NAICS Code for Cleaning Services (561720) and Related Business Codes
The NAICS code for commercial cleaning and janitorial services is 561720, Janitorial Services, under the NAICS 2022 vintage. Contractors whose work falls outside general building cleaning commonly use 561790, Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings, or 561740, Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services. The closest legacy SIC equivalent is 7349, Building Cleaning and Maintenance Services.
This page is a working reference for the classification codes used by cleaning and janitorial contractors in the United States: what each code covers, when to use it, how the older SIC system maps onto it, and how a classification code differs from a certification. Clean2Clean maintains it because procurement officers, vendor registration portals and accountants ask for these numbers constantly, and the answers are scattered across a dozen federal pages.
NAICS Codes Used by Cleaning and Janitorial Businesses
| NAICS code | Official title | What it covers | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 561720 | Janitorial Services | Cleaning of building interiors and windows on a contract or fee basis, including office cleaning, day porter service, night janitorial crews, restroom and floor care, and housekeeping. | The default and primary code for a commercial cleaning or janitorial contractor. Use it unless your revenue is genuinely concentrated in a specialty below. |
| 561790 | Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings | Building services that are not general janitorial work, such as duct cleaning, pressure washing, gutter cleaning and chimney cleaning. | Use as a secondary code when a meaningful share of the work is specialty building service rather than routine interior cleaning. |
| 561740 | Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services | Cleaning of carpets, rugs and upholstered furnishings, whether on the customer’s premises or at a plant. | Use when carpet and soft-surface care is a distinct service line rather than an incidental part of a janitorial contract. |
| 561210 | Facilities Support Services | Providing operating staff for a combination of support services inside a client’s facility, typically bundling janitorial with services such as maintenance, security, mail routing or reception under one contract. | Use when you are running the facility, not only cleaning it. Common on integrated facilities management awards. |
| 238990 | All Other Specialty Trade Contractors | Specialty trade work not classified elsewhere. NAICS places cleaning of building interiors during and immediately after construction in this industry rather than in 561720. | Use when the primary activity is cleanup during and immediately after construction, or when a solicitation or general contractor names this code for the scope. |
Janitorial NAICS Code
The janitorial NAICS code is 561720. It is the six-digit code for Janitorial Services, and it is the code janitorial contractors normally register under in the SAM.gov federal vendor system and in state and municipal procurement portals. If a form asks for a single primary code and your business cleans buildings on a contract basis, 561720 is the answer.
The leading digits carry meaning. Sector 56 is Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services; 5617 is Services to Buildings and Dwellings; 56172 and 561720 narrow that to janitorial work specifically. Landscaping and pest control sit in neighboring 5617 codes and are not part of 561720.
NAICS Code for House Cleaning
House cleaning and residential housekeeping companies also classify under 561720. NAICS classifies by the activity performed, not by whether the building is a home or an office, so a residential cleaning company and a commercial janitorial contractor share a code. The distinction people expect to find in the code simply is not there.
One genuine exception exists. An individual employed directly by a household as a domestic worker is not a cleaning contractor, and private households acting as employers are classified in a separate part of NAICS entirely. That treatment applies to the household as an employer, not to a cleaning business serving residential clients.
Clean2Clean is a commercial contractor. We do not sell residential maid or house cleaning service. Our work is offices, medical and life science facilities, schools, government buildings, retail, industrial space and post-construction turnover across New York City and the tri-state area. The house cleaning code is explained here because people search for it, not because it describes what we do.
Janitorial Services SIC Code
The Standard Industrial Classification system predates NAICS and is no longer updated by the federal statistical agencies, but banks, insurance underwriters, credit bureaus and some legacy government systems still ask for it. The relevant SIC codes are:
- SIC 7349, Building Cleaning and Maintenance Services, Not Elsewhere Classified. This is the closest legacy equivalent to NAICS 561720 for janitorial contractors.
- SIC 7217, Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning. The legacy counterpart to NAICS 561740.
NAICS replaced SIC because SIC was built around a manufacturing-era economy and had run out of room to describe modern service industries. NAICS is production based, uses six digits instead of four, and is shared across the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is reviewed on a five-year cycle, and the vintage currently in use is NAICS 2022. If a form offers both, give the NAICS code, and supply the SIC code only where it is specifically requested.
