Irrigation system installation: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering irrigation system installation
Irrigation installation is a design-and-build job that is judged on water efficiency, coverage and a system that runs for years. Your value is in testing the supply, grouping plants into zones that match their needs and protecting the water supply with the right backflow and testing.
What customers ask
- How many zones will my yard need?
- Will the system waste water on the walks and the street?
- Do you test the water supply before you design?
- Who tests the backflow, and how often?
- Can I expand the system later?
- How long will the system last, and what does the warranty cover?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask about the yard's plant types, the sun, the soil, the water source and the budget the customer has in mind, then describe your design process.
- Test the water supply on site with pressure and flow measurements, and show the customer the results before you draw the layout.
- Put the zone count, the water supply results, the head and drip types, the backflow device and the restoration in the written quote.
- Show the zone map and a sample of your head spacing on your profile, so the customer sees how you design for coverage and water use.
- Run each zone with the customer on the day you finish, and explain the controller and how to shut off each zone.
- Explain the water-efficiency choices you made, such as drip for beds and rotors for turf, and why each one fits the plant it waters.
What to put on your profile
- Zone maps and head layouts for past installations, with the plant types noted
- Photos of trenching, valves and backflow installs before backfill
- Your water supply testing method and the equipment you use
- Your licensing and any backflow certifications, shown where your area requires them
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Send a seasonal startup and shutdown reminder with the zone checks included
- Offer a water-use review after the first season to adjust run times for the plants
- Suggest a drip addition for beds or trees that were left out of the first phase, and let the customer decide
Licenses and permits
Irrigation installation is commonly licensed in many areas, and backflow preventers and their testing may need separate certification. Check with your state or local licensing agency and your local water utility or permit office before you bid, and confirm each rule that applies.
Questions
Do I need a license to install irrigation for customers?
Installation is commonly licensed in many areas, and backflow work may need its own certification. Check with your state or local licensing agency and your water utility before you bid.
Why test the water supply before designing?
The supply decides how many zones can run at once and what size pipe and heads are needed. Designing without the test risks zones that cannot get the pressure they need, and that is hard to fix after the trenches are dug.
How do I handle a customer who wants to skip the backflow?
Explain the rule in your area and the protection the device gives the water supply. Put the requirement in writing in the quote, and do not install the system without the device the area requires.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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