Choosing An Installer
How to choose an artificial turf installer in Texas
Short answer
Turf quality is mostly decided by the base, the drainage route, the seams and the infill, so those are what to question. In Texas, anyone installing or altering a landscape irrigation system connected to a public water supply must be licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Every installed total should be quoted after a site measure.
Ask about the base, not the product
Overview
Most turf buyers compare pile height and face weight because that is what brochures put in front of them. Those are not what fails. This page is the list of questions that actually predicts whether you will be happy in three years.
The licensing requirement people miss
In Texas, landscape irrigation is regulated. Anyone who installs or alters an irrigation system connected to a public water supply works under Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code Chapters 30 and 344, and TCEQ is the licensing authority. Because most turf jobs cap or rework existing zones, this is directly relevant. Prosper, for example, requires an irrigation plan sealed by a licensed irrigator under 30 TAC 344.61. Fort Worth requires a permit for installing a system, or altering one by 20 percent or more, plus a tested backflow prevention device at the supply connection.
- TCEQ licenses irrigators statewide under 30 TAC Chapters 30 and 344
- Prosper requires a sealed irrigator plan, no size threshold
- Fort Worth requires a permit at a 20 percent alteration threshold
Eight questions worth asking
Ask these of every quote and compare the answers rather than the prices.
- What base depth are you proposing, and why that depth for my site?
- Where does water go once it is through the backing?
- How are seams planned and bonded, and where will they fall?
- How is the perimeter secured against lifting and digging?
- Which infill, and why that one for this duty?
- What happens to my existing irrigation zones, and who is licensed to do it?
- Does my city require a permit or a plan, and is that in your price?
- What is the installed total, and what would change it?
Answers that should concern you
A single base depth quoted before anyone measured. A per-square-foot price given over the phone with no site visit. Silence on irrigation. A product specification offered as the answer to a drainage question. A warranty described but not produced in writing. None of these means a contractor is dishonest; all of them mean the quote is likely to move.
What to expect from us
We measure before quoting, we tell you the base and drainage approach, and we say when your city's rules change the scope. We will not give you a square-foot price before seeing the site, because the number would not survive the visit.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Still stuck? Call (817) 809-9236 and talk to someone who does this every day.
Does a turf installer need a license in Texas?
Turf itself is not licensed work, but irrigation is. Anyone installing or altering a landscape irrigation system connected to a public water supply must be licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality under 30 TAC Chapters 30 and 344. Most turf jobs touch irrigation.
Why will nobody give me a price per square foot?
Because base depth, drainage route and irrigation work vary more by site than the turf product does, and those are the biggest parts of the total. A phone price is a number that changes after the visit.
What is the single best question to ask?
Where does the water go once it is through the backing. An installer who answers that specifically for your site has looked at the problem. One who answers with a product name has not.
Do I need a permit?
For the turf, usually not. For irrigation changes it depends on the city: Prosper requires a permit with no size threshold, Fort Worth at a 20 percent alteration threshold. Frisco requires an Artificial Turf Plan with the landscape plan.
Plan and compare your project
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Learn moreReady to get choosing an installer handled?
Call (817) 809-9236 or send the form. We answer quote requests the same business day, and we have been doing this across DFW since 2001.