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Matthew Silkwood
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Irrigation
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April 29, 2024
February 26, 2024

An Honest Lawn Sprinkler System Cost Guide

We researched lawn sprinkler system cost data from irrigation companies in 42 states. The average cost of home lawn sprinkler installation is $3,500-$6,500.

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Matthew Silkwood
Director Of Sales & Marketing
residential lawn sprinkler system cost for installation and maintenance

Who to hire

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Aledo
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Godley
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Caddo Mills
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North Richland Hills
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Ponder
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Frisco
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Midlothian
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Grandview
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Lake Worth
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University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
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Irving
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Poolville
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White Rock
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Itasca
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DeSoto
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Valley View
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Lancaster
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Lone Oak
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Springtown
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East Fort Worth
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Stockyards
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Rockwall
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Bluffview
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Old East Dallas
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Southern Methodist University
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Millsap
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Balch Springs
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Roanoke
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Oak Cliff
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Cockrell Hill
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Bridgeport
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Downtown Fort Worth
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Milford
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Ladonia
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South Fort Worth
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Southwest Dallas
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West
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Whitt
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Yale Park
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Northwest Dallas
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Willow Bend
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Paradise
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Nemo
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Chico
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Red Oak
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Wolfe City
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Bishop Arts District
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Italy
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Vickery Meadow
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Addison
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Sanger
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Celina
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Cleburne
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Perrin
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Colleyville
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St. Paul
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West Dallas
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Love Field
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Little Elm
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Quinlan
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West End
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Krum
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Newark
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North Dallas
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Hutchins
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Nevada
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Kessler Park
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Lewisville
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Design District
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Forney
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Justin
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Denton
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Uptown
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Anna
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Leonard
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Lake Dallas
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Venus
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Wylie
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Northrich
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North Fort Worth
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Alvord
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Kemp
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Farmers Branch
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South
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Sunnyvale
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Keene
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McKinney
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Decatur
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Lakewood
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Terrell
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Grapevine
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Mineral Wells
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Highland Village
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Coppell
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Blue Ridge
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Keller
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Stemmons Corridor
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Ennis
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Eagle Mountain

Get to the Point: Sprinkler System Cost Summary

The average lawn irrigation sprinkler system cost is between $3,500 and $6,500. The primary mistake we find with most irrigation system cost guides is in their pricing — most sprinkler installation contractors charge per zone, not by square foot. We constructed our lawn irrigation system pricing guide around how many irrigation zones you need.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this lawn irrigation and sprinkler system cost guide:

  • The average cost of a fully installed sprinkler system is between $3,500 and $6,500. Most contractors quote sprinkler jobs by zone — costs range between $500 and $700 per irrigation zone, and an additional $600 for a backflow prevention valve.
  • Most homeowners will benefit from a costlier underground system, but above ground systems are best for budget-conscious homeowners.
  • Most yards need a minimum of 5 irrigation zones. Larger yards with multiple trees and flower beds require 7 or more zones of varying types — drip irrigation for gardens and bubblers for watering trees.
  • Irrigation labor costs $50-$100 per hour to install a sprinkler system. Repairs to existing systems run between $85-$140 per hour.
  • Running a sprinkler system costs $1750 in water per year  — expect to pay up to $200 per month during summer in hot, dry states.
  • After hours and 24/7 emergency sprinkler repair costs $225-$250 per hour in most locations. Underground labor costs up to 67% more than above ground sprinkler repair and installation labor.
  • Smart controllers almost always pay themselves off with an average savings of $430 per year - they save homeowners 7,000+ gallons of water annually.

Message HOMR if you need help pricing a system— no signup required!

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Continue reading to dive into our irrigation insights

Table of contents

Our Criteria

❌ Deal Breakers

✅ The Bare Minimum

🔥 Above And Beyond

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What Is the Average Cost of a Sprinkler System?

The average installed cost of a lawn sprinkler system is between $3,500 and $6,500 for American homeowners

There's a one time cost of $700 - $1000 for backflow prevention and a controller, plus between $500 and $700 per irrigation zone. An irrigation zone is an individual area of your yard where all sprinkler heads are connected to the same valve. Most average-sized yards require 5 to 7 irrigation zones. 

HOMR researched internal irrigation service data from 2022-2023. We scheduled 103 sprinkler repairs and installations. Contractors quote their sprinkler prices based on overall number of zones and complexity of installation.

