Under $3,000
Work on a building at this contracted value is exempt from licensure, with no filing required.
Utah contractor classification guide
Utah S330 Contractor License: Does It Cover Your Work?
S330 is Utah’s Landscape and Recreation Contractor classification. On March 30, 2026 its scope changed: swimming pool installation came out, and a closed list of who an S330 licensee may hire went in. Most published summaries — including several official-looking rule mirrors — still show the old text.
The quick answer
S330 is Utah’s specialty classification for landscape and recreation work — and as of March 30, 2026, it no longer covers swimming pool installation.
The rule calls it the Landscape and Recreation Contractor classification; the current application prints it as “S330 Landscape & Recreation Contractor.” It covers grading and planting for horticultural or decorative treatment, plus irrigation, retaining walls, pergolas, patios, decking, greenhouses, fencing, athletic courts and playgrounds, and factory-built spas.
A drop-in hot tub is still S330. A built-in-place swimming pool is now B100 or R100 only. That is the single most important change on this page.
Two questions come before the classification question: whether the work needs a license at all — ordinary lawn care is now exempt by name — and whether the contract runs into electrical, plumbing, or natural gas work that S330 excludes.
Before the classification question
Do you need a license at all?
Utah exempts small contracts from licensure, with a filing requirement in the middle band — and it separately names a list of work that never requires a license at any value. Both matter unusually much to a landscape audience.
$3,000 to under $7,000
Exempt only if a one-time affirmation is filed with the division showing liability insurance and, where applicable, workers compensation. The current filing fee is $45.00, and the affirmation is subject to periodic reaffirmation.
$7,000 and above
Licensure is required. The threshold counts labor and materials together, including every change or addition to the contracted or agreed work.
The catch that matters most to landscapers
- The exemption is written around alteration, repair, remodeling, addition to, or improvement of a building. Standalone yard and landscape work that never touches a building may not fit this exemption framework at all — so do not assume every small yard job is automatically exempt.
- It is unlawful to use “contractor,” “builder,” or similar words while operating under the exemption, and business names containing them are denied.
Work that needs no license regardless of value
The current exemption section lists activities that require no contractor license at any contract value. Several are directly relevant here, and two were expanded in the March 2026 amendment:
- Lawn aeration, fertilizing, power raking, and dethatching — new in the 2026 list. Ordinary lawn-care maintenance is now exempt by name rather than by omission.
- Tree trimming, and removal of trees or tree stumps — the 2026 wording added trimming; the earlier text covered only removal.
- Artificial turf installation
- Concrete cutting
The list changes. Confirm it against the current rule before building a business around one of these entries.
The March 2026 change
Swimming pools left S330 on March 30, 2026
This is a closed door, not a judgment call — one of the few classification questions on this site with a binary answer. It is also recent enough that most sources have not caught up.
“(c) swimming pools, prefabricated pools, spas, decorative pools, tanks, fountains, sprinkler systems, water distribution systems for artificial watering or irrigation…”
“(i) The construction, fabrication, or installation of self contained or factory built spas in which all control, water heating and water-circulating equipment is an integral part of the product; (ii) decorative pools, tanks, or fountains…”
| Question | Answer under the current rule |
|---|---|
| Can an S330-only licensee build an in-ground swimming pool? | No, as of March 30, 2026. Swimming pools and prefabricated pools were affirmatively deleted from the S330 inclusion list. The incidental-work clause does not bring them back. |
| Can an S330 licensee install a factory-built spa or hot tub? | Yes. Self-contained or factory-built spas, where all control, water heating, and water-circulating equipment is integral to the product, are the first named inclusion in the current scope. |
| What license does pool installation require now? | B100 General Building or R100 Residential and Small Commercial. The current B100 scope names activity pools, exercise and swim spas, public and residential swimming pools, non-self-contained spas, permanent residential spas, and prefabricated swimming pools expressly. |
| Is a built-in-place spa S330 or B100/R100? | B100 or R100. “Non-self contained spas” and “permanent residential spas” are named in the general building scope, and are distinguished from the self-contained, factory-built spas S330 kept. |
| What does an existing S330 pool installer have to do? | Add a B100 or R100 classification. That means the classification fee, the Utah Contractor Business and Law examination, and that classification’s experience requirements. S330 alone no longer covers the work. |
Why the Division did it
The rulemaking digest cites an increase in investigative cases showing financial harm from job abandonment, dangerous workmanship, and substantial engineering deficiencies on swimming pool installation, with the majority of those complaints traced to S330 licensees.
The mechanism the Division pointed to is subcontracting. S330 is a specialty license restricted to a short, closed list of licenses it may hire out to, so a pool project that goes wrong cannot bring in the structural, plumbing, electrical, or excavation expertise needed to fix it. A B100 or R100 licensee can subcontract freely. That is the same reasoning that produced the new subcontracting clause below.
The fiscal note counted roughly 6,000 active S330 licensees and estimated that no more than 5% — about 300 businesses — perform pool installation.
Read the Division’s rulemaking digestWhat adding B100 or R100 costs
| B100 or R100 classification feeAdded to an existing license through DOPL’s add-classification process. | $175.00 |
|---|---|
| Utah Contractor Business and Law examinationRequired for a general classification. Specialty-only S330 applicants never took it. | $85.00 |
| Division’s estimated conversion costThe figure in the rulemaking fiscal note, before the experience showing the general classification also requires. | $260.00 |
B100 and R100 are general classifications, so the exam and experience rules that never applied to a specialty-only S330 applicant apply to the new classification. Confirm the current requirements on the application before filing.
