Local Services Ads Categories: Which Businesses Qualify in 2026

Google's U.S. list for Local Services Ads named 204 business categories when we copied it on November 3, 2026, and 110 of them come with job types you can pick. Most of the other 94 are restaurants and food shops. If your trade has job types on the list, you can apply, pass Google's checks and pay for leads instead of clicks.

Which businesses qualify, by group

We sorted the 110 categories with job types into groups so you can find yours fast. Google's own list runs A to Z, and the group names are ours.

Home services is the biggest group by far, with 40 of the 110. If you don't see your trade, check the closest name on Google's list, because Google words some of them its own way, such as Foundations services or Sewage system.

Group	Categories	A few of them
Home services	40	Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, fencing, pest control, lawn care, movers
Legal	16	Family, estate, criminal, immigration and personal injury lawyers
Health care	15	Dentists, chiropractors, optometrists, physical therapists
Learning	7	Preschools, tutors, driving and language instructors
Wellness	6	Massage therapists, personal trainers, yoga studios
Pet care	6	Veterinarians, pet boarding, grooming and training
Auto care	6	Auto repair, body shops, tire shops, towing
Beauty	6	Barber shops, hair and nail salons
Professional services	5	Tax services, financial planning, real estate
People care	2	Child care and funeral homes
Other	1	Storage

The 94 categories with no job types yet

Google's U.S. list also names 94 categories that have no job types in its published table. 75 of them are restaurants and food shops, from bakeries and coffee shops to steak houses and sushi restaurants. The rest are mostly car care and beauty services, such as oil change shops, brake shops, tanning salons and eyelash salons.

Google's published table gave these categories no job types when we read it on November 3, 2026, so there's nothing for you to switch on or off yet, and Google's pages don't say whether those categories take leads today. We haven't run Local Services Ads in any of these categories, so we can't tell you what their leads look like.

Job types decide which leads you get

A category gets you onto Local Services Ads, and your job types decide which searches can reach you. Turn on only the work you want, because Google no longer credits a lead about a job you don't do.

Plumbing shows how fine the split gets. Its 16 job types include finding a leak, unclogging a drain, installing or repairing a water heater and repairing a sewer line. A plumber who doesn't touch sewer lines should turn that one off before the first lead comes in. Fencing services carries five job types, and repairs and maintenance is one of them, so the fence builder's gate repairs have a place to go.

Google also says that if you get leads you don't want, you should look at your service areas, job types and categories first. Each change can mean fewer leads, so make one change at a time and watch a full week of your lead list before the next one.

Category	Job types Google lists
General contractor	18
Home inspector	18
Electricians	16
Handyman	16
Landscaping services	16
Plumbers	16
HVAC	15
Pest control services	13
Appliance repair services	12
Water damage services	12
Garage door services	11
Painter	11
Roofers	10
Moving services	10
Lawn care services	9
Locksmiths	9
Tree services	7
Fencing services	5
House cleaning services	5

Five trades Google screens harder

Google calls five categories urgent: electricians, garage door companies, HVAC, locksmiths and plumbers. People call these trades in a hurry, for things like a heater that quits in freezing weather or a door that won't open. So Google adds another level of screening in each one, and it includes background checks on the people who do the work.

Garage door companies and locksmiths also go through what Google calls its Advanced Verification process. Every category needs a verified Google Business Profile, and Google says its checks take 3 to 4 weeks on average once your papers are in. Start the checks the same week you set up the account, because a trade that waits on paperwork in March can miss the spring rush.

What Google charges you for

Google charges for a lead when you talk with the customer on a call, when you call back and reach them, or when they send a text, an email or a voicemail. A call you miss during your business hours counts too, once the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. Calls and messages from the same number within 15 days don't cost you again.

One rule depends on your category. Google doesn't offer call recordings or lead credits for tax specialists or for health care categories in the U.S., so those businesses can't get money back on a bad lead the way a plumber can. Our post on Google LSA leads covers how to work the lead list each week.

How we set up Local Services Ads

We pick your category and job types with you, file the checks and watch every lead as it comes in. Our Local Services Ads management page explains how that works, and our guide to ranking higher in Local Services covers what moves your spot once you're live.

If you'd like to know whether your trade fits, book a call with Miguel. He'll look up your category and job types with you on the call.

Questions people ask

What categories are eligible for Google Local Services Ads?

Google's U.S. list named 204 categories on November 3, 2026. They cover home services, legal work, health care, pet care, auto care, beauty and more, and 110 of them carry job types you can pick. Seven run only in California and Florida.

How many Local Services Ads categories are there?

Google's U.S. list named 204 when we copied it on November 3, 2026. 110 of those carry job types in Google's published table, 1,240 job types in all. The other 94 had no job types yet, and 75 of them are restaurants and food shops.

Which Local Services Ads categories are only in California and Florida?

Seven categories were limited to those two states on November 3, 2026. They're architects, drain experts, home insulation, insurance agencies, interior designers, piercing studios and tattoo studios.

Which trades does Google screen harder for Local Services Ads?

Electricians, garage door companies, HVAC, locksmiths and plumbers. Google calls them urgent categories and adds background checks on the service pros. Garage door companies and locksmiths also go through Google's Advanced Verification.

How long does Local Services Ads verification take?

Google says 3 to 4 weeks on average after you've sent your documents. Start the checks as soon as you open the account.

How much does a Local Services lead cost?

It depends on your trade and your town. Our home inspection account paid $19.42 per charged lead and our plumbing account paid $61.89, both over the 180 days to November 3, 2026.

See how we run Local Services Ads for trades

Our in-house AI drafts these guides from what our team in Conway sees in the accounts we run. How we write and check them

Read next

• AI for Contractors: Get the Quotes and Texts Off Your Kitchen TableHow a trade business can use AI for quotes, texts and job notes while keeping every price its own.
• AI for Ecommerce: What an Online Store Should Hand Off FirstWhere AI saves an online store real hours, what stays with a person, and Google's rule for AI titles.
• AI for Small Business: Give It the Busywork, Keep the PeopleHand AI the follow-ups, quotes and call notes that fill your week, and keep a person on every final send.