Landscape Architect Job Description

A landscape architect designs the ground a building sits on and everything that happens outside its walls. BLS describes the work as designing parks and the outdoor spaces of campuses, recreational facilities, businesses, private homes and other open spaces, which covers a commercial plaza as readily as a hospital courtyard or the common areas of an apartment complex. On a construction project the landscape architect is one consultant among several, and the drawings carry the name of the licensed professional who prepared them.

Starting with the site. Every project begins with what is already there. The landscape architect reads the survey, walks the property, and maps slopes, soils, drainage, existing trees, utilities and sun exposure. Environmental reports on land conditions, such as drainage, feed the early layout. That inventory decides where a building pad can go without fighting the terrain, which trees are worth saving, and where water will collect after a heavy storm.

Design phases. From there the work moves through the same phases the building architect follows: schematic design, design development and construction documents. Early sheets settle the big moves: entry drives, pedestrian routes, parking, open lawn, and how the ground floor of the building meets the street. Later sheets get specific. A grading plan sets finished elevations and slopes. A layout plan dimensions every curb, wall and paving edge. A planting plan names each species, size and quantity. Detail sheets show how a seat wall is built, how a tree pit is drained, and how pavers are set. Written specifications describe materials and installation standards so a landscape contractor can price the job.

Working with the rest of the team. Coordination is constant. Grading has to tie into the civil engineer's storm design and the architect's finished floor elevations. Planting has to clear underground utilities and sight lines at driveways. Paving and walls have to meet accessibility slopes. BLS lists meeting with clients, engineers and building architects, preparing site plans, specifications and cost estimates, and selecting landscaping materials among the core duties.

Software. BLS notes that landscape architects prepare graphic representations of plans with computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) software and that many use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to study land features and anticipate effects such as rainfall running into a valley. BLS adds that they use CADD to prepare models of proposed work, present them to clients for feedback, and then prepare the final look of the project.

Environmental work. BLS describes the goals as enhancing the natural beauty of a space and fostering environmental benefits. That can mean restoring wetlands, streams or mined land, or designing green roofs and rooftop gardens that retain storm water, absorb air pollution and cool buildings.

Back on site. Once a contractor is hired, the landscape architect reviews submittals, answers field questions and inspects progress against the plans. BLS reports that landscape architects spend much of their time in offices and the rest at jobsites, and the job also includes seeking new work through marketing and presentations.

Degree. The usual starting point is an accredited professional degree in landscape architecture. BLS describes two undergraduate options, the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) and the Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA), which usually take 4 to 5 years. A graduate with a bachelor's degree in another field can enroll in a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA), which BLS says typically takes 3 years of full-time study. Accreditation comes from the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB), whose 2025 annual report summary counted 102 accredited programs in 76 universities, 47 undergraduate and 55 graduate. Courses typically include landscape design and construction, landscape ecology and site design, along with plant and soil science and professional practice.

Supervised experience. New graduates work as intern landscape architects or designers under a licensed professional while they build the hours their state board requires. As a rough guide, plan on two or more years of supervised work before full licensure, though the exact count depends on the state and on the degree held. A useful first job puts you on the full cycle of a project, including construction administration, rather than only on renderings.

The licensing exam. The Landscape Architect Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.), administered by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), has four sections: Inventory, Analysis, and Project Management; Planning and Design; Construction Documentation and Administration; and Grading, Drainage, and Stormwater Management. CLARB bases the content on a job task analysis conducted every five to seven years. BLS notes that some states add their own exam on state-specific issues, citing earthquakes in California and hurricanes in Florida.

Credentials worth knowing.

• State landscape architect license, issued by each state's licensing board after the L.A.R.E.
• CLARB Certification (CLARB), a credential showing the holder meets the CLARB Uniform Licensure Standard, which CLARB says makes licensure in another state easier
• LEED AP BD+C (Green Business Certification Inc.), for projects pursuing LEED building certification
• SITES AP (Green Business Certification Inc.), for projects pursuing SITES certification for sustainable landscapes

Skills that matter on construction projects.

