SAWS Irrigation Plan Program Update
PDF of SAWS Plan Review Update Presentation at the GSABA/SAWS Meeting on October 6, 2025. Please download and share.
Submit irrigation plans for your irrigation system
Before installing a permanent irrigation system, you’ll need to submit your plans to SAWS for review.
Submit irrigation plans for all single-family construction in the SAWS service area and on all commercial irrigation installs outside the San Antonio City Limits.
Use this checklist to ensure irrigation system plans are correct and complete prior to review.
Submit Irrigation PlanComplete the form and upload irrigation system plans.
Irrigation Plan Review FAQsCommon questions and issues that SAWS has seen as the program is developing.
Sample Irrigation PlanApproved sample irrigation plan meets all state and local requirements.
Begins in 2025
Texas has some of the most comprehensive rules for irrigation system design and operation in the United States. Stamped plans are required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for every irrigation system constructed in Texas.
In 2024, the SAWS Board of Trustees approved changes to the utility service regulations and watering rules that require an irrigation plan to be submitted to SAWS for every irrigation system installed within the SAWS service area* beginning Jan. 1, 2025. These changes were also approved by the San Antonio City Council and added to the San Antonio water conservation ordinance.
*SAWS requires irrigation plans be submitted for all newly installed irrigation systems (residential and commercial). Commercial irrigation systems constructed inside the City of San Antonio (CoSA) city limits and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction should continue to be submitted for review to CoSA Development Services (DSD) as required. Once reviewed, approved plans bearing the DSD stamp must also be submitted to SAWS to satisfy our plan review process. If DSD does not review the plan or return an approved copy, the plans should be sent directly to SAWS for review and approval prior to installation.
Plan Review Process
Irrigation plans will be reviewed by licensed irrigators and licensed irrigation inspectors within the SAWS Conservation department using a checklist of TCEQ requirements. Plans will be approved or returned with feedback on the plan deficiencies that don’t meet TCEQ requirements. Approvals and feedback will be sent via email to the irrigator and the system owner (builder or homeowner) within five (5) business days, but usually sooner.
Irrigation plans are to be submitted via online form in any file format. This is not a permitting program and is separate from the City of San Antonio requirement to pull irrigation permits via Development Services.
For more information on the irrigation plan review program, please contact SAWS Conservation at (210) 704-7283 or email [email protected].
Submit Irrigation Plan
Operational Irrigation Inspections Required in 2026
SAWS Conservation staff will conduct operational inspections of newly constructed irrigation systems beginning Jan 1, 2026. These inspections include assessment of soil depth under the installed sod as well as other items on the system. Soil depth of 4 inches or more is essential for improved grass survival and drought tolerance in San Antonio. Per the 2006 update to the San Antonio city ordinance, all new sod installations require at least 4 inches of topsoil containing at least 6% organic material (1/4” per 4” of soil) underneath. Conservation staff are working with irrigators and builders to communicate these requirements. Refer to the inspection checklist at right and the new inspection video at the top of this page for more information on SAWS operational inspections.
How will you know your newly installed irrigation system requires a SAWS inspection? See the chart below:
| Year Plan Approved |
Year Irrigation System Installed |
SAWS Inspection Required? |
| 2025 | 2025 | NO |
| 2025 | 2026 | YES |
| 2026 | 2026 | YES |
Please note that in 2026, a new location must have an approved SAWS irrigation plan on file AND pass the operational irrigation inspection in order to remove any holds on water accounts or landscape establishment variance approvals.
Please call SAWS Conservation at (210) 704-7283 or email [email protected] for questions about operational inspection requirements.
Irrigation Inspection Checklist
Use this checklist as a reference to ensure you are prepared for all aspects of the SAWS operational irrigation inspection.
This FAQ provides answers to the most common questions received about the new soil evaluation process on operational inspections and will be updated regularly.
Request Operational Irrigation Inspection
Complete the form to schedule your operational irrigation inspection with SAWS Conservation. To prevent delays, you must have an approved irrigation plan on file with SAWS prior to receiving the inspection. Inspections are expected to be scheduled with a TCEQ-Licensed SAWS Inspector/Irrigator within two (2) business days of the request.