Does a new irrigation system need a backflow preventer?

On a public water system, usually yes. An irrigation connection can pull contaminated water back into the drinking supply when pressure drops, so water providers require an approved backflow assembly at the connection, often with a permit and periodic testing by certified testers. Confirm the rules with the property's actual water provider.

What should I receive when an irrigation installation is finished?

A station map showing which valve waters which plants, the location of the shutoff and the backflow device, the permit and test paperwork where a permit was required, and the final controller program. Each station should be run in front of you so coverage, runoff and shutoff can be checked together.

Irrigation System Installation

Plan zones and delivery around the plants, shade and paved edges of the yard.

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Start from the plants, then lay out the pipe

A new irrigation system is easier to get right on paper than to fix after the trench is closed. The plan begins with what will be watered: turf, a citrus tree, a row of desert shrubs, a shaded bed by the north wall. Each group with different needs gets its own valve, so the lawn can run often while the shrubs run deep and seldom. Spray stays on turf, and drip serves everything that grows in gravel.

The layout then has to respect the edges. Driveways, walks and walls decide where spray heads cannot throw. Glendale's drought plan treats city water that runs off a property onto a street or sidewalk, far enough or in a big enough pool, as water waste, so a design that keeps spray inside the yard is also the design that stays clear of a complaint.

Permits, the backflow assembly and the handover

Most new irrigation systems connect to the drinking water line through a backflow assembly. In Glendale, the city's backflow tester policy requires a permit for every backflow installation, including a replacement, and an inspection of the assembly and the underground piping. Without that inspection, the city will not accept a test report on it. A permitted job also needs a contractor licensed with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, whatever the price.

Before the job is called finished, every station should run while you watch, and you should receive a map showing each valve, what it waters and where the backflow assembly sits. Keep the controller program in writing. The Glendale installation page covers older downtown lots, newer northern subdivisions and the city's xeriscape conversion terms.

Source: City of Glendale Cross Connection Control, Backflow Tester Policy, Checked Oct 1, 2026