• Grading by hand and in software: reading contours, setting spot elevations and checking slopes for drainage and accessibility
• Plant knowledge tied to a region's climate, soils and maintenance realities
• Drawing sets that a contractor can price without guessing, with details that can actually be built
• Cost estimating at each phase so scope and budget stay aligned
• Comfort in the field: reading a site during construction, spotting a grading error early, and writing clear punch lists
• Clear writing and presenting for review boards, public meetings and client interviews

Background that helps. Summer internships at landscape architecture firms give students early exposure to how offices bid fees and manage budgets. Time in a nursery, on a landscape installation crew or in a civil engineering office also builds the practical sense of how drawings turn into built work.

BLS counted about 23,500 landscape architect jobs in 2025 and projects employment to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations. That is an increase of 1,000 jobs over the decade. BLS also projects about 1,700 openings for landscape architects each year, on average, with many of them coming from the need to replace workers who move to other occupations or leave the labor force, such as to retire.

Where the jobs are. According to BLS, architectural, engineering and related services firms employed 50 percent of landscape architects in 2025. Landscaping services accounted for 20 percent, self-employed workers for 17 percent, government for 8 percent and construction for 1 percent.

Pay by employer type. BLS reports May 2025 medians of $107,410 for landscape architects in government, $82,290 in architectural, engineering and related services, and $65,150 in landscaping services.

What drives demand. BLS says landscape architects will be needed to plan and develop landscapes for commercial, industrial and residential projects, and that environmental concerns and efforts to conserve water and prevent waterway pollution may also create some demand.

Licensure is getting more portable. CLARB member boards have been adopting its Uniform Licensure Standard, which CLARB frames as part of a push toward greater consistency in licensure nationwide. Oklahoma's version took effect on Aug. 3, 2026, through legislative approval of HJR 1091, making it the 10th CLARB member board to adopt the standard, according to CLARB. The Oklahoma revisions adopted the national two-year experience standard for qualified applicants. Leslie Hanska, executive director of the Oklahoma Board of Governors of Architects, Landscape Architects and Licensed Interior Designers, said the update makes it easier for qualified landscape architects to practice across state lines.

The pipeline of graduates. LAAB's 2025 annual report summary counted 1,473 graduates, 870 undergraduate and 603 graduate, as reported by 101 of the 102 accredited programs. Those graduates are the entry-level pool for intern landscape architect roles.

AI and the license. ASLA's 2025 policy statement on artificial intelligence names site analysis, climate modeling and construction documentation as areas where AI presents new opportunities, while warning that its growing use raises questions around authorship, accountability, equity and ethics. The statement says it remains the responsibility of the licensed landscape architect to provide services in conformance with the standard of care. ASLA also says the licensed landscape architect must maintain responsibility for all deliverables and services, whatever tool helped produce them.

Advancement. One ladder runs from designer to project landscape architect, project manager, associate and principal. Some practitioners move into public agency roles, teaching, or their own practice.

Dear Ms. Alvarez,

I am applying for the Project Landscape Architect position at Northfield Site Design. For the past four years I have worked at a small civil and landscape firm in Columbus, and I earned my state landscape architect license this spring after passing the final section of the L.A.R.E. I would like to bring that construction-focused experience to a studio that does the kind of mixed-use and institutional work your portfolio shows.

Most of my projects have been commercial and multifamily sites where the building team needed a landscape architect who could keep up with the civil engineer. On a four-story apartment building last year, I owned the grading, layout and planting sheets from schematic design through permit. When the architect raised the finished floor late in design development, I reworked the entry grades and the accessible route in a week, so the permit set went in on schedule.

I also spend real time in the field. On a medical office project I reviewed every planting and paving submittal, caught a contractor substituting a smaller caliper tree than specified, and walked the punch list with the owner's representative before turnover. That job taught me to draw details with the installer in mind.

Your recent library plaza, with its bioretention planters set into the seating terraces, is the kind of project I want to grow into. I would welcome the chance to talk about how my grading and construction administration background could support your team.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely, Jordan Reyes, PLA