Membership in APLD® and the APLD California Chapter constitutes standards of practice, categories of membership, and many benefits. Click here to read about APLD’s Mission, Goals, and Standards of Practice.

California Chapter Membership: Beginning with 2008, all APLD members residing in California are also required to join the Chapter. The additional annual dues for Chapter membership are quite modest ($40.00, or $20.00 for students), and bring significant benefits in return.

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If you have more questions about Chapter membership, please read our California Chapter Membership FAQs.

APLD Membership Categories & Dues Structure

The international APLD organization offers several membership categories suited to landscape designers, other green industry professionals, students, and educators:

  • Certified - requires a rigorous peer-review process that looks at a designer's work as well as references. You must first join as an Associate member. $190 plus a one-time application fee.
  • Associate - standard level of membership. Information on certification is included with member packet. $200.
  • Educator - a professional landscape design educator or teacher who is not a practicing Landscape Designer. $125.
  • Allied - companies or individuals that provide services and/or products that are resources for the landscape design profession. $300.
  • Student - an individual actively enrolled in a landscape design, landscape architecture, or horticulture program that requires at least 37 credit hours or 600 contact hours of design and horticulture related coursework to graduate. (A contact hour is a unit of measure that represents one hour of scheduled instruction given to students.) A student member may not be practicing landscape design for free or in a fee-generating capacity unless it is part of a student internship related to their design program. $50.

Chapter dues are $40.00, or $20.00 for students.

APLD California Chapter Benefits

Often landscape designers are sole practitioners. Many Chapter members join to actively seek out the frequent networking opportunities provided through our local programs.

Among the many other benefits are:

  • Invitation to District meetings that host dynamic, informative speakers.
  • Inclusion in educational workshops and seminars.
  • Invitation to special Chapter member-only events.
  • Access to Chapter members’ roster.
  • Optional participation in District and Chapter board meetings.
  • Participation in garden tours, mentoring programs, and other special member-only events and programs.
  • Inclusion of your designs in the APLD Chapter Presentation Portfolio, displayed as part of our Chapter and District presence at local flower and garden shows, trade shows, and other venues.
  • Inclusion of your name and contact information on this web site's "Find A Designer" page.
  • Participation in the Chapter’s exclusive Yahoo group, where members routinely share professional tips and experience.

International APLD Member Benefits

  • Access to our Certification process.
  • Identity of Certification (APLD used after your name), upon completion of certification requirements.
  • CEUs at international and regional conferences.
  • Complimentary industry publications including APLD's The Designer.
  • Listing in APLD's international directories with web presence.
  • Access to the Speakers Bureau.
  • Opportunity to participate in the annual Design Awards program.
  • Opportunity for your garden pictures and/or design practice to be featured on the international APLD website.
  • Access to the On-line Members Forum.
  • Access to key business forms and committee documents.
  • Access to legislative database on current state title and practice acts.
  • Opportunity to serve on national issues APLD committees.

To learn more about APLD Certification, click here.