- Register as a sole proprietor or incorporate with BC Registries (~$40–$380)
- File your Surrey business licence (~$85/yr)
- Get general liability insurance
- Set your rates ($50–$80/hr, or maintenance contracts from $150–$400+/month per property)
- Build a brand, website, and online booking
- Set up card payments and simple bookkeeping
- Launch a Google Business Profile focused on Surrey
Surrey's yards come with the territory — the fastest-growing housing stock in BC — new townhome complexes, big suburban lots, and thousands of new builds a year — and that terrain shapes the work. New-build yard installs plus acreage properties in Cloverdale and South Surrey make this the region's highest-volume landscaping market. The skills are the easy part; the business wrapper — registration, a Surrey licence, insurance, a real brand, and online booking — is what wins the job.
Why Surrey specifically
Surrey's construction pace means constant new-build yard establishment — sod, borders, irrigation — feeding straight into maintenance rosters, with acreage properties in South Surrey adding big-ticket work on top.
For a landscaper, that means install volume: new-build yard establishment feeding a growing maintenance roster.
Where the work is: New-build yard installs plus acreage properties in Cloverdale and South Surrey make this the region's highest-volume landscaping market. Neighbourhoods like Fleetwood, Cloverdale, South Surrey each have their own client base — your Google Business Profile and local pages should name them.
Startup costs in Surrey
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| BC business registration (sole prop) | ~$40 |
| Name request fee | ~$30 |
| Surrey business licence | ~$85/yr |
| General liability insurance | $500–$1,200/yr |
| Equipment & supplies | $1,500–$4,000 (mower, trimmer, blower, trailer or truck setup) |
| Branding, website & booking setup | $0 DIY – $3,000+ agency |
Government fees change — confirm current amounts with BC Registries and the City of Surrey. Surrey's business licence is among the region's cheapest (~$85/yr) and is filed through the city's online services portal.
Realistic earnings
Landscaping rates in Metro Vancouver commonly run $50–$80/hr, or maintenance contracts from $150–$400+/month per property. A solo operator with a steady calendar can realistically build toward $5,000–$10,000+ per month solo in season, with recurring maintenance smoothing the off-season — results vary with your niche, your area, and how established you look. No certification required for general landscaping; pesticide application requires a licence.
Let's name it
The thing that stops most Surrey starters isn't cost — it's this. “What if equipment damages a client's property, or the weather kills my schedule?” A weather-delay clause, a liability waiver, insurance, and recurring contracts smooth both — and every Prontco launch includes the paperwork done properly.
Talk it through on a free callLandscaping Pricing Calculator
Work out what to charge before you quote your first job in Surrey. Set the job size, condition and the hourly rate you need to earn, and get a defensible number in seconds.
Open the calculator →Your first clients in Surrey — the landscaping playbook
- Contact builders about new-build yard establishment packages (sod, borders, irrigation-ready) in Cloverdale.
- Target acreage properties in South Surrey with ride-on capacity pricing — bigger equipment, bigger tickets.
- Offer new-homeowner yard starter bundles marketed through your realtor and builder contacts.
The shortcut
Every step above is DIY-able if you have the evenings to spare. The alternative: Prontco builds it all in roughly 10 business days — Surrey licence filed, brand and website live, booking and payments connected, books set up — then stays with you for 30 days of launch support. From $997, and you own everything.
Related guides
How to start a landscaping business in BC · How to start a business in Surrey · The complete BC startup guide · Free calculators & checklists