Why you may not find this anywhere else yet
The amendment was filed as DAR No. 57745, published in the Utah State Bulletin on February 15, 2026, and confirmed effective March 30, 2026 by the Notice of Effective Date in the April 15, 2026 Bulletin. As of this review, the usual public rule mirrors still serve the 2019 text with swimming pools in S330. Work from the Bulletin filing itself.
The controlling text
What the S330 scope of practice actually says
The rule was renumbered in the same March 2026 filing. S330 now lives at R156-55a-301ae, in its own section, structured in three parts: the scope, its inclusions and exclusions, and a subcontracting rule that did not exist before.
(1) Scope
A licensee under this subsection may: (a) Grade and prepare land for architectural, horticultural, or decorative treatment. (b) Arrange, and plant gardens, lawns, shrubs, vines, bushes, trees, or other decorative vegetation.
(2)(a) Inclusions
Ten clauses, quoted from the filed text. The notes beside them are ours.
(i)
The construction, fabrication, or installation of self contained or factory built spas in which all control, water heating and water-circulating equipment is an integral part of the product;
This clause replaced the old “swimming pools, prefabricated pools, spas” language. A drop-in hot tub is S330; a built-in-place pool is not.
(ii)
decorative pools, tanks, or fountains;
Decorative water features stayed. The distinction the rule now draws is decorative versus swimming.
(iii)
sprinkler systems, and water distribution systems for artificial watering or irrigation, for systems that are not connected to the culinary water system, or that are connected to the culinary water system but separated from the culinary water system by an existing backflow prevention device to which the licensee may connect the system or installed by the licensee provided that during each renewal period the licensee completes at least two of their six continuing education hours … in continuing education related to backflow installation;
Irrigation is conditional, not automatic. Installing the backflow device yourself turns 2 of your 6 renewal CE hours into a backflow requirement.
(iv)
metal fireboxes, fireplaces, and wood or coal-burning stoves, including the installation of venting and exhaust systems, if the individual performing the installation is a Certified Natural Gas Technician;
An individual credential requirement buried inside a landscape classification. The business license is S330; the installer still needs the certification.
(v)
retaining walls, except for retaining walls to hold vehicles, structures, equipment or other non-natural fill materials within the area located within a 45 degree angle from the base of the retaining wall to the level of where the additional weight bearing vehicles, structures, equipment or other non-natural fill materials are located;
A load-geometry test, not a height test. Third-party pages that describe a flat “under 4 feet” rule are not quoting the rule.
(vi)
pergolas, patios, patio areas, and decking, including the deck structure and substructure;
Pergolas were added in the 2026 amendment. Decking sits here, including its structure and substructure — the current S220 carpentry text does not name decking.
(vii)
hothouses, greenhouses, walks, and garden lighting of class two or class three power-limited circuits as defined in the National Electrical Code;
Garden lighting is limited to Class 2 or Class 3 power-limited circuits. That is a wiring-class limit, not a landscape-lighting allowance in general.
(viii)
flag poles, fences, guardrails, handrails, and barriers;
Fencing lives here because the retired S420 and S421 fencing codes were folded into S330 in 2019.
(ix)
sports and athletic courts, ranges, and fields including football fields, tennis courts, racquetball courts, handball courts, basketball courts, bowling alleys, shooting ranges, running tracks, playgrounds, playground equipment, rock climbing walls, or any similar court, field, surface, or related components; includes poles, standards, surface painting or coatings, floors, floor subsurface, wall surface, perimeter walls, perimeter fencing, scoreboards, or other equipment; and
The 2026 amendment added bowling alleys, shooting ranges, rock climbing walls, and scoreboards. The recreation half of this classification is much wider than “landscaping.”
(x)
incidental concrete, excavation, or asphalt work related to this scope of practice.
The incidental allowance is tied to the S330 scope. It is not authority to sell concrete, excavation, or paving as its own service.
(2)(b) Exclusions
Three clauses that decide most of the hard questions on a bundled landscape contract.
(i)
any electrical trade work described in Subsection 58-55-102(18)(a) and electrical work as defined Subsection R156-55b-102(1), however, nothing in this subsection will be interpreted to prevent an S330 — Landscape and Recreation Contractor for performing minor electrical work incidental to a mechanical or service installation when wiring is extended to no more than 10 feet from an existing outlet or disconnect and does not exceed 120 volts and 20 amperes …
The 10-foot, 120-volt, 20-amp carve-out is new in the 2026 amendment. It is a narrow incidental allowance, not a licence to wire a landscape package.
(ii)
Any plumbing work not otherwise described in Subsection R156-55a-301ae(2)(a); or
The irrigation and backflow clause is the only plumbing an S330 licensee may self-perform. Hose bibs and unrelated drain lines are not in it.
(iii)
Any natural gas-related work.
Flat exclusion. Note how it interacts with the wood-stove venting inclusion, which requires a Certified Natural Gas Technician to perform the installation.
(3) Subcontracting and hiring — new in 2026
An S330 licensee may hire exactly five kinds of license
The current text states that an S330 licensee “may not subcontract or hire any person to perform work on a project outside the scope” of S330, except holders of the licenses below. The pre-2026 rule had no S330-specific subcontracting clause at all.
