What should an artificial turf quote include, and how do you compare two?

As of September 2026, two artificial turf quotes for the same Central Florida yard can land $3,000 or more apart because they're pricing different jobs. Comparing them fairly means matching five specs line by line: measured area, base depth and material, turf product and face weight, infill type and rate, and how seams are anchored, plus checking each against the state's Rule 62-308.100 minimums.

Reviewed by Luis Austin, owner · Last reviewed September 21, 2026

Why two bids for the same yard can differ by thousands

Two installers can walk the same backyard and come back with numbers $4,000 apart because they priced two different jobs: one built to the state's 2026 minimum standard and one that skips half of it. The only way to tell which is which is to put both quotes' specs side by side, not just their totals. The cost guide covers what a fair range looks like; this page covers how to read two quotes against each other.

What should an artificial turf quote include?

A complete quote names the square footage measured, the base material and depth, the turf product with its face weight and pile height, the infill type and application rate, and how seams and edges are secured. Anything short of those five items is a rough guess dressed up as a number, and it can't be compared to anyone else's rough guess in any useful way.

The five specs that make two quotes comparable
Spec	What a complete quote states	What a thin quote says instead
Area	Square footage measured on site, broken down by zone if the yard has more than one	"Your whole backyard"
Base	Depth in inches, material named as washed crushed rock or crushed concrete, number of compaction passes	"We'll prep the base properly"
Turf	Product name, face weight in oz/sq yd, pile height, backing type	"Premium synthetic grass"
Infill	Type named and pounds per square foot	"Infill included"
Seams & edges	Tape-and-adhesive or sewn method, edge fastener named	"Professionally installed"

Reading the fine print against the 2026 state rule

Rule 62-308.100 gives you a free checklist to run any residential quote against, since it's now the legal floor for single-family lots of an acre or less. A quote that doesn't address these items either hasn't read the rule or is hoping you haven't.

Checklist items from Florida's synthetic turf standard
Rule requirement	What the quote should say
No heavy metals or intentionally added PFAS in turf, backing or infill	A written manufacturer statement, not a verbal assurance
Infill limited to silica sand, rock, shell, other natural material, or non-toxic coated sand	The infill named by type; no crumb rubber on a home lawn
Washed subgrade of crushed rock or crushed concrete	Base material and "washed" stated explicitly, with a depth in inches
Permeable turf over a pervious, positively graded subgrade	A stated permeability rate or a note that the system is fully permeable
No in-ground irrigation on synthetic turf	Irrigation heads under the turf footprint capped, not left connected
Anchored at all edges and seams	Fastening method named for every edge, not just the visible ones

Paraphrased from Rule 62-308.100, F.A.C. The rule text controls.

Comparing two real-looking quotes side by side

Say you get two bids for the same 800 sq ft backyard in St. Cloud. Quote A comes in at $9,600. Quote B comes in at $12,800. On the phone they sound like the same job. On paper, they aren't.

Two illustrative quotes for the same 800 sq ft yard
Spec	Quote A ($9,600)	Quote B ($12,800)
Base	2 in, material unspecified, one pass	3.5 in washed crushed rock, two passes
Turf	"Premium synthetic grass"	Named product, 62 oz/sq yd face weight, 1.75 in pile
Infill	"Infill included"	Zeolite, 1.5 lb/sq ft
Seams	Not mentioned	Taped and glued, grain-matched, nailed perimeter
PFAS/heavy-metal statement	Not included	Attached to the quote

Illustrative comparison built to show what a thin quote omits, not a real bid from any company.

Quote A might still be honest work at a fair price. It also might not be, and there's no way to know from the number alone. That gap in detail, not the $3,200 difference, is the actual thing worth negotiating over.

Red flags worth asking about directly

A few patterns show up often enough to name. Full payment requested before any material arrives. A price that's only good "today." A written scope that fits in one sentence. No mention of who pulls a permit if the parcel needs one. And no way to check the company at all, which is a bigger issue in a trade Florida doesn't license; see what Florida does and doesn't require of a turf installer.

What a fair payment schedule and change order should look like

Turf is a materials-heavy job, so asking for a deposit before ordering rolls of a specific product is normal, not a warning sign on its own. What's worth comparing between two quotes is how the rest of the schedule is structured and what happens if the job changes once digging starts.

Reading a payment schedule and change-order clause
Item	What's reasonable	What to question
Deposit	Roughly matches material cost, tied to ordering the named product	A deposit for the full contract amount before any work begins
Progress payment	Released once base is placed and compacted, before turf goes down	No progress payment stage at all, just deposit and final balance
Final payment	Due at a walkthrough where you can see seams, edges and infill	Final balance due before you've walked the finished yard
Change orders	Written, with a price, before extra work like root removal starts	Verbal "it'll be a bit more" with no number until the invoice

General practice, not a specific company's payment terms.

A soil condition, an unexpected irrigation line, or a root system that wasn't visible until demo started can genuinely change the scope. The difference between a fair change order and a padded one is whether it's priced and agreed to before the work happens or explained after the fact.

When the lowest price is actually the better deal

Not always the wrong choice. A smaller company with lower overhead can legitimately beat a larger one on price for the same specification, and a simple flat rectangle with easy access costs less to build than a yard with curves and root work. The point isn't to assume the cheapest bid is bad. It's to make both bidders write down the same five things so "cheaper" means cheaper for the same job, not a different one. A line-item breakdown of where the money goes helps put a specific number to what a missing base depth or seam method is probably worth.

Questions people ask

Should I get three quotes or is two enough?

Two gives you a comparison; three tells you whether one of the two is an outlier. If the first two are close on spec and price, a third mainly confirms the range rather than changing the decision.

What if a quote doesn't mention the infill type at all?

Ask before you sign. Since May 2026, infill on a home lawn is limited to silica sand, rock, shell or non-toxic coated sand, so a quote that's vague about infill either hasn't priced it correctly or is leaving room to substitute something cheaper.

How long should a written quote take after a site visit?

Enough time to measure accurately and account for grading and access, but there's no fixed rule. Be more cautious of a number given on the spot with no measurement than one that takes a day or two to arrive in writing.

Is a verbal quote binding in Florida?

Verbal agreements can be enforceable, but proving the terms later is difficult. A written scope protects both sides and is the only version worth comparing against another bid.

What if two quotes list the same turf product but different prices?

Look at everything besides the turf line: base depth and material, infill rate, seam method and cleanup. The product name being identical doesn't mean the rest of the job is.