Find a vetted irrigation contractor on Long Island

What irrigation contractors do

Irrigation contractors install and service lawn sprinkler and drip systems, controllers and the backflow device that keeps irrigation water out of the drinking water.

• A new sprinkler system.
• Spring startups, fall winterizing and repairs.
• A backflow device that needs testing.

Who licenses irrigation contractors on Long Island

• New York's Sanitary Code requires everyone who tests backflow prevention assemblies to be certified under 10 NYCRR section 5-1.31.
• The state Department of Health stopped issuing initial backflow tester certifications on March 1, 2011, after Public Health Law changes removed its duty to issue them.
• A backflow tester's certificate of course completion comes from the training provider, once the applicant satisfactorily completes the course.

Suffolk County

• On Suffolk's restricted license application, Irrigation appears as a category under the Restricted Electrical heading.
• Suffolk requires a separate application for each restricted license and for each category on it.
• Backflow Tester is one of the license types listed by Suffolk Consumer Affairs.

Nassau County

• Consumer Affairs in Nassau includes lawn irrigation contractors on its list of who must be licensed.
• Among the work categories on Nassau's license application is one for irrigation and sprinklers.
• Home improvement contractors doing sprinkler or irrigation work in Nassau must submit a New York backflow tester certification from a course provider approved by the state Department of Health.

Step by step: how to check an irrigation contractor's license in Suffolk or Nassau.

Town by town

Each town page quotes that town's own rules for irrigation and sprinkler work, with the date we read them.

What it costs

Labor is a large part of any price. Long Island landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn a median $47,635 a year, from about $37,044 at entry level to $53,326 with experience. Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters earn a median $80,988 a year, from about $55,904 at entry level to $110,956 with experience. (New York State Department of Labor, wages updated to the first quarter of 2026.)

Irrigation prices turn on the size of the yard, the number of zones, the controller, the backflow device, and yearly service. See the irrigation and sprinklers cost guide.

What to ask before you hire

• Your county license number, so I can check it before I sign?
• A certificate of insurance sent to me by your insurer, not a photo?
• Who installs and tests the backflow preventer, and are they certified for it?
• Does the job need a permit or a water supplier's approval?
• What controller, zones and coverage are in the price?
• What do startup and winterizing cost each year?

How Revival helps

Request a free call. Revival goes over the job and the permit with you, checks licenses and insurance, and introduces up to two vetted, licensed irrigation contractors as they join our network. You choose who to hire, and you never pay Revival.