- E200General Electrical Contractor
- E201Residential Electrical Contractor
- P200General Plumbing Contractor
- P201Residential Plumbing Contractor
- RMGAAny RMGA Certified Individual for natural gas work requiring an RMGA certificate holder
One drafting note, reported rather than corrected: the filed text prints “General Plumbing Contractor” for both P200 and P201. The application and the rest of the rule make clear that P201 is the Residential Plumbing Contractor license. Read the clause with that in mind, and confirm with DOPL if a specific job depends on it.
What that text establishes that summaries usually miss
A load test on retaining walls, not a height limit
The exception is geometric: walls holding vehicles, structures, equipment, or non-natural fill inside a 45-degree angle from the base of the wall are outside S330. Wall height by itself decides nothing.
A gas certification inside a landscape license
Metal fireboxes, fireplaces, and wood or coal-burning stoves — including venting and exhaust — are S330 work only if the individual performing the installation is a Certified Natural Gas Technician. RMGA certification is one path to that status.
A backflow continuing-education condition
If you install backflow prevention devices under the irrigation clause, at least 2 of your 6 renewal continuing-education hours must be backflow-installation CE. No other specialty classification carries this.
A narrow minor-electrical allowance
New in 2026: wiring extended no more than 10 feet from an existing outlet or disconnect, at no more than 120 volts and 20 amps, incidental to a mechanical or service installation. Everything else electrical goes to E200 or E201.
Recreation construction, not just landscaping
Bowling alleys, shooting ranges, rock climbing walls, running tracks, playground equipment, perimeter fencing, and scoreboards are all named. The recreation half of the title carries real weight.
A closed list of who you may hire
An S330 licensee may not subcontract or hire anyone for out-of-scope work except E200, E201, P200, P201, and RMGA-certified individuals. That closed list is the mechanism behind the swimming-pool removal.
Your decision point
Start with the work you contract to perform
Write down the finished result in plain language before looking at classification codes. Then find your row.
| Your contracted work | Classification question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Grading and preparing ground for planting or decorative treatment | This is the first half of the S330 scope itself. Confirm whether the same grading also prepares a site for a structure, which is where S310 has a claim. |
| Planting lawns, trees, shrubs, vines, or other decorative vegetation | The second half of the scope. Below the licensing thresholds, and for pure maintenance services, no classification may be required at all. |
| Installing sprinklers or irrigation distribution | Named in the scope, but conditioned on how the system meets the culinary water system and on a backflow continuing-education requirement. |
| Building retaining walls | Named directly, with a 45-degree load-geometry exception rather than a height limit. A block wall also raises an S230 masonry question. |
| Building pergolas, patios, patio areas, or decking | All four are named in the current S330 text, decking including its structure and substructure. Confirm whether the concrete beneath it is incidental or the product itself. |
| Installing a factory-built spa or hot tub | Still inside S330 — but only where all control, heating, and water-circulating equipment is integral to the product. |
| Installing an in-ground swimming pool | No longer S330 as of March 30, 2026. This work now requires B100 or R100. See the rule-change section below. |
| Building athletic courts, tracks, playgrounds, or shooting ranges | Named at length, down to scoreboards, surfaces, and perimeter fencing. Confirm whether pavement striping on the same job belongs to S260. |
| Installing fences, flag poles, guardrails, handrails, or barriers | Fencing is inside S330 — it was folded in from the retired S420 and S421 codes in 2019. |
| Installing a wood or coal-burning stove and its venting | Inside S330, but only if the individual doing the installation is a Certified Natural Gas Technician. |
| Mowing, aerating, fertilizing, power raking, or dethatching | The 2026 exemption list names lawn aeration, fertilizing, power raking, and dethatching by name. No contractor license at any contract value. |
This table is a triage tool, not a legal classification decision. Its job is to identify the exact boundary you need to resolve in the current DOPL scope.
The four work patterns
How S330 work usually breaks down
One classification covers four quite different businesses. Each has its own boundary with a neighboring scope.
Horticultural
Grading, planting, and decorative treatment
The scope itself is two sentences: grade and prepare land for architectural, horticultural, or decorative treatment, and arrange and plant gardens, lawns, shrubs, vines, bushes, trees, or other decorative vegetation. Everything else in the rule is an inclusion, an exclusion, or a limit on it.
Questions to resolve
- Is the grading you sell preparing ground for planting and decoration, or preparing a site for a structure?
- Does the contract stop at planting, or continue into hardscape and structures?
- Are the services you advertise maintenance services that the exemption list already names?
- Does any single contract cross the $3,000 or $7,000 thresholds?
Main classification boundary: Grading for horticultural or decorative treatment (S330) versus grading, cut, fill, and trenching as generally practiced in the construction trade (S310).
Hardscape
Retaining walls, pergolas, patios, and decking
Retaining walls, pergolas, patios and patio areas, and decking including the deck structure and substructure are all named, along with incidental concrete, excavation, or asphalt work related to the S330 scope.
Questions to resolve
- Does the retaining wall hold vehicles, structures, equipment, or non-natural fill inside the 45-degree zone?
- Is the wall built from block or brick, which the S230 masonry scope supplies?
- Is the concrete under the patio incidental to the landscape result, or the product the customer is buying?
- Does the deck attach to and load a building, or stand in the landscape?
Main classification boundary: Landscape structures and incidental concrete (S330) versus standalone flatwork (S260) or unit masonry (S230).
Irrigation
Sprinklers, irrigation, and the backflow condition
Sprinkler and irrigation distribution systems are S330 work when they are not connected to the culinary water system, or when they are separated from it by a backflow prevention device — either an existing one you connect to, or one you install if you meet the continuing-education condition.
