Price per m² or per hour? How do you calculate it?

Per hour: 134 PLN net per labor-hour, and the number of hours follows from equipment productivity norms. A gas-powered rotary mower cuts about 550 m²/h of level lawn, a ride-on mower about 2,500 m²/h, a brushcutter in tall grass about 200 m²/h; add edge trimming, collecting clippings, removal and 30 minutes of visit setup. Per square meter that works out at 0.80 PLN/m² for 300 m², 0.62 PLN/m² for 500 m² and 0.49 PLN/m² for 1,000 m², while the kb.pl portal’s April 2026 price list quotes 0.77 PLN/m² net for Cracow and 0.74 PLN/m² for Katowice (rotary mower). On a small lawn our price per meter therefore comes out at the level of that price list or slightly above it: what the hourly model gives you there is transparency rather than a discount — edge trimming, collecting the clippings and removing them are already inside the price, and you pay for the actual working time instead of a flat rate per meter. From about 500 m² upwards it is also cheaper per meter, and the larger and more level the lawn, the bigger the difference.

How often should a lawn be mowed?

Every 7–14 days in the April–October season, i.e. from 15 cuts (every 2 weeks) to 30 (weekly) for a utility or representative lawn; an ornamental lawn is cut every 5–7 days, and in heat less often and higher. Cutting height is 4–6 cm for a utility lawn, 5–6 cm in summer, and the one-third rule applies: a single cut shortens the blade by at most 1/3. Housing cooperatives and communities usually order fewer cuts: the SM „Podgórze” cooperative in Cracow buys 3 cuts in the 1 April–31 October season, the SM im. Paderewskiego cooperative in Katowice 3 cuts on 126,500 m², and the Cracow Municipal Greenery Authority (Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej, ZZM) mows estate areas 4 times (May, June, August, October). We match the frequency to the function of the area and the budget; in the calculator you can compare the cost of 3, 10, 15 and 30 cuts.

When are the first and last cuts of the season?

We do the first cut when grass reaches 8–10 cm after winter, usually at the turn of April and May: Cracow cooperatives start on 5–11 May (SM Oświecenia in 2021–2023), and the Katowice cooperative SM „Załęska Hałda” schedules its first cut for 4 May. The last cut falls in October, down to 4–5 cm so the grass does not rot under snow; SM Oświecenia did its fourth cut on 22–31 October 2025, and SM „Górnik” in Katowice allows mowing until 15 November. The climate of both cities is almost identical (8.6°C annual mean, 661 mm of precipitation in Cracow and 680 mm in Katowice), so we plan the schedule over 30 weeks from April to October and shift dates around the weather.

What do you do with the cut grass?

We collect it and remove it as green waste, or load it into a container ordered by the administration — as in the specifications of Cracow cooperatives (SM „Podgórze”: raking and removal within 2 working days of mowing). A 1,000 m² lawn mowed every 2 weeks leaves about 1.5 m³ of clippings (1–2 l/m²), i.e. 100–130 kg. The rotary and ride-on mowers collect grass into the box while mowing; after the brushcutter we rake by hand. In Katowice, green waste (code 20 02 01) is accepted by MPGK at 600 PLN per metric ton (Mg) net (price list from 1 May 2026); in Cracow, businesses hand in green waste at the MPO PSZOK point according to the on-site price list. Removal time is a separate line in the calculator: if the manager has their own container or composter, you switch it off and the price drops.

Do you mow tall grass, plots and wasteland?

Yes, with a gas-powered brushcutter, and on large areas with a ride-on mower; it is about 2.8 times slower than mowing a level lawn with a rotary mower. Tall grass (above 20 cm) needs several passes and raking: for a 1,000 m² plot the calculator gives 8 h 4 min of work and 1,090 PLN net for a one-off cut with collection and removal, for 500 m² 4 h 30 min and 610 PLN. The kb.pl portal quotes 1.62 PLN/m² net for brushcutter mowing in Cracow and 1.43 PLN/m² in Katowice (April 2026). Orders from Katowice property managers are 1,100–2,500 m² of grass 21–100 cm tall (Administrator24, September 2026); we look at such areas on photos first, because litter, stones and self-seeded shrubs change the working time. After the first cut we suggest 2–3 cuts per season so the plot does not become overgrown again.

