For landscape architects, engineers, and GCs

Writing a sod spec

A sod spec should say what grass, how it is cut and delivered, how it goes down, who waters it, and how you decide it is done. These notes follow Turfgrass Producers International's guideline specifications, Texas A&M AgriLife, OSU Extension, and the TxDOT and ODOT standard specifications.

General guidance, not professional advice. The project's own specifications, the agency's current standard specifications, and the engineer or landscape architect of record govern. Check every source before you rely on it.

What to specify

Species and cultivar

Name the cultivar, not just the species. "Bermuda" can mean common bermudagrass, which TPI lists as a weed that makes nursery-grown sod unacceptable. AgriLife describes Tifway 419 as a vegetatively planted hybrid bermudagrass (a cross of Cynodon dactylon and C. transvaalensis) that needs full sun. If part of the site is shaded, specify a different grass there; see the turf selector and the comparison guide.

Certified sod and class

AgriLife says buying certified sod, if available, is the best way to be sure you get the stated variety. TPI explains that certification is run by state crop improvement associations, seed commissions, or similar agencies; it checks varietal purity and noxious weeds, and not every variety is in a program. TPI's classes are Certified, Approved, Nursery (cultivated), and Field (pasture) sod. Certification does not grade how well the sod holds together, so specify that separately. Ask the grower whether the sod is certified and by which agency before you write "certified."

Quality

TPI's material standards cover piece size tolerance (plus or minus 0.5 inch on width, 5 percent on length), strength (it can be picked up and handled without damage), thatch (up to 0.5 inch uncompressed), pests, and a weed list. Its guideline mowing height before harvest for warm-season grasses is 0.75 to 1.5 inches.

Thickness of cut

TPI: machine cut at a uniform soil thickness of 0.60 inch, plus or minus 0.25 inch, at the time of cutting, not counting top growth and thatch. TPI notes thinner soil roots faster but dries out faster. Roadway specs measure something different: TxDOT Item 162 asks for dense matted roots through the soil of the sod at least 1 inch thick.

Moisture and time from harvest

TPI's guideline is harvest, delivery, and installation within 24 hours unless an approved preservation method is used, and inspection before laying anything older. AgriLife says sod performs best installed within 36 hours of harvest, less in hot weather, and that yellow or mildewed leaves on the pallet mean the sod has heated and should not be planted. TxDOT and ODOT both require sod kept moist from digging to planting; ODOT says to discard dry sod. Pick a number, require harvest date and time on the delivery ticket, and say who inspects late loads.

Installation

Straight first row, tight butted joints, staggered seams, no stretching or overlap, roll, water right away. TPI's guideline says that on slopes of 3:1 or steeper, standard pieces go across the slope and are secured by tamping, pegging, stapling, or another approved method. OSU says never to sod into dry soil. Require a soil test and amendments from the lab's recommendations rather than a fixed fertilizer rate. More detail: installing sod and site prep.

Water, establishment, and acceptance

TPI calls adequate, regular watering the single most important factor in rooting new sod, and puts the duty on the general contractor to designate who supplies and applies water. Its guideline is to keep the soil moist to at least 4 inches during the first week, daily or as often as needed, then keep the upper 4 inches moist. Separate two acceptances:

  • Installation. TPI's guideline accepts installed sod by area within 12 hours of completion, when it is uniform in color, leaf texture, and density.
  • Establishment. TPI's default maintenance period is 30 days unless the spec says otherwise, with no mowing until the sod is firmly rooted and no more than 30 percent of the leaf removed per mowing. State what "rooted" means on your job and what is replaced at whose cost.

Timing matters too. Bermuda roots fastest when it is growing; a dormant-season install can sit unrooted until spring. See sod season.

Sample spec text

Plain text in a CSI-style format for an ordinary landscape sodding section. It draws its numbers from TPI's guideline. Edit it for the project; it does not replace an agency specification on public roadway work.

To build a version with your own choices (cultivar, certified sod, harvest-to-install hours, slopes, watering, acceptance, and TxDOT or ODOT references), use the spec builder.

SECTION 32 92 23 - SODDING
SAMPLE, REVIEW BEFORE USE, NOT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.
Brackets [ ] are choices or blanks for the specifier.

PART 1 - GENERAL
1.1 SUMMARY
  A. Furnish and install turfgrass sod where shown on the drawings.
1.2 REFERENCES
  A. Turfgrass Producers International (TPI), "Guideline Specifications
     to Turfgrass Sodding," 2006 revision, Sections IV through VI,
     except as modified here.
1.3 SUBMITTALS
  A. Sod source: supplier and farm location.
  B. Species and cultivar. If certified, the certifying agency and tag
     or certificate for each lot.
  C. Delivery tickets showing harvest date and time.
  D. Soil test report for the planting area from a recognized
     laboratory, with amendment recommendations.
1.4 DELIVERY, STORAGE, AND HANDLING
  A. Format: [pallets] [large rolls, installed with roll-laying
     equipment].
  B. Harvest, deliver, and install within [24] hours. Sod held longer
     requires the Owner's representative's inspection and approval
     before installation.
  C. Keep sod moist and shaded until installed. Reject sod that is
     dry, heated (yellowed or mildewed), torn, or broken.
1.5 SCHEDULING
  A. Install when the grass is actively growing, between [date] and
     [date].
  B. Dormant-season installation only with the Owner's written
     approval and the maintenance and replacement terms in 3.5.

