Fort Worth Turf
Artificial turf in Fort Worth, where the watering rules never relax
Short answer
Fort Worth is the only city in this metro with a year-round, address-assigned, two-day watering cap carrying a published escalating fine schedule, under City Ordinance 21194-07-2014. No synthetic turf restriction appears in its landscaping ordinance. Irrigation work needs a city permit, and turf projects are quoted after a site measure.
Two assigned days, all year, with a published fine schedule
Overview
Fort Worth matters for two separate reasons. Its watering rules do not soften in winter the way its neighbours' do, and its irrigation permitting is the strictest of the cities we researched. Both change a turf decision, and the second one changes a quote.
The schedule, which runs all twelve months
Under City Ordinance 21194-07-2014 the city operates a twice-a-week irrigation system or sprinkler schedule with assigned days for all water customers, year round. Monday is a no-watering day. Tuesday and Friday are for non-residential sites including apartments, businesses, parks and common areas. Residential addresses ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 water Wednesday and Saturday. Addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 water Thursday and Sunday. No watering by irrigation systems or sprinklers between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Hand-held hose watering is allowed at any time, and watering during precipitation is prohibited.
- Monday: no watering
- Tuesday and Friday: non-residential
- Wednesday and Saturday: addresses ending 0, 2, 4, 6, 8
- Thursday and Sunday: addresses ending 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
The fine schedule, published by the City
Fort Worth publishes administrative fees for violations: 25 dollars for a first violation, 50 for a second, 75 for a third, and a citation plus meter lock-out at the fourth. We mention it not as a scare tactic but because it is the only published escalating penalty among the cities we researched, and it tells you the city enforces the schedule rather than suggesting it.
The irrigation permit, and why it belongs in your quote
Fort Worth requires a permit for the installation of an irrigation system, and for alteration of a system by 20 percent or more, inside the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction. A backflow prevention device is required at the connection to the water supply and must be independently tested by a licensed backflow tester. Anyone connecting an irrigation system to the city supply on or after January 1, 2009 must hold a valid license issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and licensed irrigators must display their state license number on their work vehicle. Homeowners may do the work at their own homestead but a city permit is still required. Permits run through the Development Services Department on 817-392-2222.
- Permit required to install, or to alter a system by 20 percent or more
- Tested backflow prevention device at the supply connection
- TCEQ license required for anyone connecting to the city supply since January 1, 2009
Turf rules, and the honest scope of the negative
We read Fort Worth Ordinance No. 18615-05-2009, adopted May 12, 2009, which amends Section 6.301 Landscaping and adds Section 6.302 Urban Forestry. The word turf does not appear in its text. The only adjacent language is in the Landscape Plan definition, which requires certain nonresidential landscape plans to include shrubs and sod, meaning natural sod. So: no synthetic turf restriction appears in Fort Worth's landscaping ordinance at Section 6.301. We did not reach the current consolidated Chapter 6 on the city's code library, so treat that as an absence in one named document rather than a city-wide guarantee.
The regional layer
Fort Worth is a direct Tarrant Regional Water District customer. TRWD sets drought stages on combined storage in the Bridgeport, Eagle Mountain, Richland-Chambers and Cedar Creek reservoirs: Stage 1 below 75 percent, Stage 2 below 60 percent, Stage 3 below 45 percent, at which point hose-end sprinklers and automatic systems are prohibited outright. Keller and Grand Prairie, where our showrooms are, both appear in the same district plan as successive wholesale customers.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Still stuck? Call (817) 809-9236 and talk to someone who does this every day.
Which days can I water in Fort Worth?
Two assigned days, year round. Addresses ending 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 water Wednesday and Saturday; addresses ending 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 water Thursday and Sunday. Monday is a no-watering day and sprinklers may not run between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Does Fort Worth ban artificial turf?
No synthetic turf restriction appears in its landscaping ordinance, Ordinance 18615-05-2009 Section 6.301, which we read in full. We did not reach the current consolidated Chapter 6, so that is an absence in one document rather than a guarantee.
Do I need a permit for turf in Fort Worth?
Turf itself is not the permit. Irrigation is. The city requires a permit to install an irrigation system or to alter one by 20 percent or more, plus a tested backflow prevention device. Most turf jobs cap or rework zones, so this usually applies.
What are the fines for watering on the wrong day?
The city publishes 25 dollars for a first violation, 50 for a second, 75 for a third, then a citation and meter lock-out.
What does turf cost in Fort Worth?
We quote after a site measure, and the irrigation permit and any backflow testing are part of that scope rather than a surprise afterwards.
Plan and compare your project
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Learn moreReady to get fort worth 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.