What Do You Do With the Sprinkler System When You Install Artificial Turf?

This page is for homeowners and installers who have to deal with a working sprinkler system before the sod comes out. We read five rebate and state rules, three utility backflow programs, a city drip retrofit guide and the retrofit kit's manufacturer data, and turned them into one decision per zone. For the obstacle cutting itself (tree rings, valve boxes, keeping a head flush), see cutting turf around obstacles.

Can you leave sprinklers under artificial turf?

Not live ones. Turf needs no irrigation, and in some places watering it with the old system is not allowed. Florida's statewide turf rule for single-family lots of 1 acre or less says "in-ground irrigation systems cannot be used to irrigate synthetic turf areas," and lets a local government require "that irrigation heads be removed and pipe capped" where a system already exists (Rule 62-308.100(6), effective May 19, 2026). Scottsdale's rebate is blunter: "In artificial turf installation area(s), no irrigation system is allowed."

The practical reason is the base. A head left buried under 3 to 4 inches of compacted rock is a leak you cannot see. Water from a cracked riser or a weeping valve softens the base from below, and the first sign is a dip or a smell, not a puddle. Our DIY vs professional comparison lists a leaking capped sprinkler under turf among the DIY risks for that reason.

What do rebate programs and state rules require?

Every rule we read lands on the same outcomes: heads capped or removed, or the zone converted to low-volume irrigation.

Sources: Scottsdale FY25 rebate terms, SNWA residential terms (as of September 18, 2025), MWD program sheet, Round Rock guidelines.

Two details change the order of work. Scottsdale tells applicants not to "remove a functioning irrigation system until the review is complete," because inspectors may ask you to run it to measure the watered area. So on a rebate job the system comes out after the pre-inspection, not before. And Round Rock pays per zone ($50 per zone capped, $75 per zone converted to drip, $25 for a partial zone, $600 maximum), so count zones, not heads, when you plan. The wider rebate picture is in rebates, HOA and water rules, and the state detail in our Florida and Arizona guides.

Cap the heads or cut off the supply?

Both answers circulate because they solve different problems, and the head cap is the weaker of the two.

A cap on a head only seals the end of a lateral pipe. That pipe is dry until its zone valve opens, so the cap is exactly as reliable as the valve and the controller upstream. If the controller still runs the old lawn program, or the valve weeps, the lateral pressurizes under the turf every watering day. Capping the heads without dealing with the valve is the half job.

Cutting at the source removes the risk entirely, and in all three backflow programs we read it also ends a recurring bill. Gahanna, Ohio requires every irrigation backflow preventer to be tested "once every twelve (12) months after the previous test date," whether or not the system is used, and says "the only option to be exempt from backflow testing requirements" is a cut and cap of the line feeding the system, inspected by the city at no charge (Gahanna backflow FAQ). Bloomington, Indiana puts it the same way: a device still connected "must be tested annually even if the water has been turned off" (Bloomington removal form).

Our rule: match the fix to how much irrigation survives.

How do you cut and cap an irrigation system?

Oregon City publishes the clearest procedure we found (Oregon City cut and cap policy):

1. Find where the irrigation connects to the house water line, usually at the backflow assembly.
2. Turn off water to the system and drain the piping.
3. Cut the pipe on both sides of the backflow assembly to leave a 2 to 3 foot gap, and remove the assembly. With no assembly, cut out a 2 to 3 foot section.
4. Cap both cut ends. Cap the supply side "as close to the domestic line as possible"; capping the irrigation side keeps dirt out if you reuse it.
5. If you used an isolation valve, leave it permanently closed.
6. Before backfilling, book the inspection. Oregon City says it takes about 5 minutes, and you sign a form promising to reinstall backflow protection and notify the city before reconnecting.

Bloomington asks for its form within 30 days with a photo of the capped, disconnected line, or an inspection. Not every utility runs a testing program, so call yours before you assume there is a test to stop. In Texas, Round Rock notes that under state law "only the property owner or a licensed irrigator may make irrigation system repairs," so a turf crew without that license should not be doing it on your behalf.

How do you convert a shared zone to drip?