PART 2 - PRODUCTS
2.1 SOD
  A. Species and cultivar: [Tifway 419 hybrid bermudagrass].
  B. Class: [Certified] [Approved] [Nursery] turfgrass sod as defined
     by TPI.
  C. Thickness of cut: machine cut at a uniform soil thickness of
     0.60 inch, plus or minus 0.25 inch, at the time of cutting,
     excluding top growth and thatch.
  D. Pieces: supplier's standard size, within plus or minus 0.5 inch
     on width and plus or minus 5 percent on length. Strong enough to
     be picked up and handled without damage. No broken pads or torn
     or uneven ends.
  E. Moisture: not harvested or installed when too wet or too dry to
     survive.
  F. Mowed before harvest to [0.75 to 1.5] inches.
  G. Thatch not more than 0.5 inch, uncompressed.
  H. Reasonably free of diseases, nematodes, and soil-borne insects.
     Free of common bermudagrass, johnsongrass, nutsedge, quackgrass,
     and the other weeds listed in TPI Section IV.

PART 3 - EXECUTION
3.1 PREPARATION
  A. Bring the area to finish grade with positive drainage. Remove
     debris, roots, and stones larger than 1.5 inches from the top
     4 inches of soil.
  B. Incorporate amendments per the soil test report.
  C. Firm the bed. Lightly moisten the soil before laying. Do not lay
     sod on dry or frozen soil.
3.2 INSTALLATION
  A. Lay the first row on a straight line. Butt joints tightly, stagger
     joints, and do not stretch or overlap pieces.
  B. Slopes of 3:1 or steeper: lay standard pieces across the slope and
     secure with stakes or staples. Lay large rolls in the direction of
     the slope.
  C. Swales and drainageways: lay standard pieces perpendicular to flow
     and peg them. Lay large rolls in the direction of flow.
  D. Roll each completed area lightly. Water immediately until the
     underside of the sod and the soil below are wet.
3.3 WATERING
  A. Water is supplied by [Owner] [Contractor].
  B. First week: keep sod and soil moist to at least 4 inches, daily or
     as often as needed without adequate rain. Then keep the upper
     4 inches moist to promote deep rooting.
3.4 ACCEPTANCE OF INSTALLATION
  A. By area, within [12] hours of completion, when sod is uniform in
     color, leaf texture, and shoot density and reasonably free of
     visible imperfections.
3.5 MAINTENANCE AND ESTABLISHMENT
  A. Maintenance period: [30] days after acceptance of installation.
  B. Do not mow until sod is firmly rooted. Remove no more than
     30 percent of the leaf at any mowing. Mow at [0.75 to 1.5] inches.
  C. Final acceptance: sod rooted (resists lifting at the corners),
     uniform, and reasonably free of weeds and disease. Replace dead
     or failing sod at no cost to the Owner and extend the maintenance
     period for replaced areas.

END OF SECTION

Roadway and highway work

On TxDOT and ODOT projects the agency's standard specifications and the plans govern. The items below were read from the current spec books on October 8, 2026. Check for special provisions on your project.

Texas: TxDOT 2024 Standard Specifications

  • Item 162, “Sodding for Erosion Control.” Spot, block, and mulch sodding. Block sod can be “block, rolled, or solid sod.” Sod must be live, with dense matted roots at least 1 inch thick, and kept moist until planted. Scarify 4 inches before placing sod. Plant between the average last spring freeze and 6 weeks before the average first fall freeze for the project area. Spot sodding uses only Bermudagrass. Measured by the square yard.
  • Item 160, “Topsoil,” and Item 161, “Compost.”
  • Item 166, “Fertilizer,” which Item 162 references for application.
  • Item 168, “Vegetative Watering,” measured by the 1,000 gallons applied. Item 162 pays irrigation water under this item when specified.
  • Item 164, “Seeding for Erosion Control,” and Item 169, “Soil Retention Blankets,” for areas that are seeded instead of sodded.

Sources: 2024 Specifications, 100 Series (PDF) and the full 2024 spec book (PDF).

Oklahoma: ODOT 2019 Standard Specifications (current edition)

  • Section 230, “Sodding and Sprigging.” Bermuda grass sod or sprigs. Pay items include 230(A) Solid Slab Sodding and 230(B) Mulch Sodding by the square yard and 230(F) Watering by the thousand gallons. Slabs go soil side down; on slopes, rows run parallel to the roadway with transverse joints staggered; compact with rollers; water immediately. Water daily for the first 7 days and as needed for 30 days unless the contract says otherwise. Planting seasons are shown on the plans; work in a non-planting season needs a written guarantee of growth approved by the Resident Engineer.
  • Subsection 735.01, sodding materials: dense Bermuda grass sod free of prohibited and restricted noxious weeds under Oklahoma seed law, source approved by the Resident Engineer, kept moist from digging to planting.
  • Section 233, “Mulching,” Section 234, “Fertilizing and Agricultural Liming,” and Section 241, “Mowing.”

Source: ODOT 2019 Standard Specifications for Highway Construction (PDF). ODOT's posted errata to the 2019 book (as of October 2026) do not change Section 230 or 735.01.

Big rolls for large areas

For medians, right of way, detention areas, and other large open areas, large rolls (often called big, highway, or commercial rolls) cut the number of pieces and seams and go down with roll-laying equipment. TPI notes producers offer rolls up to about 48 inches wide and many up to 100 feet long. Its guideline lays large rolls in the direction of the slope on 3:1 or steeper slopes and in the direction of flow in drainageways, with securing at the installer's discretion, and has large rolls off-loaded at a designated spot on site. TxDOT Item 162's block sod includes rolled sod; follow the plans on direction and anchoring.

Our partner grower's big rolls cover 450 sq ft each and its pallets cover 603 sq ft. Plan access for the delivery truck and the laying equipment, and say in the spec which format you expect.

Sources

Pricing a specified job

Send the area, address, date, and the format you want (pallets or big rolls). A partner grower quotes it. Soddesk does not set the price. The only grass the form offers right now is Tifway 419 Bermuda.

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