Table: Installed Sprinkler Systems Cost

Yard Size Square Footage Number of Zones Installed Cost
Tiny 100-1,000 sf buy above ground $100 - $300
Small 1,000-5,000 sf 4-5 zones $2,000 - $3,500
Standard 5,000-7,500 sf 5-8 zones $2,500 - $4,200
Large 7,500-12,000 sf 8-12 zones $4,000 - $8,400
X-Large 12,000+ sf 12+ $8,400+

Contractors Price Your Sprinkler System by Zone, Not By Square Foot

We noted the use of square footage and yard acreage in other sprinkler system cost guides online. These statements don’t accurately reflect the true cost of irrigation systems — two lots of the same size may require different amounts of sprinkler zones to properly irrigate the area.

Consider this: How many people know the exact square footage of their yards? It’s far more useful to calculate the overall cost of your sprinkler system project by how many zones are needed. Most average yards require 5 to 7 irrigation zones.

Lawn irrigation is one part of a smart landscaping system that saves you money. Read our tips for low maintenance landscaping that fit any budget.

The 2 Most Common Residential Irrigation Systems

Above ground sprinkler systems are cheaper, but lack the adaptability of underground systems. Pick an underground system and save 20-50% on water bills.
Type of Sprinkler System Average Cost
Above Ground Sprinkler System $150-$500
Underground Sprinkler System $3,500-$6,500

The 2 primary cost drivers of sprinkler systems are the type of sprinkler system you choose and the number of zones required

Above ground sprinkler systems involve sprinklers placed on the surface of your yard. These sprinklers are connected to an outdoor faucet through a hose. 

Above ground systems are highly economical, but impractical for homeowners with anything other than a very small yard. It’s difficult to control water flow to separate areas of your yard — a small garden will be drenched, while a dry patch of yard won’t get enough water. 

Underground sprinkler systems are the best option for homeowners with yards over 1,000 square feet. These systems are installed underground, with sprinkler heads installed in separate zones. The water flow to each zone is controlled by a separate valve.

Underground sprinkler systems are simpler to automate, and allow you to divide your yard into separate zones. This allows your system to properly water each section of your yard — lawn, garden, flower beds, trees, etc. — with separate types of sprinkler heads and amounts of water.

Get your sprinkler installation project started with a free quote through HOMR!

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How Many Irrigation Zones Do I Need?

The number of irrigation zones you need depends on 3 factors:

  • The size of your yard;
  • The unique areas of your overall landscape design; and
  • Your sprinkler system’s water pressure

Most lawn sprinkler systems have between 5 and 10 irrigation zones. 

The 4 Most Common Types of Irrigation Zones

Residential lawn sprinkler systems have 4 common types of irrigation zones: drip irrigation systems, rotary irrigation systems, and spray irrigation systems. It's relatively uncommon to have hybrid zones with mixtures of head types.

1. Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation systems are used to deliver controlled water flow to individual plants. Smart controllers help conserve water in drip zones — these areas don’t need frequent water usage like young trees and large lawn areas. 

Best Uses: Use drip irrigation to distribute water in a garden, flower bed, or to irrigate rows of vegetables and fruits.

2. Rotary Irrigation

Rotary irrigation zones use rotary sprinkler heads with a large watering radius from 48 to 100+ square feet. Rotary sprinkler heads spray gentle streams of water in quarter, half and full circles. 

Best Uses: Use rotary sprinkler heads for large lawn areas, hills and slopes.

3. Spray or Mist Irrigation

Spray irrigation provides concentrated water flow with a mid-range radius. Water comes out spray heads in a fan shape and extends up to 15 feet in a half or quarter-circle.

Best Uses: Use spray irrigation for small to mid-sized lawn areas like your front yard, or for dry patches that require more concentrated watering.

4. Bubbler Irrigation

Bubblers are the highest GPM sprinkler heads - they're designed to deliver massive amounts of water to a small area.

Best Uses: bubblers are often joined together into a single zone to water all of a yard's trees and shrubs at the same time.

You already have enough to think about when planning your landscape irrigation design! Check out 9 low maintenance landscape ideas designed to fit any budget.

Add Irrigation Zones for Each Unique Landscape Areas

Areas with different landscaping elements usually require separate irrigation zones. Divide your yard into 5 key areas: 

  1. Lawn: Rotary Irrigation zones are best for lawn spaces to provide maximum coverage. Be sure to attain head-to-head coverage across your lawn. You'll need at least one zone for the front and one for the back.
  2. Garden: Bubblers and misters are best for garden spaces, which require direct, but less frequent watering.
  3. Flower Bed: Like gardens, bubblers and misters are ideal for new flower beds. Native plants may require less water — use drip irrigation for these areas. 
  4. Trees: The age of your tree determines the amount of water it requires. Mature trees often require their own irrigation zones.
  5. Alleys and parkways plan to water these with misters or drip lines to avoid over-watering and muddy messes.

