Landscape Lighting & Irrigation Design in Charlotte Metro
What landscape lighting and irrigation design involves in Charlotte, what to look for in a designer, and how we score the 5 local businesses listed here.
What this service covers
Lighting and irrigation design is the planning layer behind a yard that looks good at night and stays alive in July. Lighting work means choosing fixtures (path lights, uplights, downlights in trees, step lights), low-voltage transformers, wire runs, and timers or smart controls. Irrigation work means zone layout, head and drip selection, controllers, and backflow and rain sensors. Charlotte's red clay drains slowly and summers run hot, so zoning and run times matter more than fixture count.
What to look for
- A written plan with fixture locations and irrigation zones, not just a quote.
- Solid brass, copper, or aluminum fixtures and LED lamps with a stated warranty.
- Separate zones for turf, beds, and shade, with drip in planting beds.
- North Carolina irrigation contractor licensing and a plan for winter shutoff and spring start-up.
How our scoring helps
We score the 5 businesses in this category on the same criteria so you can compare them side by side. Read the ranked guide to Charlotte lighting and irrigation designers to see who leads, and the methodology to see what we measure and how.
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All landscape lighting & irrigation design, ranked by score and relevance
We found 63 businesses offering landscape lighting & irrigation design; 28 met the criteria for the scored directory. The order weighs each business's overall score by how much of its reviewed work is landscape lighting & irrigation design, so a lower-scored specialist can rank above a higher-scored generalist. Filter and sort below, or open the full map view.
Quote and contact requests you submit through our forms may be passed to one or more partner providers who can carry out the work, and we may receive a fee for those referrals. Rankings and scores are not influenced by referral fees; they follow our independent, published scoring method.
Common questions about landscape lighting & irrigation design
- How much does landscape lighting or irrigation design cost in Charlotte?
- Typical ranges: a basic LED landscape lighting install for a small yard often runs $3,000 to $7,000, and larger properties with many fixtures can pass $10,000. A residential irrigation system commonly costs $3,000 to $6,000 for a standard lot, more with many zones or drip beds. Design fees are often folded into the install price. Get itemized quotes.
- How often does an irrigation or lighting system need service?
- Irrigation should be checked at least twice a year: a spring start-up and a fall winterization check, since freezes can crack lines and heads. Lighting benefits from a yearly visit to adjust fixtures as plants grow, clear wire damage, and replace failed lamps. Good LED systems often last many years.
- How can I judge the quality of a lighting or irrigation designer?
- Ask for a drawn plan, a fixture and brand list, warranty terms, and local project photos, ideally viewed at night. For irrigation, ask about zoning, backflow prevention, and licensing. Vague quotes with no layout are a warning sign.
Guides to choosing landscape lighting & irrigation design
- Outdoor lighting and irrigation design cost explained
What drives the cost of landscape lighting and irrigation system design, from fixture count to zone count, and how the two projects compare on price.