Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Landscape Irrigation Contractor Certification
Definition, Continuing Education and FAQs
A business that intends to perform landscape irrigation work must obtain a business permit to do so. In order to obtain a business permit, the business must employ a valid and certified landscape irrigation contractor. A home improvement contractor license does NOT apply to this work and does not substitute for it.
* Landscape Irrigation Contractor
A Landscape Irrigation Contractor is a person who is certified by the Board of Landscape Irrigation Contractors to perform the construction, repair, maintenance, improvement and alteration of any portion of a landscape irrigation system, including required wiring within that system and connection to the required power supply and the installation and connection to a public or private water supply system under the terms and conditions of a contract. A landscape irrigation system is any assemblage of components, materials or special equipment which is designed, constructed and installed for controlled dispersion of water from any safe and suitable source, including properly treated wastewater, for the purpose of irrigating landscape vegetation or the control of dust and erosion on landscaped areas, including integral pumping systems or integral control systems for manual, semi-automatic or automatic control of the operation of these systems.
NJ Certified Landscape Irrigation Contractors
Landscape Irrigation Contractors Business Permits
There are businesses that operate and advertise landscape irrigation work without a business permit. The Board takes this seriously and investigates any violation of the law and regulations. Here is a list of businesses and individuals that have had final violations:
APPLY for or RENEW a CERTIFICATION
The Board of Landscape Irrigation Contractors has a new website where in you can make an application for a new certification, and also, for those already certified you can update your contact information, obtain a new copy of your certification card, submit and view continuing education credits (CEC’s) and renew your certification. (FULL INFO HERE)
Link to Application/Certifcation
EXAM
Below is a link to the Irrigation Association’s Certified Irrigation Contractor (CIC) exam. It is now the required examination in order to be certified here in New Jersey:
* Continuing Education Credits
Effective March 17, 2014 all individuals certified as Landscape Irrigation Contractors are required to obtain 16 Continuing Education Credits (CECs) to renew their license, with at least 8 CECs in water conservation topics and 2 CECs in NJ business law & building codes. Individuals who have not yet submitted CECs can do so by logging into their account (see link above), and providing copies of course certificates to the Board.
- If you have questions regarding your CEC totals, please email us at LIC@dca.nj.gov
An overview of the online learning continuing education opportunities can be found in this brochure and you may register for these and other courses by clicking here.
Please note that the Irrigation Association (IA) is a national association and is distinguished from the Irrigation Association of New Jersey (IANJ).
* Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To report non-certified work or advertising, please click here.
To become a certified as a Landscape Irrigation Contractor, an applicant must have a minimum of three (3) years of experience working with the construction, repair, maintenance, improvement, and alteration of a landscaping irrigation system and/or educational experience. In order for a year of experience to be qualified, an applicant must have worked at least 1100 hours during that year. Work experience less than 1100 hours will be credited on a proportionate basis, but no additional credit will be granted for hours worked in excess of 1100 hours in any one year. Note that the experience must also be acquired within the past 15 years in the field of landscape irrigation and must comply with the requirements of P.L. 1991, c. 27 (C.45:5AA et seq.) (cf: P.L.1991, c. 27, s.4).
Plumbing contractors as defined in N.J.S.A. 45:14C-2 are exempt from having to obtain in individual certification but are required to obtain a valid landscape irrigation contracting business permit. The intent of this exemption is to allow those plumbing contractors installing landscape irrigation systems as part of their plumbing business to continue to do so, but also, allows tracking of these companies and for their employees performing irrigation work to obtain their own individual certifications, should they desire to do so. There is no fee for the business permit, but it needs to be updated in accord with the regulations, as necessary and renewed every 2 years.
Successful completion of the Certified Irrigation Contractor exam by the Irrigation Association is required in order to obtain the certification. The registration and administration and scoring of the exam is done entirely by the Irrigation Association. All you need to do is submit proof to the Board of successfully completing the examination. Their website is http://www.irrigation.org/.
The initial fee for certification is $300.00.
The certification term is two (2) years.
Log into your account at https://njdca4prod.dynamics365portals.us/.
Log into your account at https://njdca4prod.dynamics365portals.us/.
Your certification must be renewed within 2 years of the expiration date. Please note that effective December 7, 2020, a late fee in the amount of $300.00 will be assessed on March 1st of the year it has expired before it can be renewed. No one may continue to work in the field of landscape irrigation contracting with an expired certification or business permit.
Renewal emails are sent out approximately 60 days prior to the expiration date on your certification.
Yes. You can pay your certification fee as part of the renewal process by logging into your account at https://njdca4prod.dynamics365portals.us/.
Please contact the Licensing & Education Unit at (609) 984-7834 or at LIC@dca.nj.gov.
You may have there may be additional questions not addressed by our FAQ ’s. If you do not see the answer to a question you have, please call us at (609) 984-7834 or email us at LIC@dca.nj.gov.
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Phone: (609) 984-7834
Email: LIC@dca.nj.gov
