Sprinkler Costs Rise with New Rules in Texas

Installing lawn sprinklers in Denton and other Texas cities costs more this year thanks to new state-mandated regulations aimed at saving water.

Denton nearly tripled its irrigation permit fee to recoup the cost of newly required inspections, joining other cities that have increased fees in recent months.

The state required cities with populations of 20,000 or more to pass landscape irrigation rules by Jan. 1 that are at least as strict as Texas Commission on Environmental Quality standards. Among the changes, people installing sprinkler systems must present plans for city approval, and cities must inspect systems to make sure they comply with the rules.

“In the past, we have never asked for plans for sprinkler systems,” said Kurt Hansen, Denton’s building official. “Our biggest concern was that the irrigators install the backflow prevention device correctly. Now the irrigators, before they start a job, need to come and bring us a plan.”

Also, beginning next year a licensed irrigator or irrigation technician must be present when a system is installed or repaired. Homeowners still will be able to perform the work on their own property without a license.

Norman Werback, who runs a Corinth-based irrigation business, called the regulations “the biggest changes in the industry since state-mandated licensing.” He supports the state’s overall goals but shares the fears of many in the industry that the changes will drastically increase the cost of new systems.

“There’s a lot of unknowns, including how it affects repairs,” said Werback, who owns Wet Dog Irrigation. “I want homeowners to understand that we didn’t triple our prices just because the economy went bad.”

With the rules, irrigation systems join the ranks of electrical, plumbing and other systems in homes and commercial buildings that must be inspected and held to specific design standards.

The plan reviews and inspections are forcing some cities, including Dallas, to hire additional staff. Some are hiking their permit fees significantly — in some cases tripling or quadrupling their fees to $175 or more.

Denton raised its permit fee from $35 to $95 to cover the jump in administrative costs. Ten city workers already had state-issued plumbing inspection licenses, allowing them to perform the required inspections, Hansen said.

Most cities that have approved the ordinances did so in late 2008, so few permits have been issued so far. Denton passed its new rules Dec. 2 after presenting them to local irrigation contractors and homebuilders at a November luncheon.

Bob Morris, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas, said he worries that the added inspections will slow the pace of irrigation work — especially if cities aren’t equipped for the workload.

“The time involved is going to depend on how quickly the city can get out to do the inspections,” said Morris, adding that Dallas and Denton seemed better prepared than some cities. “I attended a briefing at another city in North Texas, and they said, ‘We’d hope to get out within a day, but we can’t guarantee it.’”

A delay could force workers to leave trenches open over­night, creating a safety hazard and potential liability, he said.

“We know that it’s state law; we know we have to comply with it,” Morris said. “We just hope that the cities have put a lot of thought into how it’s going to be implemented.”

State regulators say the new rules are needed to preserve water as Texas’ population continues to grow. They include the use of sensors that shut off sprinkler systems in wet weather and design standards that ensure they disperse water evenly.

“We believe that [with] the rules that we’ve adopted at the state level, you’ll save about 25 percent or more in water used in landscape irrigation systems,” said Candy Garrett, project manager for landscape irrigation with the state environmental commission. “It’s proven technology, and it can be accomplished relatively easily.”

Denton’s regulations generally follow a template created by the Texas Municipal League. But the city added a “rough” inspection to try to catch problems before installation, Hansen said.

“This is kind of experimental, and we’re going to work with [installers] on this rough inspection,” he said. “We really want to work with them within the rules of the TCEQ.”

Denton also is requiring a permit for major additions to existing sprinkler systems but not for small repairs, he said.