Santa Barbara's step-by-step sprinkler to drip retrofit is built around one converted head per zone:

1. Run the zone and put a flag at every head. Mark the last head on the line.
2. Add a master pressure regulator and manual shut-off if the system has none, and a low-flow valve with anti-siphon unless a master backflow device already exists.
3. Pick one conveniently placed head, often a corner, for the retrofit kit. On a Rain Bird 1800 body you swap the internals; Toro or brass heads are replaced with the 1800 body that comes in the kit.
4. Turn the last head into a "tattletale": a PA-80 adaptor and cap that pops up when the drip zone is running, so you can tell it works.
5. Cap every other head. Rain Bird and Hunter tops take the kit's caps, Toro takes Toro caps, and anything else is removed and capped at the riser with PVC.
6. Run drip tubing from the kit, a maximum of 200 ft per valve, staked every 3 ft, kept at least 12 inches from tree trunks.
7. Flush through the tattletale, close the ends, mulch 2 inches, and reprogram the timer.

Rain Bird's own data for the kit gives the limits that matter: 30 psi regulation, a 200-mesh (75 micron) filter, and flows of 0.5 to 6 gpm (Rain Bird retrofit kit). That regulator and filter are also what SNWA checks for.

When in the job does the irrigation work happen?

Before excavation, and after any rebate pre-inspection. Run every zone and flag the heads while the lawn is still there; once the sod is cut, heads are buried in loose spoil and easy to miss. Call 811 as well, since it does not mark your private irrigation lines. Cap below base depth so the plate compactor does not crush the fittings, then pressure-test each capped zone before the base goes in. A leak found now costs a shovel; found later it costs a section of turf lifted and re-seamed. The full sequence is in how to install artificial turf, and base depth in base preparation.

Keep the valve boxes reachable. Scottsdale requires that turf "not cover or inhibit city access to a city-owned meter or valve box," and your own valves need the same access.

Should you keep sprinklers to cool or rinse the turf?

Usually no, and in Florida not with the in-ground system. Scottsdale's rebate packet notes that "large applications of artificial turf may require sprinkler systems or other cooling methods for heat control," but its rebate still bars irrigation in turf areas, and a rinse cools turf for roughly 15 to 60 minutes, as our turf too hot page explains. For pet areas, a hose and a rinse routine do the job; see removing pet waste. If you keep a head outside Florida and outside a rebate, run it manually, not on a schedule.

When does this page stop applying?

The rules above are the ones we read; your utility's terms are the ones that bind you, and rebate programs change their terms between program years. Backflow testing applies only where your water utility runs a testing program, and the cut and cap paperwork is that utility's, not a state form. The Florida rule covers single-family lots of 1 acre or less only. And trees inside the new turf area lose the lawn's water when the zone is capped, so read turf near trees before you cap that zone.

Frequently asked questions

How deep should a capped sprinkler riser be under turf?

Below the bottom of the compacted base, with a couple of inches to spare, so the compactor cannot crack the fitting. With a 3 to 4 inch base that means capping roughly 5 to 6 inches below finished grade. Use a threaded cap on the fitting rather than a pushed-in plug, and pressure-test the zone before backfilling.

Do I have to tell the water company I removed my sprinklers?

Only if you remove or disconnect a backflow assembly that is on their testing list. Then yes: Oregon City wants an inspection before you backfill, Bloomington wants its form within 30 days, and Gahanna marks the system inactive after inspecting. If you only capped heads and kept the backflow preventer connected, all three programs we read still expect the annual test.

Can I keep the old sprinkler valve for a drip zone?

Santa Barbara's guide does not: it replaces the existing control valve with a low-flow valve that has anti-siphon built in, and adds a master pressure regulator and manual shut-off if the system lacks them. The pressure regulation and filtering at the zone then come from the retrofit kit, which Rain Bird rates at 30 psi and 200 mesh.

Will my water bill drop if I just turn the zone off?

Yes, the water use stops, but fixed costs may not. Where the utility requires annual backflow testing, the test continues until the line is physically cut and capped. Gahanna warns that hiring a contractor for the cut and cap "may be initially more expensive" than a test, so it makes most sense if you will own the house for a few years. Estimate the water side with our water savings calculator, then ask the utility whether a cut and cap removes the testing fee.

Can the turf installer do the irrigation work?

Ask, and get it in writing in the quote with the number of heads and zones to be capped or converted. Conversions and backflow removal may need a licensed irrigator or plumber: Round Rock states Texas law limits irrigation repairs to the owner or a licensed irrigator, and Oregon City suggests a plumber, landscape professional or backflow tester.