What should I get at the end of an irrigation installation?

A zone map showing which valve waters which plants, the location of the shutoff and the backflow device, labeled valves and controller stations, any permit and test paperwork the water provider requires, and a schedule set for the current season. Those records make every later repair faster and cheaper to diagnose.

Does irrigation installation in Arizona need a licensed contractor?

Generally yes for anything beyond a small job. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors says a licence is generally required when labor and materials exceed $1,000 or when a permit is required, whatever the price. Ask for the contractor's licence number and check it on the Registrar's website before work starts.

Irrigation System Installation

Plan and build a new or replacement system zoned around the plants, the slope and the water supply on the lot.

Request an estimate(623) 624-0780

A Peoria lot is not one kind of ground

Peoria covers more than 170 square miles across Maricopa and Yavapai counties, and the city's own Old Town plan describes ground that runs from flat desert in the south to foothills around Lake Pleasant in the north, cut by the New River and Agua Fria corridors. An installation in the original Old Town grid and one on a sloping lot in the north do not start from the same drawing.

The plan begins with the water source and the backflow device, then groups plants into zones by sun, soil and need, so a shaded patio bed, a west-facing strip of desert shrubs and a small lawn each get their own valve and schedule. Slopes and lots beside washes get extra thought, because water applied at the top runs to the bottom. Spray stays for grass, drip goes to trees and shrubs, and every zone is sized to work at the pressure it will see during its overnight run window.

Built to be serviced later

A system that is easy to service is one that will keep working. Valves sit in boxes whose lids can be lifted, wire splices are sealed and kept inside those boxes, each valve is labeled with its station number, and the controller program is written down. Before trenching, buried utilities are located; Peoria's own leak guidance tells residents to know what is below through Arizona 811 before digging.

New construction also follows Peoria's newer design rules. In November 2022 the city updated its Landscape Code and Community Design Guidelines to cut the turf allowed in new development and redevelopment and to keep grass to usable spaces such as play areas, so a fresh layout often has less lawn and more drip than an older yard. At handover the owner should have a zone map, the shutoff and backflow locations and a schedule set for the season. Smaller jobs on an existing layout are covered under irrigation zone expansion, drip irrigation and smart and Wi-Fi irrigation controllers.

Source: City of Peoria, 2011 Old Town Specific Area Plan, Checked Oct 1, 2026