States are trying to make it tougher for landscape contractors and landscape architects to take homeowners’ money and leave them with half-finished projects by toughening up their surety bond laws. On Jan. 1 this year, the state of Oregon updated its landscaping contractor law, which now requires bonds ranging from $3,000 for jobs costing $10,000 or less, rising up to a maximum of $15,000 for jobs over $25,000.

North Carolina revamped its landscape contractor law a year ago, and now requires a minimum $10,000 bond.

The State of California goes even further than these states, advising homeowners to ask landscape contractors to take out a bond for the full amount of their job.

With state laws changing, it can be confusing to determine the size bond a landscape contractor is required to obtain for a particular project. The experts at SuretyBonds.com are ready to help.

Photo via Flickr user David Boyle