Can mowing for a housing community be combined with stairwell cleaning?

Yes, and that is the most common model: one contract for stairwell cleaning and the outdoor area, one coordinator, one consolidated invoice a month. Greenery goes into the building’s schedule: 3–4 cuts per season or every 2 weeks, leaves in autumn, snow clearing in winter. Calculator example: an estate with 3,000 m² of lawn with trees and benches is 4 h 30 min of work and 610 PLN net per cut, i.e. 1,830 PLN net for 3 cuts per season. Grounds maintenance costs are part of the costs of managing the common property (art. 14 point 4 of the Act on Ownership of Premises, ustawa o własności lokali), so the manager settles them from advance payments just like cleaning. Reefa serves more than 50 sites (Cracow since 2020, Katowice since 2024), and 91% of clients stay with us for another year.

Do you issue a VAT invoice, and what is the VAT rate for lawn mowing?

Yes, every cut is billed with a VAT invoice; under a standing contract, one consolidated invoice a month. Services related to landscaping and green-area maintenance (PKWiU 81.30) are listed in item 52 of Annex 3 to the VAT Act (ustawa o VAT), so they fall under the 8% rate; this is confirmed by a binding rate information (WIS) of 6 February 2024 (0111-KDSB1-1.440.18.2024.3.ND) and, earlier, by a tax ruling of 19 June 2018 on grass mowing commissioned by a housing cooperative. Exceptions: construction works on green areas are 23%, and for a one-off cut of a private property with no other maintenance work the tax authorities have not been consistent. That is why we confirm the rate in the offer. Prices on this page and in the calculator are net: 134 PLN per labor-hour, minimum 210 PLN per visit.

Do you mow in rain, after rain and during drought?

We do not mow during rainfall, right after rain or during drought. That is the standard of the Cracow Municipal Greenery Authority (Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej, ZZM) for turf (SUTZ-3), which explicitly forbids mowing during drought and during or right after rainfall. Wet grass clumps, clogs the grass box and leaves ruts, while mowing in drought raises dust and weakens the turf; in 2020 Cracow suspended mowing because of drought and has since mowed higher and stopped mowing during dry spells. In heat above 28°C we shorten the blades by at most 1/3 and do not mow at midday; the Katowice cooperative SM „Górnik” writes “avoid mowing during heatwaves” and a break in heavy rain into its contracts. We move the date by 1–3 days and inform the manager; the season schedule has slack for that.

Who is responsible for mowing the grass around an apartment block, and must a housing community mow?

The holder of the property (manager, administrator, housing community) is responsible for mowing, not the municipality. That is the answer given by the City of Cracow public information bulletin (BIP): the duty to mow grass “rests with the holder (administrator, manager, etc.) of the property”. The cleanliness and order regulations of Cracow (resolution LXXXIII/2359/22) and Katowice (resolution XXXI/678/21) contain no provision ordering private lawns to be mowed, so there is no fine under those regulations for tall grass. The duty follows from the agreement with residents and from the Act on Ownership of Premises (ustawa o własności lokali): keeping order and cleanliness is a cost of managing the common property (art. 14 point 4). In practice a neglected lawn means complaints from residents and a more expensive first cut of tall grass with a brushcutter. For housing communities we propose 3–4 cuts per season with a photo report after each.

Koszenie trawy kosiarką spalinową na trawniku osiedla — koszenie trawników dla wspólnot i firm, Reefa Kraków i Katowice

Reefa specialty · Cracow

Lawn mowing in Cracow.

Lawns of housing estates, office buildings and private properties — 134 PLN per labor-hour, with edge trimming and removal

Call 737 576 876

50+

properties served

from 134PLN

hour

15min

response

Price calculator

How much does mowing your lawn cost?

Enter the area and terrain. Time comes from productivity norms (mowing, edge trimming, collecting and hauling clippings, travel) and the price is hours × 134 PLN net. Instant result, no e-mail required.

Lawn details

Lawn area, m²

Drag the slider or type the area. For an estate, add up all lawns around the buildings.

TerrainEquipment

Edges to trim, running metres

Along paths, fences, around trees and lamp posts. Default: lawn perimeter.