Still need help figuring out how many zones you need? Text a HOMR expert for free help!

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Materials Cost of Sprinkler Systems

Table: Materials Cost of Sprinkler Heads by Type (Low to High)

Type of Sprinkler Head Cost per Head Flow (Gallons per Minute)
Bubbler $2 1.00 GPM
Misting $3-$5 .015 GPM
Pop-Up (4”-6”) $5 3.00 GPM
Fixed Spray $7 - $12 0.25 - 1.00 GPM
Gear-Driven $8-$16 2.00 - 3.00 GPM
Pop-Up (8” or more) $10-$12 1.50 - 3.50 GPM
Rotary (Impact) $15-$25 1.50 - 8.40 GPM

Bubbler heads (aka flood sprinkler heads) flood the surface directly around the sprinkler head, rather than emit a spray. Bubblers are great for shrubs and trees.

Misting heads release a steady mist of water across a smaller area, creating a gentle hydration system ideal for seedlings, young plants and small flower beds.

Pop-up heads operate exactly how they’re described — they pop up from the ground and emit a low-angle water spray when activated, then retract back to ground level when not in use. 

Fixed spray heads are often set in a fixed position and project a dense, steady fan of water. The radius and pattern of spray heads is determined by which nozzles are attached to them.

Gear-driven rotary heads move at a set speed to evenly distribute water across large lawn areas. They work well in large lawns and side lawns. 

Rotary heads spray water across large surface areas of your lawn at a high angle, allowing water to mist gently down onto the grass. Impact rotary heads are the most common.

DALLAS HOMEOWNERS: Looking for the best Dallas sprinkler repair service for your lawn and garden? Read our Buying Guide to see why we rated LSI #1 in DFW.

How Many Sprinklers Per Zone?

"It varies," is a horrible answer, but the right one. You need as many heads as required to irrigate the plants and sod in each part of your yard.

The average irrigation zone has between 5 and 9 sprinkler heads. The average rotary sprinkler head irrigates between 100-130 square feet — so one sprinkler zone covers between 500 and 1,170 square feet.

An average sized lawn requires between 5 and 9 irrigation zones. Expect to install between 25 and 48 sprinkler heads in an average lawn sprinkler system.

Make sure your irrigation zones provide head-to-head coverage. This means the edge of each sprinkler head’s watering radius touches the range of all adjacent sprinkler heads — no gaps are left unwatered.

Materials Costs of Irrigation Valves and Solenoids

On new systems, you'll be required to install a backflow prevention valve in most municipalities. This will keep leaks in the sprinkler system from getting debris into the potable water supply. They typically run between $250 - $550 and will increase in cost depending on the pressure rating of the system

Additionally, you'll need at least 1 solenoid valve for each zone of your system - the solenoid takes instructions from your irrigation controller, which tells it when to open and close. They cost between $60 - $200 per valve.

Materials Costs of Irrigation Controllers

Controllers are the brains of your irrigation system - they are priced based on features and number of zones they can control. They come in programmable (dumb) and smart varieties.

If you're upgrading an existing sprinkler system: Residential controllers only support a set number of zones, so always check to see how many free zones your controller has before upgrading.

For example, your yard may have 8 zones, but your controller can support 12. If your irrigation installer recommends adding 5 more zones for better coverage, you'd need to get the next size up in irrigation controller.

Basic controllers for small systems can be as cheap as $50, while top of the line smart controllers usually run around $200-$250.

A note on smart controllers: Add one of our top 5 smart sprinkler controllers if it's within your budget. They allow you, or an irrigation contractor, to control your sprinkler system remotely. This makes adjusting your quarterly watering easy.

Want to Save Money? Look at Smart Controllers

A smart controller can save homeowners over 7,000 gallons of water usage per year — and up to 30% on outdoor water bills per year. For most Americans, that’s an annual savings of over $430.

Here are the current prices of 3 top smart sprinkler controllers:

  • Rachio 3: $149-$249
  • Orbit B-Hyve XR: $169-$199
  • Rain Bird ARC8: $149

The cost to install a smart sprinkler controller into an existing sprinkler system is between $199-299 per controller. If you're comfortable dealing with some simple wiring and reading the instruction manuals, most homeowners can DIY an install.

In most cases, the price of buying and installing a smart sprinkler controller is already paid back after 1 year of water bill savings.

Get an all-in smart sprinkler system installation quote from HOMR, absolutely free of charge - message us!

