Short answer: grass beside a driveway or sidewalk is squeezed between hot pavement and thin soil, so it dries out first. The fix is better coverage, shorter and more frequent runs on that strip, or a separate zone. Start with a look at the heads. Our minimum service call is $95.
What is going on at the edge
Concrete and asphalt soak up summer sun and give it back as heat. The soil next to them gets hotter than the middle of the yard. Rain and sprinkler water that lands on pavement runs off to the nearest soft spot, which is usually the lawn edge, but it moves past rather than soaking in. Under the pavement, the soil was packed down during construction, and the narrow strip beside it is often thin fill over compacted clay.
So the strip dries faster, holds less water and absorbs less from rain. The grass there shows stress while the center of the lawn still looks fine.
Why the sprinklers miss it
Many heads are placed back from the edge, so that spray does not hit the car or the sidewalk. If the arc is set to stop short of the pavement, the strip gets only the fringe of the pattern. Other common reasons:
- A head is tilted or sunk and spraying the wrong way.
- The nozzle is clogged on one side.
- Heads are spaced too far apart for the pattern to overlap.
- A zone is shared with a shadier area that needs less water.
- Wind pushes spray off the strip.
A step-by-step check
- Run the zone and watch the edge. Does spray reach the strip at all?
- Look at each head near the pavement. Is it level, clean and set to the right arc?
- Try a can test along the edge to compare it with the middle.
- Check the soil depth with a probe. Thin soil needs shorter, more frequent water.
- Note which zone it belongs to. If the zone is mostly shade, the edge may need its own schedule.
Fixes by cause
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| Spray stops short | Re-set the arc, or move the head |
| Clogged or tilted head | Clean, straighten or replace |
| Thin soil beside pavement | Shorter, more frequent runs on that zone |
| Zone mixes sun and shade | Split into two zones |
| Wind drift | Lower-angle nozzle or closer spacing |
| Gap in coverage | Add a head |
Why not just run it longer
Running a whole zone longer fixes the edge but drowns the middle. Clay also does not take water quickly, so extra minutes become runoff on the pavement. The better fix is to fix the coverage, not the clock. Smart controllers, from $575, and a rain sensor, from $425, help with the overall schedule, but they do not cure a gap.
What it costs
A head adjustment or replacement is a service call. Our minimum is $95. If the issue is a valve or a wire, valve replacement is $275–$1,200 depending on the valve. A new full system starts from $3,500, designed around your soil and slope. You get a firm number before any work begins, and the estimate is free.
Watering rules still apply
Georgia allows daily outdoor watering between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. on permitted public water systems. Check with your water provider for drought limits. Do not break the rules to fix an edge; fix the head.
The mower and the string trimmer
Not every dry edge is a water problem. A mower set too low scalps the strip along a hard edge, and a string trimmer can nick the grass and the sprinkler riser at the same time. Grass beside pavement also gets more foot traffic and more car-door and tire stress. Raise the mowing height at the edge and see if the strip recovers before you change the irrigation. If it does not, the heads are the next place to look.
When to call us
Call when an edge keeps burning after you have cleaned and aimed the heads, or when you want a zone split to treat sun and shade differently. We are family-owned, licensed and insured, with same-day service. See sprinkler repair and the irrigation overview.
FAQ
Why does grass next to my driveway turn brown first? Pavement heats the soil, sheds water and leaves thin soil along the edge.
Should I water longer to fix brown edges? Not usually. Fix coverage first; longer runs waste water on clay.
Can a sprinkler head be moved? Yes. A head can be moved or replaced so the spray reaches the strip.
How much does a sprinkler fix cost? Our minimum service call is $95. Bigger repairs are quoted before we start.
Prices from our price list. Updated October 2026. Watering hours: Georgia EPD, epd.georgia.gov/watershed-protection-branch/water-conservation.