Collect clippingsMower catcher or raking after the brush cutter.Haul away clippingsLoading and disposal as green waste.

Frequency

Estimate from productivity norms

Price per cut

310 PLN net

0,62 PLN/m²Working time: 2 h 17 min

Season Apr–Oct, 15 cuts: 4650 PLN net

Where the time goes

Item	Norm	Time
Mowing	550 m²/h	55 min
Edge trimming	250 m/h	22 min
Collecting clippings	2500 m²/h	12 min
Hauling clippings	15 min + area	19 min
Travel and equipment set-up	30 min / visit	30 min

Roughly 0,8 m³ of clippings per cut.

134 PLN net per labour hour. VAT is added: 8% for green-area maintenance services (PKWiU 81.30); a one-off cut of a private plot with no other grounds work may be taxed at 23% — the rate is confirmed in the quote.

Indicative result based on productivity norms — the final price is confirmed after a site visit (access, slope, lawn condition). Not an offer within the meaning of the Civil Code.

Full calculator with methodology and print-out (PL)

Service scope

What's included in lawn mowing

Mowing lawns with a gas-powered rotary mower with grass box (46–53 cm cutting width) — lawns up to about 1,500 m² around apartment blocks, office buildings and private properties
Mowing with a ride-on mower / lawn tractor (90–110 cm cutting width) — large housing estates, company grounds, sports fields and strips along parking lots from about 1,500 m²
Mowing with a gas-powered brushcutter and string trimmer — slopes, ditches, narrow strips between pavements, areas with trees, benches and lampposts
Mowing tall grass, meadows, wasteland and overgrown plots (grass above 20 cm, usually 1–3 cuts a year)
Trimming lawn edges and borders, and around trees, benches, lampposts, bollards and fences
Collecting clippings in the mower grass box or raking after the brushcutter — no cut grass left on the lawn
Removal of clippings as green waste to a green-waste collection point, or loading into a container ordered by the property manager
Regular mowing on a schedule: every 7–14 days in the April–October season, or 3–4 cuts per season in the housing-cooperative standard
First cut after winter (turn of April and May, grass at 8–10 cm) and last cut before winter (October, down to 4–5 cm)
Scarifying, aerating, fertilizing and overseeding the lawn (spring March–April, autumn September) — optional with a seasonal contract
Mowing verges of internal roads, green strips along parking lots and maneuvering yards
Blowing off pavements, steps and the parking lot after mowing — no grass on paving or in drains

01 / 01

Lawn mowing in Krakow — from the gardens of Wola Justowska and Swoszowice to the estates of Kurdwanów and Nowa Huta

Krakow has the smallest share of forest of the nine big cities audited by the Supreme Audit Office (NIK) — 5.3% of its area — yet around 1.3 million trees and 77 parks, and municipal green space per resident keeps growing: from 13.8 m² in 2021 to 17.0 m² in 2024 (GUS). The lawns we mow fall into two worlds: detached houses with gardens in Swoszowice, Zwierzyniec (the least densely populated district, 706 people per km²) and Wola Justowska, and the large housing estates — Kurdwanów with over 20,000 residents, Ruczaj-Zaborze, and Nowa Huta, designed as a garden city with wide lawns and rows of trees between the road and the blocks.

The municipal greenery board (ZZM) mows to four standards: I — as needed (verges, playgrounds), II — four times a season (May, June, August, October), III — twice, IV — no mowing; the city already has about 30 ha of flower meadows, cut once or twice a year. Krakow housing cooperatives order three or four cuts: SM “Podgórze” buys three cuts of 7.29 ha between 1 April and 31 October with a 15-working-day limit per cycle, SM Oświecenia four, the first one in the first ten days of May. The climate favours grass — 661 mm of rain a year (Balice) and a growing season of more than 220 days — but the south and west of the city get noticeably more rain than the north and east, which lie in a rain shadow, so lawns there grow faster. Reefa has operated in Krakow since 2020; as the City of Krakow's BIP reminds owners, the duty to mow “rests with the holder (administrator, manager etc.) of the property”.

Four pillars

Why choose Reefa.

