Do Landscapers Fix Sprinklers? Cinco Ranch, 77450 & 77494

"Can my landscaper (or my plumber, or my handyman) just fix the sprinklers?" It's a fair question, whether you live in 77450 or 77494. So, do landscapers fix sprinklers? In Texas, the honest answer depends on the license, not the job title, and in parts of Cinco Ranch, which spans both ZIP codes, there can be an HOA step on top of that. Here's the straight version, with the state rule quoted closely.

The short answer: Texas licenses irrigation work

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) licenses irrigators. Its irrigation licensing page says a person may not "sell, design, install, maintain, alter, repair, service or inspect an irrigation system" in Texas unless that person is licensed by the TCEQ. The same page points to a list of exemptions at 30 TAC 30.129.

It's a state rule, so it reads the same on both sides of the Harris and Fort Bend county line, which runs right through Cinco Ranch and the 77450 ZIP. It also reads the same across 77494 (mostly Fort Bend County, with smaller pieces in Waller and Harris) and inside or outside Katy city limits.

Do landscapers fix sprinklers? What about plumbers and handymen?

Sometimes. It depends on whether one of the rule's exemptions fits. Here are four that matter most for homeowners:

• You, at your own home. The rule exempts "irrigation or yard sprinkler work that is performed by a property owner" on premises the owner owns or occupies as their home. Handy? Start with our guide to adjusting sprinkler heads.
• A licensed plumber. Someone licensed by a Texas plumbing licensing authority is exempt when "working within the scope provided by the plumbing laws." Where that line falls on a given job is a question for the plumber or TCEQ.
• A crew member under direct supervision. A person under the direct supervision of a licensed irrigator who assists in the work is exempt. That's what lets a crew assist with the hands-on work while a licensed irrigator supervises.
• A business that employs a licensed irrigator. The owner of a business that employs a licensed irrigator to supervise its irrigation work is exempt.

Even when an exemption applies, TCEQ says a person who is exempt "shall comply with the standards established in 30 TAC, Chapter 344," the state's landscape irrigation rules.

A landscape company that employs a licensed irrigator to supervise its irrigation work fits one of the rule's exemptions. If no exemption fits, the person doing the work needs a TCEQ license. So the useful question isn't "are you a landscaper or a sprinkler company?" It's "who holds the irrigation license on this job?"

This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. For the complete list, read 30 TAC 30.129 itself or ask TCEQ.

How to check a license in two minutes

1. Open TCEQ's individual license search.
2. Enter the irrigator's first and last name, or the license number they gave you.
3. In the results, find the Landscape Irrigator row and check that its status reads Current.

Here's ours, so you know what to look for. As of October 2026, TCEQ lists license LI0018069 for our owner, Chris H. Smith, as a Landscape Irrigator with status Current. On our website it shows as Licensed Irrigator #18069. Any irrigation company should be able to give you a name and license number.

Fort Bend side water districts in 77450, including the Cinco MUDs, are part of the North Fort Bend Water Authority (NFBWA). NFBWA tells residents who need repairs to search for a Texas licensed irrigator through TCEQ. That's the search in step 1 above.

The HOA step in Cinco Ranch, 77450 and 77494

Cinco Ranch is split between two main homeowner associations, and Katy-Gaston Road divides them. Cinco Ranch homes east of it are in Cinco Ranch I, the Cinco Residential Property Association (CRPA), including most of Cinco Ranch West in 77494. Cinco Ranch homes west of it are in Cinco Ranch II (Cinco Ranch Residential Association II), which covers Cinco Southwest and Cinco Northwest, both in 77494.

CRPA: the step only you can do. CRPA's FAQ lists irrigation systems and landscaping updates among the exterior changes that need ARC approval, and it says contractors cannot submit an ARC application on a homeowner's behalf. You file it yourself. As of October 2026, CRPA's FAQ says completed applications are due by 5:00 PM on the first Friday of the month to be considered at that month's ARC meeting. Planning a new system or added zone? Build that into your timeline. Not sure whether your project needs approval, or which review path it takes? Ask CRPA before any work starts.

Cinco Ranch II. Its Architectural Control Guidelines (amended November 2023) require written approval before construction for all site improvements. They don't name sprinkler systems, so before you add or change a system, ask its HOA management company whether your project needs a Design Review Committee application.

Elsewhere in 77450 and 77494, from Grand Lakes to Seven Meadows and Firethorne, your HOA, if you have one, sets its own rules, so check with them directly. (Wondering about watering days instead? See our Cinco Ranch watering schedule guide.)

Your yard or the common area?

Before you call anyone, make sure the leak is actually yours. If water is running from irrigation in a CRPA (Cinco I) common area rather than on your own lot, CRPA's FAQ says to report it in the Cinco Ranch 311 app, under Landscaping, Running Water/Leak. Cinco Ranch II's FAQ says purple lines and sprinkler heads carry reclaimed water, separate from drinking water, and asks residents to report common-area irrigation problems to the HOA. If it's on your lot, that's where we come in. Our page on sprinkler repair in Cinco Ranch and across Katy covers how we handle it.

Five questions to ask before anyone digs

1. "Who holds the irrigation license, and what's the number?" Then look it up yourself.
2. "Are your prices posted?" Ours are on our pricing page, with flat rates like a $9 nozzle and a $295 valve replacement.
3. "Do I approve the price before work starts?" You should. With us, the repair is a flat rate you approve before we begin, and anything uncommon or bigger is quoted in writing first.
4. "What's the warranty?" Every repair we do carries a 1-year workmanship warranty, plus up to a 3-year manufacturer warranty on Hunter and Rain Bird parts.
5. "Are you insured and bonded?" We are. It's a fair question for anyone working in your yard.

Weighing a repair against a replacement on an older system? Our post on how long a sprinkler system lasts in 77450 walks through it.

Where we fit

We're a family-owned Katy irrigation company, serving Katy and West Houston since 2016, and our work is led by TCEQ Licensed Irrigator #18069. If something's broken, our same-day service visit is $125, plus a flat-rate repair you approve before we pick up a tool. If nothing's urgent, a scheduled full system evaluation is $75, with a written estimate and your timer programmed for the season. Read more about us or book online.

One customer put it this way:

"Very honest - their price list is online so you can see it. I have used this company for years and never had a bad experience. I highly recommend them. You can/should schedule your appt on line for the best response."

Catherine Popovici, Google review