covered by Construction contracting
- Covered by Plant nursery
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Many gardeners also spray for pests, which brings its own approvals, so we check the full service list before filing.
Mainland or free zone for landscaping
Gardens are on Dubai sites, so landscaping usually sits on a DET licence. A free zone suits only work inside that zone.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Villa owners and residential communities | Mainland (DET) | Work on mainland homes and communities sits with a DET licence |
| Hotels, malls and office campuses | Mainland (DET) | Maintenance contracts on mainland sites point to DET as well |
| Developers and sites inside one free zone | Free zone | Work confined to the zone can run on that zone's licence |
A free zone company can serve mainland clients through a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Gardening for households sits outside the QFZP 0% rate.
Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Dubai Municipality and landscaping approvals
Dubai Municipality's approval for agricultural activities is now issued instantly within DET's licensing, so a company that only plants and maintains gardens is licensed quickly. Municipal green areas need a NOC per job, and hardscape is contracting work.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET
The licence
- Agricultural activity approvalDubai Municipality, within DET licensing
- Trade licenceDET
After the licence
- NOC for public green areasDubai Municipality, per site
- Contractor registration for hardscapeDubai Municipality
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
For garden upkeep alone, the licence is most of the work.
Where you plant and what you build
Two questions set the file: whose ground you work on, and whether the job stops at plants.
Plant value affects the NOC decision in public areas, so we raise it before you price a park contract.
| Private villas, hotels and communities | Municipality-supervised parks and green areas | |
|---|---|---|
| Planting, irrigation and upkeep | The light file A DET licence with the municipality's approval built in; nothing extra per job. | A NOC per site Each job in a supervised green area needs a municipality NOC, valid six months. |
| Pools, paving, pergolas or structures | Add contracting work Structures and paving are contracting, registered with Dubai Municipality under the contractor law. | Both together Contractor registration for the build and the green-area NOC before ground is broken. |
Answer both to highlight your square.
What banks ask a landscaping company
Bank viewStandard, with questions on cash wages and contract income
Banks see a landscaping company as a standard service business. Questions centre on payroll, because field teams are paid monthly through the wage system. They also ask how income arrives, whether as monthly invoices to communities and hotels or as one-off payments from villa owners after a new garden goes in. Vehicles and equipment are bought early. We put the maintenance contracts, the payroll plan and the equipment quotes into the bank file together.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
Where landscaping licences go wrong
Pest spraying added without the approval
Garden teams often spray for pests during a maintenance visit, and many clients expect it as part of the monthly fee. Pesticide work is regulated separately by Dubai Municipality. A gardening licence does not cover it.
Pergolas and pools on a gardening licence
A client asks for a shade structure or a pool with the new garden. That is contracting work, and building it on a gardening licence puts the job outside the activity.
Park jobs priced before the NOC
Work in municipality-supervised green areas needs a NOC first, assessed partly on the value of plants affected. Pricing the job before that answer leaves the timeline and the margin exposed.
Questions about a landscaping company licence
A question about your plan? Describe your landscaping company plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow to start a landscaping business in Dubai?
How much does a landscaping licence cost in Dubai?
Do I need a Dubai Municipality permit for landscaping work?
Is a gardening licence different from a landscaping licence?
Related pages
ActivityPest control licence in DubaiDubai Municipality clears your team, pesticide store and vans before the trade licence issues.
ActivitySwimming pool maintenance licence in DubaiA swimming pool maintenance licence comes from DET, and the shared pools you service bring Dubai Municipality's water and chemical rules.
JurisdictionDubai mainland licence through DETSuits businesses that sell to UAE customers or bid for Dubai tenders.
Gardens only, or pools and parks too? Set the activities before the first contract
Fifteen minutes with a senior advisor on the services you plan and the sites you will work on. You leave with the activities, the route and any approvals beyond the licence.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written quote before any work starts