Price from hours: 134 PLN per labor-hour

We calculate time from productivity norms: a rotary mower does about 550 m²/h, a ride-on mower about 2,500 m²/h on a level lawn, plus edges, collection and removal. You see the result in the calculator before you ask, and we confirm the price before we start.

One contractor all year round

Mowing and grounds care in summer, leaves in autumn, snow clearing and gritting in winter, stairwell cleaning all year. One contract, one coordinator, one consolidated invoice instead of three companies. You can price the winter in the snow-clearing calculator on reefa.pl.

Schedule and documentation

We set the mowing dates for the whole season (April–October) and shift them around the weather. After every cut the property manager receives a report with before-and-after photos; billing once a month on a consolidated VAT invoice.

Equipment and green waste on our side

Mowers, ride-on mower, brushcutters, blowers and fuel are included in the hourly rate. We collect the clippings and remove them as green waste or load them into the manager’s container. Work covered by liability insurance up to 1,000,000 PLN.

Service area

Districts in Cracow.

We serve properties in every district of Cracow, with full on-site staffing.

Stare MiastoKazimierzPodgórzeKrowodrzaDębnikiBronowiceNowa HutaCzyżynyPrądnik BiałyPrądnik CzerwonyBieżanów-ProkocimMistrzejowiceWola Duchacka+ surroundings up to 15 km

Comparison

Reefa vs. a typical cleaning company.

Feature	Reefa	Typical company
Permanent staff assigned to property		rotating
Dedicated coordinator		call center
QR-code reporting system
Property profile document
Certified eco supplies		partial
Liability insurance 1,000,000 PLN		lower
Price fixed before start		can grow
Client retention > 1 year		50–60%

From

134PLN/hour

Hourly billing: 134 PLN net per labor-hour of grounds work. We calculate the price from productivity norms (area, equipment, edges, collection, removal) and give it before we start; the minimum per visit is 1.5 labor-hours, i.e. 210 PLN net. The VAT rate is confirmed in the offer.

Updated: September 2026

Calculate mowing price Send inquiry→

Guarantees

Properties served: 50+
Client retention: 91%
In Cracow since: 2020
Liability insurance: 1 000 000 PLN
Eco supplies: EU Ecolabel
Response time: 15 min

Working with us

1
Inquiry
Send the area, address and type of terrain (level, with obstacles, tall grass), ideally with photos — or price it yourself in the mowing calculator. We respond within 15 minutes.
2
Quote from norms
We calculate the time: mowing, edge trimming, collecting clippings, removal and visit setup. Hours × 134 PLN net = price per cut and per season. You know it before we start, with no surcharges afterwards.
3
Season schedule
We agree the frequency: every 7–14 days for representative lawns, or 3–4 cuts in the April–October season in the housing-cooperative standard. Dates are shifted around drought, rain and heat.
4
Mowing and tidying up
We mow, trim the edges, collect the clippings and blow off pavements and the parking lot. Grass is removed as green waste or loaded into a container ordered by the property manager.
5
Report and invoice
After every cut, before-and-after photos for the property manager in a report. Billing once a month on a single VAT invoice for all mowing and grounds work.

Questions

Short answers.

Can't find your question? Write us — we respond in 15 minutes.

Lawn mowing costs 134 PLN net per labor-hour, with a minimum of 210 PLN net per visit (1.5 labor-hours). Calculator examples for a level lawn with collection and removal of clippings: 300 m² is 1 h 44 min of work and 240 PLN net, 500 m² is 2 h 17 min and 310 PLN, 1,000 m² is 3 h 37 min and 490 PLN. A season of 15 cuts (every 2 weeks, April–October) costs 3,600 PLN, 4,650 PLN and 7,350 PLN net respectively. Areas with trees and benches or tall grass take longer, so we confirm the price after photos or a site visit. Price your own area in the calculator at reefa.pl/kalkulator-koszenia-trawy.

Other services in Cracow

Gardening services and grounds maintenance

from 134 PLN/hour

Tree and shrub pruning

from 134 PLN/hour

Housing community cleaning

from 1000 PLN/month

Dedicated solutions for your sector

For Property Managers

Free quote

Start with one conversation.

On-site audit in 48 hours. Quote with no commitment. Service starts in 5–7 days.

Send inquiry 737 576 876