Murrieta landscaping
One Contractor for the whole Murrieta yard
Murrieta grew up fast. It incorporated in 1991 with more than 24,000 residents, up from about 2,200 in 1980, driven by the I-15 extension and affordable housing. It grew again 133.7 percent between 2000 and 2010, reaching 110,949 by 2020.
That means a huge share of the city is builder landscaping of a certain vintage, hitting the same problems at once: cheap sprinklers, lawn where it never belonged, beds with no water of their own. Paul Cortenbach has been licensed since 2004 and rebuilds the whole thing rather than patching one piece. From Turf to Total Transformation, We Do It All.
Tract homes, gated streets and 55 plus communities
The housing mostly dates from the growth years, which is why so many neighborhoods look and behave alike. Greer Ranch is 693 homes, gated, west of the 215. The Colony is a 55 plus golf course community with its own front yard standards.
If your street has an association, submit your plan, but know the law first. California Civil Code 4735 voids any rule that prohibits, or has the effect of prohibiting, low water plants or artificial turf. An association can still apply landscaping rules that fully conform with that, and cannot fine you for cutting watering during a declared drought emergency.
Plenty of Murrieta streets have no association at all, and a pocket in the northeast locals call the keyhole sits outside every water district and runs on private wells, so every gallon comes off your own pump.
What we handle here
What we do most in Murrieta
Sprinkler Repair
A lot of this city runs twenty year old builder systems, and a broken head or leaking line wastes water every cycle, so sprinkler repair usually pays for itself.
Irrigation System Installation
When the old system is past repair, a new irrigation system gets rezoned properly, spray where it belongs and drip on the beds.
Shrub Planting
Live low water planting earns a rebate here, and the amount depends on which of the four districts you are on.
Landscape Drainage Solutions
This valley knows what water does with nowhere to go, and a yard is where that starts, so drainage work comes first.
Why Murrieta calls us
Four water districts and one creek
Most cities have one water provider. Murrieta has four: Eastern Municipal, Elsinore Valley Municipal, Rancho California and Western Municipal. Your watering rules and turf removal rebate come from your district, not the city, so before we design anything, you check your bill.
Then there is the creek. Murrieta Creek overtopped in January 1993 and flooded the city along with Old Town Temecula. The Army Corps flood control project aims for 100 year protection with eight miles of channel and a 270 acre basin. Phase 2B broke ground 28 August 2025, a $43.6 million, three year project.
On a house lot the same idea applies at a smaller scale. Murrieta gets about 15.56 inches of rain a year, mostly in winter bursts, with a July average high around 91 F. A yard with no route for it will find one you do not like.
The 15, the 215 and Old Town
Murrieta is defined by its freeways, since the city credits the I-15 extension for its growth. The 15 and 215 meet here, with neighborhoods on either side. Greer Ranch sits west of the 215, and Old Town and the creek run through the older heart of the valley.
We come down from Menifee, straight up the 215, so Murrieta is a normal day for us. Residential and commercial, free estimates either way.
Where we work
Working across Murrieta
We cover the whole city, east and west of the 215, including Greer Ranch, The Colony, Copper Canyon and the tract neighborhoods on both sides of the freeway, plus the keyhole pocket on private wells in the northeast. Paul's own line on the service area: "We service the Inland Valley Region. The areas along the 15 and 215 freeways. We are located in the City of Menifee, California." Murrieta sits where both of those freeways run, with Temecula to the south and the Wildomar service area to the north.
Ask the contractor
Straight answers to landscaping questions
Which water district am I on in Murrieta?
Look at your bill. Four districts serve the city, Eastern Municipal, Elsinore Valley Municipal, Rancho California and Western Municipal, and the city tells residents to check which one serves them. It decides your watering rules and how much your turf removal rebate is worth. There is also a pocket in the northeast locally called the keyhole that is outside every district and runs on private wells.
How much is the turf removal rebate in Murrieta?
It depends on your district. The Metropolitan base is $2.00 per square foot up to 5,000 square feet a year. Eastern Municipal brings it to a total of $5 per square foot. Western Municipal adds $3 per square foot on the first 1,000 residential square feet. Elsinore Valley pays $2.25 per square foot plus up to $0.25 for sprinkler to drip. All of them are first come, first served and subject to funding.
Does artificial turf earn any of that money?
No. The program is explicit: "No synthetic turf is allowed", and the project cannot include any live turf or turf looking grasses. Turf earns nothing. Live drought planting earns the rebate. That is why we do both in the same project, so you keep the low maintenance yard and can still go after the money.
Can you repair my sprinklers instead of replacing everything?
Yes, sprinkler repair is one of our services. A lot of Murrieta is running builder systems from the growth years, and often it is broken heads, a cracked lateral or bad coverage rather than a dead system. If it is past sensible repair we will tell you that instead of billing you twice.
Will my Murrieta HOA let me put in artificial turf?
It cannot ban it. Civil Code 4735 makes a rule void and unenforceable if it prohibits, or has the effect of prohibiting, artificial turf or any other synthetic surface that resembles grass, or low water using plants. Communities like Greer Ranch and The Colony can still apply landscaping rules about how the finished yard looks, as long as those rules do not add up to a ban. Submit the plan and build it to a standard that passes.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. California contractor license 840163, issued 06/07/2004, with C-27 Landscaping. Bonded with Western Surety for $25,000 and workers comp active. You can verify it at cslb.ca.gov.