Questions to resolve
- Is the system connected to culinary water, and if so, what separates it?
- Are you connecting to an existing backflow device or installing a new one?
- Will you complete 2 of your 6 renewal CE hours in backflow installation?
- Does the job include any other plumbing, which the exclusion sends to P200 or P201?
Main classification boundary: Irrigation and the backflow connection (S330) versus all other plumbing work (P200 or P201).
Recreation
Courts, ranges, playgrounds, and fencing
Sports and athletic courts, ranges, and fields — with their poles, standards, surface painting and coatings, floors and floor subsurface, wall and perimeter surfaces, perimeter fencing, scoreboards, and other equipment — plus flag poles, fences, guardrails, handrails, and barriers.
Questions to resolve
- Is the surface you coat an athletic court, or pavement that S260 striping and sealing covers?
- Does the installation include lighting beyond Class 2 or Class 3 power-limited circuits?
- Are scoreboards, equipment, or structures part of the same contract?
- Is a fencing-only business the whole operation? Fencing folded into S330 in 2019.
Main classification boundary: Athletic court surfacing and coating (S330) versus pavement sealing, striping, and marking (S260).
Real job questions
Common S330 classification questions
Each scenario starts with the customer-facing service, explains why the answer is not automatic, and identifies what to verify.
Does S330 still cover swimming pools?
- Why the answer is not automatic
- It did until March 29, 2026. The pre-amendment text opened its construction list with “swimming pools, prefabricated pools, spas.” The current text replaced that with self-contained or factory-built spas and decorative pools, tanks, or fountains. Swimming pools are simply gone from the list.
- Likely classification boundary
- Factory-built spas (S330) versus swimming pools and non-self-contained spas (B100 or R100).
- What to verify
- This is a rare binary answer rather than a judgment call — but it is five months old, and most published sources still show the old scope. Confirm your own record with DOPL before contracting pool work.
Can an S330 contractor still install hot tubs?
- Why the answer is not automatic
- Self-contained or factory-built spas are the first named inclusion in the current scope, but the qualifier matters: all control, water heating, and water-circulating equipment has to be an integral part of the product.
- Likely classification boundary
- A self-contained unit set in place (S330) versus a spa plumbed and wired together on site (B100 or R100).
- What to verify
- Describe how the unit arrives and what gets assembled on site. Anything built in place, including a permanent residential spa, is named in the general building scope.
Does S330 cover retaining walls, and how is the limit measured?
- Why the answer is not automatic
- Retaining walls are named, with an exception written as geometry rather than height: walls holding vehicles, structures, equipment, or other non-natural fill within a 45-degree angle from the base of the wall up to the level of that load are outside the scope.
- Likely classification boundary
- A landscape retaining wall (S330) versus a wall carrying structural or vehicle loads, and versus block or brick construction (S230).
- What to verify
- Sketch what sits behind and above the wall and where it falls relative to the 45-degree line. A published “under 4 feet” rule is not the test the rule uses.
Is grading an S330 or S310 question?
- Why the answer is not automatic
- Both classifications name grading. S310 covers cut, fill, excavation, grading, trenching, and backfilling as generally practiced in the construction trade. S330 covers grading and preparing land for architectural, horticultural, or decorative treatment. The rule splits them by purpose, not by equipment.
- Likely classification boundary
- Grading toward a planted or decorative result versus grading toward a construction result.
- What to verify
- Describe what the finished ground is for. Regrading a lot ahead of a structure, or paired with a load-bearing retaining wall, can raise both scopes at once.
Is a block retaining wall S330 or S230?
- Why the answer is not automatic
- S330 names retaining walls directly. S230 covers masonry materials — brick, block, forms, brick substitutes, clay, and concrete blocks — but never uses the words “retaining wall.” The rule does not resolve this by material alone.
- Likely classification boundary
- A landscape feature (S330) versus unit masonry construction (S230).
- What to verify
- Look at the contract as a whole: a landscape package that includes a block wall reads differently from a masonry business that also builds walls. Confirm the combination with DOPL.
Can an S330 business do its own electrical or plumbing?
- Why the answer is not automatic
- Only in two narrow places. Garden lighting on Class 2 or Class 3 power-limited circuits, and minor electrical work within 10 feet of an existing outlet or disconnect at no more than 120 volts and 20 amps. On plumbing, only the irrigation and backflow clause. Everything else is excluded.
- Likely classification boundary
- Named carve-outs (S330) versus licensed electrical (E200/E201) and plumbing (P200/P201) work.
- What to verify
- Bundling the work into one landscape contract does not extend the scope. The subcontracting clause names exactly who you may hire for the rest.
My old license says S380 — what do I do now?
- Why the answer is not automatic
- It has a two-step answer. S380 Swimming Pool and Spa Contractor was folded into S330 in 2019. Then, in 2026, swimming pools were pulled back out of S330 and into B100 and R100. A business that came in through S380 and still builds pools has moved twice.
- Likely classification boundary
- The 2019 conversion (S380 → S330) versus the 2026 pool removal (S330 → B100/R100).
- What to verify
- Confirm the current classification on your license record, then check whether the pool work you actually sell now needs a general classification.
Can I hold S330 together with other classifications?
- Why the answer is not automatic
- The current rule allows up to three specialty classifications, counted without regard to any general or trade licenses. A landscape business that also sells standalone excavation or flatwork often needs to look at more than one.
- Likely classification boundary
- One classification for one contracted service versus a combination for several.