Business Code for a Cleaning Service on Schedule C
The IRS asks sole proprietors and single-member LLCs for a principal business activity code on Schedule C, and asks partnerships and corporations for the same code on their returns. That list is drawn from NAICS, so the business code for a cleaning service is the same number: 561720, janitorial services. It is not a separate IRS numbering system that has to be looked up somewhere else.
Two practical notes. The code is descriptive: it identifies the industry you operate in for IRS classification and statistics, and selecting it is not what determines your deductions or your tax rate. And it should stay consistent from year to year and match what you filed with your state and what appears on your vendor registrations, so that every record describes the same business.
Which Code Should a Commercial Cleaning Contractor Use?
Choose the code that matches where the majority of your revenue actually comes from, then list the others as secondary codes where the system allows it. Federal and many state portals accept multiple NAICS codes on a single vendor profile.
- Routine contract cleaning. Offices, schools, medical facilities, common areas, day porter and night crew work all belong under 561720.
- Post-construction and final clean. NAICS places establishments primarily engaged in cleaning building interiors during and immediately after construction under 238990, while ongoing cleaning of a finished building already in service is 561720. On a bid, use the code named in the solicitation.
- Carpet and soft-surface care. Incidental extraction inside a janitorial contract stays under 561720. A standalone carpet and upholstery division is 561740.
- Integrated facility contracts. If the award bundles cleaning with maintenance, security or other site operations, 561210 usually describes it better than 561720.
- Exterior and specialty building work. Pressure washing, duct cleaning and similar services fall under 561790.
For public sector bids, confirm the code in the solicitation itself before registering. On federal solicitations the contracting officer designates the NAICS code for the requirement, so register and bid under the code the agency named rather than the one you would pick for yourself. Our government building cleaning page covers how those awards are structured.
Commercial Cleaning Certifications and Registrations
A NAICS code and a certification are different instruments, and buyers sometimes conflate them. A NAICS code is a classification: you select it yourself, there is no fee and no application, and it describes what your business does. A certification is a credential: it is granted by an outside body after review of documentation, and it attests to something verified about the company, such as ownership status, safety compliance or eligibility for a set-aside program.
Clean2Clean, the legal entity MaryPiven Inc doing business as Clean2Clean, holds and maintains the following. We are an ISSA member, we operate OSHA-compliant programs, and we follow CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfection protocols. We are certified as a Woman Business Enterprise and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, and we are registered as a Service Contract Act vendor and as a Department of Energy vendor. We are fully licensed, bonded and insured, and a certificate of insurance is provided on request naming the required additional insureds. Documentation is available on our certificates page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NAICS code for a cleaning company?
The NAICS code for a cleaning company is 561720, Janitorial Services. It applies to businesses that clean building interiors on a contract or fee basis, including commercial, institutional and residential clients. Companies with distinct specialty revenue may add 561790 for other building services or 561740 for carpet and upholstery cleaning as secondary codes.
What does NAICS code 561720 cover?
NAICS 561720 covers establishments primarily engaged in cleaning building interiors and windows on a contract or fee basis. That includes office and facility cleaning, floor and restroom care, day porter and night janitorial service, and housekeeping. It excludes landscaping, pest control and general building repair, which are classified under separate NAICS codes.
What is the NAICS code for house cleaning?
House cleaning businesses use 561720, the same code as commercial janitorial contractors, because NAICS classifies by the cleaning activity rather than by building type. Individuals employed directly by a household as domestic workers are not contractors and fall under the separate NAICS treatment of private households. Clean2Clean is a commercial contractor and does not provide residential house cleaning.
What is the SIC code for janitorial services?
The SIC code for janitorial services is 7349, Building Cleaning and Maintenance Services, Not Elsewhere Classified. Carpet and upholstery cleaning is SIC 7217. SIC is a legacy system that NAICS replaced, though banks, insurers and credit bureaus still request it. Provide the NAICS code 561720 wherever both are accepted.
What business code do I use for a cleaning service on my taxes?
Use 561720. The IRS principal business activity code requested on Schedule C and on partnership and corporate returns is drawn from the NAICS list, so the cleaning services business code and the NAICS code are the same number. Keep it consistent across your federal return, state filings and vendor registrations so that every record describes the same business.
If you are a facility manager or procurement officer evaluating vendors rather than filing a code, see our commercial cleaning in NYC and janitorial services pages for scope and coverage, run numbers with the estimate calculator, or request a walkthrough and proposal through our booking form. You can also reach us at (800) 743-0121 or (646) 639-7892.