Published October 18, 2026
A commercial grounds maintenance contract in Georgetown should spell out more than mowing day. The parts that cost a property manager money are usually the ones nobody wrote down: how often the crew cuts in July, who checks the irrigation, and who keeps the property inside the city's watering rules. Here is what to put in the scope for an office park, HOA common area or storefront in Central Texas.
A complete commercial grounds maintenance scope covers six things: mowing and edging, bed upkeep and mulch, shrub and hedge trimming, lawn treatment, irrigation checks, and seasonal cleanup. Each one needs a frequency, not just a line item. The sections below are where Georgetown properties most often come up short.
Often enough that no single cut takes more than a third of the grass blade. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension's mowing guide sets that 1/3 limit, and says that during peak summer growth warm-season grass may need mowing sometimes twice per week to avoid scalping. A contract that promises a fixed visit count all year either over-mows in winter or falls behind in June.
Write the frequency to follow the season instead. AgriLife says it is unnecessary to mow warm-season grass while it is dormant in winter, though a pass to knock down active winter weeds keeps common areas tidy. The same guide warns that heavy riding mowers compact wet soil, so the contract should allow a crew to shift a visit after a heavy rain.
Blowing off walks, lots and entrances is not cosmetic. AgriLife advises keeping clippings off streets and sidewalks, where they can wash into storm drains and add to nutrient pollution, and blowing them back into the turf. Make blow-off part of every visit.
Landscape water is a real share of what a commercial property uses. The EPA's WaterSense program says the commercial and institutional sector uses 17 percent of the country's public water supply, and lists landscaping among the three largest uses of water in office buildings. It also cites an office complex in Plano, TX that cut its water use by 40% by upgrading irrigation and changing maintenance practices.
The checks are not complicated, but someone has to own them. The City of Georgetown's conservation guidance is to inspect heads regularly, aim them at the landscape rather than sidewalks and parking lots, check pipes and connections for leaks, and adjust controller settings through the season instead of leaving one schedule running. The city notes that a single broken head can waste up to 25,000 gallons in six months.
Georgetown does not allow irrigation-system watering from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on any day, or on Mondays at all. The city says water rates went up Oct. 1, 2024, and that penalty fees for not following the schedule climb after a first courtesy warning. On a property with a dozen zones, the contract should name who sets and checks the controller.
Controller replacements carry a state rule too. The TCEQ requires a rain or moisture shut-off device on every replacement of an automatic controller on an existing system. Texas law also says a person may not maintain, repair or service an irrigation system for hire unless licensed by the TCEQ, so ask any grounds contractor how their irrigation work is licensed before it goes in the scope.
Every commercial property in Georgetown is required to have a backflow prevention device, and the city says those devices must be tested annually because they degrade over time. Homes with irrigation only need a test at installation, so this is a commercial-only obligation that is easy to lose track of when management changes hands.
The city will remind you. Georgetown Utility Systems, through its vendor VEPO, notifies commercial businesses 30 to 60 days before testing is due, and a registered backflow tester performs the test and submits it through VEPO. Decide in advance whether the grounds contractor, the plumber or the property manager handles that notice.
Entrances, signage and walkways are what tenants and customers see first, so bed upkeep needs a schedule too. The City of Georgetown's mulch guidance is a settled layer 4 inches deep around trees and 2 inches deep around shrubs, pulled back from trunks and stems. Build mulch refreshes and shrub and hedge trimming into the calendar so sight lines at drives and walkways stay clear.
The strongest contracts name a frequency for each service by season, name who owns the irrigation controller and the backflow notice, and say what happens after a rain-out. Our commercial grounds maintenance covers mowing and edging, bed upkeep, trimming, lawn treatment, irrigation checks and seasonal cleanups for HOAs, office parks, banks, daycares and property management companies in Georgetown and nearby. Commercial work starts with a phone call, so we can talk through your site, scope and schedule.
CTX Mowing handles recurring commercial grounds maintenance for HOAs, office parks, banks, daycares and property managers. Commercial work starts with a call: (402) 937-3803.