- What to verify
- Inventory every separately advertised and contracted service. R101 is the exception — it may not be held alongside any other specialty classification.
The first real comparison
S330 versus S310: grading for what purpose?
Both classifications name grading, and the equipment can be identical. The rule splits them by purpose: S310 covers cut, fill, excavation, grading, trenching, and backfilling as generally practiced in the construction trade, while S330 covers grading and preparing land for architectural, horticultural, or decorative treatment.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What is the finished ground for? | S330 grading prepares land for architectural, horticultural, or decorative treatment. S310 grading is part of cut, fill, excavation, and trenching as generally practiced in the construction trade. |
| Do you sell excavation or trenching as its own service? | S330 only carries excavation that is incidental to its own scope. A standalone earthwork service points at S310. |
| Does the retaining wall carry structures, vehicles, or equipment? | The 45-degree load exception pushes those walls out of S330 and into a structural conversation. |
| Are you clearing or demolishing anything on the site? | Demolition and structure removal are S310 activities. Nothing in the S330 text covers them. |
| Is the grading part of a planting contract or a building contract? | The overall result the customer is buying usually resolves which scope the earthwork sits in. |
The case that raises both: a regrade with a retaining wall
Regrading a lot ahead of a structure, paired with a wall that carries part of that structure’s load, sits inside S310’s construction-trade framing and outside S330’s 45-degree load exception at the same time. Confirm the combination with DOPL rather than choosing from the equipment on the truck.
The second real comparison
S330 versus S230: a block retaining wall
S330 names retaining walls as a feature. S230 names the materials a wall is often built from — brick, block, forms, brick substitutes, clay, concrete blocks, castables — but never uses the words “retaining wall.” Material alone does not resolve it.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which classification names the thing you are building? | S330 names retaining walls. S230 names the materials — brick, block, clay, concrete blocks, forms, and castables — but never names retaining walls. |
| Is the wall part of a landscape package? | A wall built as part of grading, planting, and hardscape reads as an S330 landscape feature. |
| Is unit masonry the business you actually run? | A masonry contractor who also builds walls is a different business from a landscaper who also lays block. |
| Does the wall hold a structure, vehicle, or equipment load? | That is the 45-degree exception, and it moves the question out of both landscape and ordinary masonry framing. |
| Does the same contract include siding, stucco, or glass? | Those are squarely S230 and have no counterpart anywhere in the S330 text. |
The practical question is which scope the contract sits in overall. A landscape package that includes a block wall reads differently from a masonry business that also builds walls — and if the wall carries vehicles, structures, equipment, or non-natural fill inside the 45-degree zone, it is outside S330 either way.
Boundary map
Every classification that overlaps S330
Landscape contracts run into more adjacent scopes than most specialty classifications. These are the seven that come up.
| Classification | Where it meets S330 |
|---|---|
| B100 / R100General Building / Residential and Small Commercial | The current general building scope includes the scopes of the specialty classifications in the range that contains S330, and separately names swimming pools, activity pools, swim spas, non-self-contained spas, and permanent residential spas. A B100 or R100 licensee already has S330’s scope plus the pool work S330 no longer has. |
| S310Foundation, Excavation, and Demolition | Both classifications name grading. The rule splits them by purpose: construction-site earthwork is S310, horticultural and decorative preparation is S330. A regrade paired with a load-bearing retaining wall can raise both. |
| S230Masonry, Siding, Stucco, Glass, and Rain Gutter | S230 supplies the masonry materials — brick, block, clay, concrete blocks — while S330 names retaining walls as a feature. A block retaining wall genuinely sits at the intersection, and material alone does not decide it. |
| S260Asphalt and Concrete | S330 carries incidental concrete, excavation, or asphalt related to its own scope. Standalone flatwork, paving, sealing, and pavement striping are S260 work, even when the crew and materials look identical. |
| S220Carpentry and FlooringOpen guide | Decking sits in the current S330 text, including the deck structure and substructure. The current S220 text does not name decking or patios — a boundary several third-party pages still describe from the pre-2026 rule. |
| E200 / E201General and Residential Electrical | Garden lighting on Class 2 or Class 3 power-limited circuits and the 10-foot, 120-volt, 20-amp minor-work carve-out are S330. Everything else electrical must be hired out to E200 or E201 — it cannot be self-performed inside a bundled landscape contract. |
| P200 / P201General and Residential Plumbing | The irrigation and backflow clause is the only plumbing an S330 licensee may self-perform. Hose bibs, drain lines, and anything else unrelated to irrigation go to P200 or P201. |
If you already hold a license
Do you need S330 on top of what you have?
Adding a classification is not always the answer — and after March 2026, for one group of contractors, it is the answer.
You already hold B100 or R100
The current general building scope covers the specialty range that contains S330, and adds the pool and non-self-contained spa work S330 lost in March 2026.
Adding S330 is generally not necessary.
You hold S330 and install pools
S330 no longer reaches swimming pool installation. Adding B100 or R100 means a classification fee, the Business and Law examination, and that classification’s experience requirements.
Add a general classification, or stop selling pool installation.
You hold R101 non-structural remodel
R101 is limited to non-structural work under the rule’s project-cost cap, and an R101 licensee may not hold another specialty classification.
R101 and S330 are mutually exclusive.
You want to subcontract out-of-scope work
The current text names exactly five license types an S330 licensee may hire for work outside its scope: E200, E201, P200, P201, and RMGA-certified individuals for qualifying natural gas work.
Check the closed list before planning a bundled job.
Mixed operations
Could your business need S330 plus another classification?
