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Water-wise landscape · Outdoor living and power

Pergola or shade structure

A pergola or shade structure, footed for wind as well as for weight, and permitted where a permit is required.

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One flat fee to find out what is wrong. You are told it on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and it comes off the job if you hire us. Read our Plain Terms

What the work is

A shade structure is mostly a footing job. The load that matters is not the roof's weight; it is the wind trying to lift it, and that is carried by how the posts are set.

Whether it needs a permit depends on its size, its location on the lot and your city. Whether it needs association approval depends on your documents. Both get established before you get a price.

What is included

  • Establishing permit and setback requirements before quoting
  • Footings sized and set for uplift, not just for weight
  • The structure, built and finished
  • Permit and inspection where required

What is not

  • Electrical, lighting or fans, which are our licensed electrical partner's and quoted in
  • Association approval. We will prepare the submission if you ask; they decide
  • Fabric or louvre systems not in the approved scope

Setbacks and approvals

Setbacks and accessory structure rules are set by your city and they are not the same across the county. If you are in an association as well, you have two approvals, and the guide below explains what a denial letter has to tell you if one is refused.

What to ask anyone quoting this, us included

  • Does this need a permit, and is it in the price?
  • How are the footings sized, and for what wind load?
  • Does my association need to approve it?

What we can show you in writing

Every line traces to a document we read in full. The number after a sentence points to the research below.

  • The reason to build shade here is on the record. St. George averages a July high of 101.9 degrees, holds a record of 117, and ran 98 days over 100 degrees in 2024.1
  • The water district puts a number on shade: shade trees can lower surface temperatures by up to 50 degrees, and it rates them as far more effective at cooling than grass. Built shade does the same job on a patio where a tree will not fit.1
  • Shading the surface matters more than what the surface is made of. WCWCD names impermeable surfaces such as streets, sidewalks and buildings as the main contributors to urban heat, because they absorb heat and release it at night.1
  • Misting is allowed under the county water standards, May through September, when the temperature is above 90 degrees. Most people assume it is banned here. It is not.1
  • Blowing sand is not a nuisance here, it is a mapped construction condition. The Utah Geological Survey maps wind-blown sand as one of nine adverse construction conditions, and Washington County publishes it as its own map layer. It is why finishes and hardware on an outdoor structure are chosen for abrasion, not just for color.2

Where this comes from

Every line above traces to a document we read in full. The number after a sentence points to the research below; hover it for the section. If you find a line wrong, tell us and we will fix it and say so.

  1. Landscape and hardscape research, August 2026 Compiled from Washington County Water Conservancy District program documents, its sample conservation easement and FAQ, Utah Water Savers, the 2023 USDA hardiness map, USU Extension, and St. George City Code, Title 10. 2 sections cited. Hover a number above for the section.
  2. Environment, water and ground research, August 2026 Compiled from the cities' own water quality reports, Utah Geological Survey Special Study 127, the Utah State Hazard Mitigation Plan, Washington County GIS hazard layers, NOAA climate records, EPA radon zones and Census QuickFacts. 1 section cited. Hover a number above for the section.

Read before you decide

The rest of outdoor living and power

  • Artificial turf

    Excavate, base, compact, turf, infill and seam.

  • Putting green

    Base, contouring, turf, cups and fringe.

  • EV charger installation

    Site assessment, permit and install. The electrical is performed by our licensed electrical partner, under their own license.

The quote is the number. There is no second number.

Call (435) 850-0053

7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. Emergency calls answered any hour, every day.