Short answer
A landscaper or irrigation specialist, with a licensed plumber for the connection to the mains and the backflow prevention device. The connection point is the part that is regulated; the pipework in the garden generally is not.
When it is someone else
Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a gardener or landscaper.
for the mains connection and backflow device.
a controller needs a weatherproof outlet outside.
What to do before anyone arrives
- Measure your available flow and pressure at the tap you would connect to. Systems are designed against those numbers and a design built on a guess produces zones that do not reach.
- Zone the garden on paper by water need: lawn, shrubs, pots and vegetables want completely different amounts.
- Check your water authority's rules and any current restrictions, including whether a permit or a testable backflow device is required.
- Decide about a rain sensor or a smart controller now — it is cheap at installation and fiddly later.
What to ask when you book
- What backflow prevention is fitted, and does it need periodic testing?
- How many zones, and what is the design flow for each?
- Is the controller weatherproof and where is it mounted?
- What is the warranty on the installation, and what happens if a zone underperforms?
What changes the price
No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.
- Area and number of zones.
- Trenching and what has to be crossed.
- Drip versus spray, and the number of outlets.
- Backflow device type.
- Controller and sensors.
What you can do yourself
Is this licensed work?
Connecting to the drinking water supply is licensed plumbing work and backflow prevention is a requirement, because an irrigation system is by definition in contact with soil and fertiliser. Some water authorities require testable devices and periodic testing.
There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.
- NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
- VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
- QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
- WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
- SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
- TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
- ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
- NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers
Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.
Common questions
- Who should I hire for an irrigation system to install
- A landscaper or irrigation specialist, with a licensed plumber for the connection to the mains and the backflow prevention device. The connection point is the part that is regulated; the pipework in the garden generally is not.
- Why do I need backflow prevention on a garden irrigation system?
- Because irrigation outlets sit in soil, in mulch, and sometimes in fertiliser solution, and if the pressure in the main drops — a burst nearby, a hydrant being used — water can be drawn backwards into the drinking supply. That is the specific risk backflow devices exist to stop, and it is why the connection is licensed work.
Find a gardener or landscaper near you
2,259 gardeners & landscapers in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.
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General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.