The current rule allows up to three specialty classifications, counted without regard to any general or trade licenses. R101 is the exception: it may not be combined with another specialty classification.
Evaluate each separately sold service
- Mixed operations do not always fit neatly into one classification.
- An incidental task does not automatically settle the classification question.
- Separately advertised and contracted services are more likely to create another scope question.
- S330’s subcontracting clause is a closed list. If a bundled job needs a trade that is not E200, E201, P200, P201, or an RMGA-certified individual, the structure of the job is the problem, not the paperwork.
Service inventory worksheet
Mark every service your business plans to contract for separately, then take the completed list to the current DOPL scopes.
Grading and soil preparation for plantingYesNo
Planting, gardens, lawns, and treesYesNo
Sprinkler and irrigation systemsYesNo
Backflow prevention device installationYesNo
Retaining walls, patios, pergolas, and deckingYesNo
Factory-built spa or hot tub installationYesNo
In-ground swimming pool installationYesNo
Athletic courts, playgrounds, and running tracksYesNo
Fencing, flag poles, guardrails, and barriersYesNo
Standalone excavation, grading, or flatworkYesNo
Requirements
What S330 requires — and what it does not
The negative list matters as much as the positive one. The most widely copied S330 requirements page on the web lists an exam, an experience rule, and a bond — none of which the current application supports.
Applies to an S330 applicant
25-hour pre-licensure course
DOPL currently requires a 25-hour pre-licensure course for specialty applicants. The additional Business and Law course applies to general or primary classifications, so an S330-only applicant does not take it.
A qualifier
The qualifier must be an owner of at least 20% or a W-2 employee in a management position. S330 requires no individual trade license the way electrical, plumbing, and HVAC classifications do.
Entity registration and EIN
Register the business entity and obtain a federal EIN. The current application accepts an SSN for a sole proprietor.
General liability certificate
A certificate naming DOPL as certificate holder, covering the licensed scope, for the entire duration of licensure. See the limit note below before you order it.
Workers compensation or a waiver
Either a workers compensation certificate or a Labor Commission coverage waiver if the business has no employees.
Continuing education at renewal — with an S330 addition
Six hours per two-year renewal term, including at least 3 core hours, at least 3 live in-class hours, and at least 1 hour of energy conservation. If you install backflow prevention devices under the irrigation clause, at least 2 of those 6 hours must be backflow-installation CE.
A Certified Natural Gas Technician, if you install stoves
Metal fireboxes, fireplaces, and wood or coal-burning stoves, including venting and exhaust, require the individual performing the installation to hold that certification. This attaches to the person, not the business license.
Does not apply to an S330 applicant
No trade exam
The application heads its examination section “General classifications only” and tells specialty-only applicants to skip it. Nothing in the March 2026 amendment added an S330 exam — only H100 gained an exam requirement in that filing.
No experience requirement
The same application section instructs applicants not to complete it if they are applying for specialty classifications only. The two-year, 4,000-hour rule is a general-classification rule.
No bond at initial application
The application checklist lists no bond. A bond becomes conditional on a financial-responsibility finding; if imposed, the current minimum for a specialty classification other than E100, B100, or R100 is $15,000.
No bond pool contribution
No “qualifier bond pool” mechanism exists anywhere in the Utah rule or the application. A widely copied third-party page describes one. It is not real.
No landscaping or irrigation trade exam
The same third-party page describes an 80-question, 180-minute S330 trade exam. No such exam exists in the current requirements.
Requirements change between application versions. Confirm each of these on the current form before relying on it.
Current application fees
| QualifierPer qualifier on the application. | $50.00 |
|---|---|
| ClassificationPer classification requested. | $175.00 |
| Electronic Reference Library surchargeApplied once per application. | $1.00 |
| S330 only, one qualifierThe sum of the three lines above, before any additional owner disclosures. | $226.00 |
An additional $20 applies per owner holding under 8% of an unincorporated entity, with the corresponding appendix. Fees change — confirm on the current form.
Legacy classification codes
Six older codes were converted into S330 in 2019:
- P203Irrigation Sprinkling Contractor
- S380Swimming Pool and Spa Contractor
- S420General Fencing Contractor
- S421Residential Fencing Contractor
- S430Metal Firebox and Fuel Burning Stove Installer
- S500Sports and Athletic Courts, Tracks, and Playgrounds
Note the round trip: S380 Swimming Pool and Spa Contractor was folded into S330 in 2019, and swimming pools were folded back out of S330 in 2026. A business that came in through S380 and still builds pools now needs B100 or R100.
Sourcing
What other S330 pages get wrong
Two separate problems. Third-party licensing sites publish requirements that do not exist, and the usual public mirrors of the Utah rule are themselves five months out of date.