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Sprinkler System Labor Costs and Repair Costs

Table: Lawn Sprinkler Labor Cost Table

Sprinkler Installation Expense Cost
Labor $50-$100 per hour
Advanced Labor (tough soil, rocks) $100-$150 per hour
Trenching $8 - $12 per linear foot
Lawn Repair (post underground installation) $40-75 per hour

Labor comprises roughly 60% of sprinkler repair costs, and over half of lawn irrigation system installation costs. If your yard has tough, extremely dry soil or a number of large rocks that need to be moved, expect to pay an extra $50-100 per hour for extra labor.

Large yards that require underground sprinkler systems will require trenching to complete installation. Expect to pay between $2,000 and $5,000 for sprinkler trenching in an average sized yard.

IRRIGATION INSIGHT: Make sure that all your plumbing and existing irrigation lines are clearly flagged before the sprinkler company starts digging. Avoid accidental damage to your home.

Sprinkler permit costs vary drastically by town and state — check with your local building department for exact permit pricing. Most permits will run in the range of $175- $350 per install.

After your automatic sprinkler system is installed or repaired, you want your lawn repaired to its original state. Labor for landscaping repairs should cost between $40-75 per hour.

HOMR helps you get your lawn back to looking beautiful with a $200 landscaping credit towards refurbishing your lawn and garden spaces after sprinkler installation.

Can I Install a Sprinkler System Myself?

Probably not. Only attempt DIY sprinkler system installation if you're installing an above ground system. Automatic sprinkler systems require backflow valves, hydraulic calculations, and involve digging and trenching in your yard — leave underground work to professional irrigation companies. 

Leave sprinkler installation to the pros — message HOMR and let us handle the stress.

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Table: Most Common Lawn Sprinkler Repair Costs

Sprinkler System Repair Components Cost
Labor, above ground system $55-$95 per hour
Labor, underground system $85-$140 per hour
Emergency sprinkler repair (24/7) $225-$250 per hour
Replacement sprinkler heads $5-$30 each
Replacement valves $20-$250 each
Replacement sprinkler timers $40-$300 each
Replacement manifold $80-$200 each

Underground sprinkler system labor costs up to 67% more than labor on above ground systems. 24/7 emergency sprinkler repair outside of standard business hours costs between $225-$250 per hour in most parts of the United States.

DALLAS HOMEOWNERS: We researched the most respected Dallas sprinkler repair companies in our updated buying guide — see why we ranked LSI Sprinklers #1.

Featured Partners

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Aledo
Godley
Caddo Mills
North Richland Hills
Ponder
Frisco
Midlothian
Grandview
Lake Worth
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Irving
Poolville
White Rock
Itasca
DeSoto
Valley View
Lancaster
Lone Oak
Springtown
East Fort Worth
Stockyards
Rockwall
Bluffview
Old East Dallas
Southern Methodist University
Millsap
Balch Springs
Roanoke
Oak Cliff
Cockrell Hill
Bridgeport
Downtown Fort Worth
Milford
Ladonia
South Fort Worth
Southwest Dallas
West
Whitt
Yale Park
Northwest Dallas
Willow Bend
Paradise
Nemo
Chico
Red Oak
Wolfe City
Bishop Arts District
Italy
Vickery Meadow
Addison
Sanger
Celina
Cleburne
Perrin
Colleyville
St. Paul
West Dallas
Love Field
Little Elm
Quinlan
West End
Krum
Newark
North Dallas
Hutchins
Nevada
Kessler Park
Lewisville
Design District
Forney
Justin
Denton
Uptown
Anna
Leonard
Lake Dallas
Venus
Wylie
Northrich
North Fort Worth
Alvord
Kemp
Farmers Branch
South
Sunnyvale
Keene
McKinney
Decatur
Lakewood
Terrell
Grapevine
Mineral Wells
Highland Village
Coppell
Murphy
Blue Ridge
Keller
Stemmons Corridor
Ennis
Eagle Mountain

Conclusion

The average American homeowner spends between $3,500 and $6,500 on a new lawn sprinkler system — but there are 5 ways to put a dent in those costs.

  • Understand the number of irrigation zones your lawn requires — separating landscaping areas by sprinkler head type reduces water bills by up to 20%.
  • Budget an extra $50-$100 per hour for intricate underground labor and rock removal, and up to $2,000-$5,000 for trenching in a large yard area.
  • Underground sprinkler installation and repair labor costs up to 67% more than above ground labor.
  • Buy a quality smart sprinkler controller — it costs $149-$249 to purchase and $199-$299 to install. You’ll save over 7,000 gallons of water annually, and up to 50% on water bills.
  • HOMR provides free sprinkler installation and repair quotes to American homeowners anywhere in the country with one message, and no fine print.

A free quote from a local sprinkler company is waiting — no signup required!

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