| Claim you may have read | What the current rule and application say |
|---|---|
| “S330 requires a landscaping and irrigation trade exam — 80 questions, 180 minutes.” | No S330 trade exam exists. Specialty classifications are exam-exempt, and the current application tells specialty-only applicants to skip the examination section entirely. |
| “S330 requires two years and 4,000 hours of paid experience within the last ten years.” | Experience is a general-classification requirement. The application instructs specialty-only applicants not to complete that section. |
| “Applicants must contribute to a qualifier bond pool or post a $50,000 surety bond.” | No bond of any kind is required at initial S330 application, and no “bond pool” mechanism appears in the Utah rule or the application. |
| “S330 covers retaining walls under 4 feet.” | Wrong test. The rule uses a 45-degree load-geometry test tied to what the wall retains — vehicles, structures, equipment, or non-natural fill — not a height threshold. |
| “DOPL requires $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate general liability.” | Superseded. Those were the pre-amendment figures. The current application states $1,000,000 each incident and $3,000,000 total. |
| “S330 does not cover pools.” | Right outcome, missing context. It became true on March 30, 2026, and self-contained factory-built spas are still S330. Pages stating it as a timeless fact were not reading the current rule either. |
The official-looking sources are stale too
This is the unusual part. As of this review, Cornell’s Legal Information Institute still indexes an undifferentiated R156-55a-301 with no per-classification sections; the third-party rule mirrors still serve the 2019 text with swimming pools inside S330; the rules.utah.gov RTF snapshot carries 2020 metadata; and the Utah administrative-rules site that DOPL’s own laws-and-rules page links to returns a server-side 404 on rule detail pages.
That is why this page cites the Utah State Bulletin filing itself for the scope of practice. If you click through to a rule mirror and see swimming pools in S330, you are reading the pre-amendment text.
After the scope decision
S330 appears to fit—what comes next?
Keep the application path short and linked. Recheck the current form before filing because requirements, forms, and fees can change.
- 1
Confirm the work needs a license at all
Check the exemption thresholds and the list of landscape activities that never require a license, including the lawn-care entries added in 2026.
Open this step → - 2
Read the current S330 scope of practice
Work from the filed rule text at R156-55a-301ae, effective March 30, 2026, rather than a public rule mirror that still shows the 2019 version.
Open this step → - 3
Resolve the swimming pool question first
Pools now require B100 or R100. Self-contained, factory-built spas remain S330. This is the one boundary with a binary answer.
Open this step → - 4
Resolve the adjacent classification boundaries
Work through the grading, retaining wall, masonry, electrical, plumbing, and natural gas questions before selecting classifications.
Open this step → - 5
Complete the specialty-contractor pre-license course
DOPL currently states that specialty contractors require a 25-hour pre-licensure course from an approved provider.
Open this step → - 6
Register the business entity and obtain an EIN
Follow the current entity-registration and federal EIN instructions that apply to the business.
Open this step → - 7
Establish the qualifier
Prepare the qualifier affidavit, ownership or management-employment showing, and the disclosures required by the current application.
Open this step → - 8
Obtain the required general liability certificate
Use the dedicated guide, because DOPL’s webpages and the current application do not state the same aggregate limit.
Open this step → - 9
Complete the workers comp or no-employees waiver path
Choose the document path from the business’s worker setup, not from the S330 code alone.
Open this step → - 10
Submit a new application or add the classification
Use the current contractor application for a new license or DOPL’s add-classification process for an existing one.
Open this step →
Preparing your DOPL application?
Route the insurance documents after the classification decision
The application separately requires a general liability certificate naming DOPL as certificate holder and covering the licensed scope for the entire duration of licensure, plus either workers compensation documentation or a coverage-waiver path depending on the business’s worker setup.
Do not work from a limit repeated on a trade-classification page. The same March 2026 rule change that moved swimming pools out of S330 also raised the general liability minimums — and not every DOPL webpage has caught up. As of this review, DOPL’s specialty-contractor page states a $2 million aggregate, the March 2026 contractor application states $3 million, and public mirrors of the rule still show far lower pre-amendment figures. Use the current application and the centrally maintained certificate guide.
When the boundary is unclear
When to confirm the classification with DOPL
Ask DOPL to confirm the scope when your revenue-generating service combines classifications, when the contract continues into another regulated trade, or when the work does not fit the rule’s wording cleanly.
Confirm before contracting when:
- Anything about the job is pool-adjacent, including spas you did not build.
- A retaining wall sits near a structure, driveway, or parking area.
- The grading serves a building rather than a planting or decorative result.
- A hardscape package includes structural, masonry, or standalone concrete work.
- Electrical, plumbing, or natural gas work goes beyond the named carve-outs.
- You plan to hire a trade that is not on the five-license subcontracting list.
- The contracted value sits near the licensing thresholds.
The filed rule textThe Utah State Bulletin filing that contains R156-55a-301ae as it took effect on March 30, 2026 — the source public rule mirrors have not caught up with.Open resource →Current contractor applicationCheck the classification list, qualifier pages, insurance documents, fee schedule, version date, and filing instructions.Open resource →Specialty contractor requirementsUse DOPL’s application page for the course, entity, EIN, worker, and submission paths — noting the aggregate-limit discrepancy above.Open resource →Construction Trades Licensing ActRead Title 58, Chapter 55 for the statutory exemptions, definitions, and financial-responsibility provisions behind the rule.Open resource →
FAQ
Questions about Utah’s S330 classification
What is an S330 contractor license in Utah?
S330 is Utah’s specialty contractor classification titled Landscape and Recreation Contractor. The current rule lets a licensee grade and prepare land for architectural, horticultural, or decorative treatment, and arrange and plant gardens, lawns, shrubs, vines, bushes, trees, or other decorative vegetation. A long inclusion list adds irrigation, retaining walls, pergolas, patios, decking, hothouses, fencing, athletic courts and playgrounds, factory-built spas, and incidental concrete, excavation, or asphalt work. The official scope controls.
Does S330 cover swimming pools?
Not since March 30, 2026. Rule R156-55a was amended effective that date, and the words “swimming pools, prefabricated pools” were removed from the S330 scope. Swimming pool installation now requires a B100 General Building or R100 Residential and Small Commercial classification. Public mirrors of the Utah rule still show the older text, so a source that says otherwise may simply be out of date.
Can an S330 contractor install a hot tub or spa?
Yes, if it is self-contained or factory built — meaning all control, water heating, and water-circulating equipment is an integral part of the product. A non-self-contained spa or a permanent residential spa built and plumbed in place is named in the general building scope, not in S330.
I hold S330 and install pools. What do I have to do now?
Add a B100 or R100 classification. That means the $175 classification fee, the $85 Utah Contractor Business and Law examination that specialty-only applicants never had to take, and that classification’s experience requirements. The Division estimated the fee-and-exam portion at $260 per licensee in its rulemaking fiscal note.
Why did Utah remove swimming pools from S330?
The Division’s stated rationale was an increase in investigative cases showing financial harm from job abandonment, dangerous workmanship, and engineering deficiencies on swimming pool installation, with most of those complaints traced to S330 licensees. The mechanism it pointed to was subcontracting: an S330 licensee may only hire out to a short, closed list of licenses, so a pool project in trouble cannot bring in the structural, plumbing, electrical, or excavation expertise it needs. A B100 or R100 licensee can subcontract freely.
Does S330 cover retaining walls, and is there a height limit?
Retaining walls are named directly, and there is no height limit in the rule. The exception is geometric: walls that hold vehicles, structures, equipment, or other non-natural fill materials within a 45-degree angle measured from the base of the wall up to the level of that load fall outside the scope. Third-party pages describing an “under 4 feet” rule are not quoting the current text.
Do I need a license to mow lawns or do lawn care in Utah?
The current exemption list names lawn aeration, fertilizing, power raking, and dethatching as work that requires no contractor license regardless of contract value — an entry that did not exist before the 2026 amendment. Tree trimming and the removal of trees or stumps are also listed, and the 2026 wording added trimming explicitly. Artificial turf installation and concrete cutting are on the same list.
Is there an exam for the S330 classification?
No. The current application heads its examination section for general classifications only and tells specialty-only applicants to skip it. A widely copied third-party page describes an 80-question, 180-minute S330 trade exam. No such exam exists.
Is experience required for S330?
No. The application instructs applicants not to complete the experience section if they are applying for specialty classifications only. The two-year, 4,000-hour rule is a general-classification requirement.
Is a bond required for an S330 license?
Not at initial application. The application checklist lists no bond. A bond becomes conditional on a financial-responsibility finding, and if one is imposed the current minimum for a specialty classification other than E100, B100, or R100 is $15,000. There is no “qualifier bond pool” in Utah.
Can an S330 contractor do its own electrical or plumbing work?
Only within narrow carve-outs. Electrically: garden lighting on Class 2 or Class 3 power-limited circuits, plus minor work incidental to a mechanical or service installation where wiring extends no more than 10 feet from an existing outlet or disconnect and does not exceed 120 volts and 20 amps. On plumbing: only the irrigation and backflow work named in the inclusion list. Natural gas work is excluded outright.
Who can an S330 business subcontract to?
The current rule names a closed list. For work outside the S330 scope, an S330 licensee may only subcontract or hire holders of E200 General Electrical, E201 Residential Electrical, P200 General Plumbing, P201 Residential Plumbing, and any RMGA Certified Individual for natural gas work requiring an RMGA certificate holder. Note that the filed text prints “General Plumbing Contractor” for both P200 and P201, which appears to be a drafting error for P201 Residential Plumbing Contractor.
Does an irrigation contractor need to take backflow continuing education?
If you install backflow prevention devices under the irrigation clause, yes: at least 2 of your 6 renewal continuing-education hours must be backflow-installation CE. Connecting to an existing backflow device does not carry that condition. No other Utah specialty classification has a comparable CE carve-out.
My old license says S380, S420, or P203 — what happened to it?
Those codes were converted into S330 in 2019, along with S421 residential fencing, S430 metal firebox and fuel-burning stove installation, and S500 sports courts, tracks, and playgrounds. If your business came in through S380 Swimming Pool and Spa Contractor and still installs pools, note the second step: pools left S330 again in March 2026 and now require B100 or R100.
I already have a B100 license — do I need S330 too?
Generally no. The current general building scope covers the specialty range that includes S330, and it separately names the pool and non-self-contained spa work S330 no longer carries. A B100 or R100 licensee has more scope here than an S330 licensee, not less.
What does an S330 application cost?
The current fee schedule is $50.00 per qualifier plus $175.00 per classification plus a $1.00 Electronic Reference Library surcharge, so an S330-only application with one qualifier totals $226.00. An additional $20 applies per owner holding under 8% of an unincorporated entity. Fees change, so confirm on the current form.
What insurance documents does an S330 application need?
The application separately requires a general liability certificate naming DOPL as certificate holder and covering the licensed scope, plus either a workers compensation certificate or a Labor Commission coverage waiver. The published liability limits currently differ between DOPL’s specialty-contractor webpage and its own application, so work from the current form and the certificate guide.
Official sources: the scope of practice quoted above is Utah Administrative Code R156-55a-301ae as filed in the Utah State Bulletin of February 15, 2026 (DAR filing 57745), with the March 30, 2026 effective date confirmed in the April 15, 2026 Bulletin. Also cited: the DOPL Contractor Application—All Classifications (version 20260327); the handyman and exemption application; the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act; and DOPL’s laws and rules page.
Last reviewed: August 2, 2026. DOPL controls licensing decisions and current scope interpretations.