--- title: "Pergola Footings and Turf: What Goes First? | TIMELESS Grass & Greens" description: "Pergola footings go in before the turf, not after. What a layout settles first, and the wetland-setback rule that can affect a post footing near a creek." url: https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/pergola-posts-and-artificial-turf/ updated: 2026-09-13 --- Costs and planning # Pergola posts and artificial turf: what goes in first * * * Updated 2026-09-13 The short answer ## Do pergola footings go in before or after the artificial turf? The footings go in first. Post holes, concrete and backfill disturb the ground more than anything that follows, so that work happens before the turf base goes down. Cutting turf around posts afterward leaves unsupported edges at every post and a seam that has nothing solid to key into. A layout drawn around the posts, with the base built up to meet them, holds up better than turf fitted around a structure that's already there. Planning a turf installation? Get a layout, turf options and a written quote for your space. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/?use=Lawn) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) We’ll call to arrange a free site visit. On this page On this page 1. [The planning decision: footings first, then the turf](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/pergola-posts-and-artificial-turf/#the-planning-decision-footings-first-then-the-turf) 2. [Why the sequence matters more here than with a shed or a fence](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/pergola-posts-and-artificial-turf/#why-the-sequence-matters-more-here-than-with-a-shed-or-a-fence) 3. [What a professional turf install handles once the posts are set](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/pergola-posts-and-artificial-turf/#what-a-professional-turf-install-handles-once-the-posts-are-set) 4. [Where the posts can go: settle the setback first](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/pergola-posts-and-artificial-turf/#where-the-posts-can-go-settle-the-setback-first) 5. [Lots that back to a creek, marsh or the river system](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/pergola-posts-and-artificial-turf/#lots-that-back-to-a-creek-marsh-or-the-river-system) 6. [Questions to settle before the layout is final](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/pergola-posts-and-artificial-turf/#questions-to-settle-before-the-layout-is-final) ## The planning decision: footings first, then the turf If a pergola, trellis or arbor is part of the plan, the footings go in before the turf. Not the other way around. Post holes get dug, concrete gets poured or a footing anchor gets set, and the disturbed dirt gets compacted back down — all of that happens on bare ground. Once that’s done and settled, the turf base gets built to meet the posts that are already there, and the layout gets cut and seamed around fixed points instead of around a plan that hasn’t been placed yet. Doing it the other way means cutting into a finished lawn. Each hole removes turf and the compacted base under it, and the patch that goes back in around the post never compacts the way the surrounding base did. That shows up as a soft spot or a slight dip at exactly the place people brush past most — the post itself. Drainage follows the same order. A turf base is built with a slight grade so water moves off the lawn instead of pooling on it, and that grade gets shaped once, across the whole area, before the turf goes down. Cutting a post hole into a finished base after the fact interrupts that grade right at the hole, and the loose backfill around the post won’t shed water the way the compacted base around it does. Settling the post layout first lets the base — and its drainage grade — get built as one continuous surface instead of one with a low spot at every post. ## Why the sequence matters more here than with a shed or a fence A shed or a fence usually sits at the edge of a yard, away from the turf’s main traffic. A pergola sits over it — the posts land inside the lawn, often close to a seating area, a fire feature or a path from the house. That’s foot traffic on both sides of every post, for as long as the pergola stands. It also means the post footings and the turf edges are neighbors for the life of the install. A seam that has to bend around an afterthought post rarely lines up as cleanly as one planned around a footing that was already staked out. Settling the post locations first is what lets the turf layout treat them as fixed points rather than obstacles. ## What a professional turf install handles once the posts are set On the free visit, we measure the space and check the ground — footings included, if they’re already in or already staked. From there: - We draw a [custom turf layout](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/residential-turf/) that works around the post locations, for you to approve before anything is cut. - We build a base suited to your soil, right up to where each post meets the ground. - Turf gets laid, seamed and edged around the posts, not stretched or forced to fit. - Infill, finishing and cleanup follow, then a walkthrough of the care the lawn needs. Setting the pergola itself — the posts, the footings, the structure overhead — is a separate trade from turf. What we do is build the lawn to meet it cleanly, which is easiest when the posts are already where they’re going to stay. ## Where the posts can go: settle the setback first Before a layout gets drawn, the post locations have to clear the same lot-line rules any accessory structure does. St. Johns County’s own answer to [what setbacks apply to accessory uses](https://www.sjcfl.us/faqs/what-are-the-setbacks-for-accessory-uses/) is that they meet the minimum structure setback for the zoning district, unless the structure sits 10 feet or more from the house — in which case the setback drops to 3 feet from the side and rear lot lines. A pergola can’t sit in a required front yard either way. That’s a county-wide starting point, not a number for your specific lot. Zoning districts vary, and a corner lot or a lot backing to a common area can carry its own line. Confirm the actual setback for your address before the post holes are marked. ## Lots that back to a creek, marsh or the river system [Fleming Island](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/fleming-island-fl/), [Julington Creek Plantation](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/julington-creek-plantation-fl/), [Nocatee](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/nocatee-fl/) and [Deerwood](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/deerwood-fl/) all sit near tributaries, marsh or the St. Johns River system, and lots backing to that kind of water carry an extra layer that a plain rear-yard lot doesn’t: a natural vegetative Upland Buffer under St. Johns County’s Land Development Code, plus a setback beyond it. What that buffer and setback require, measured from and how they’re calculated, is covered in full on [our wetland-buffer guide](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/turf-near-a-wetland-preserve-or-conservation-easement/). What matters for a pergola specifically: inside that setback strip (not the buffer itself, which stays natural and planted), the code names what’s allowed — sprinkler systems, utility lines, landscaping, fencing, gazebos and similar accessory uses — and carves out one exception in the same sentence, for accessory uses that are “Buildings which have a permanent foundation.” A poured post footing is the kind of structure that exception is written for. If a pergola’s footings would land inside that setback strip on a lot backing to a creek or wetland, that’s a question for the county before concrete goes in the ground, not after. ## Questions to settle before the layout is final 1. **Are the post footings going in before or after the turf?** Before, if there’s any way to sequence it that way. 2. **What’s the zoning setback for your address?** St. Johns County’s baseline is the district’s minimum structure setback, or 3 feet from the side and rear lines if the pergola sits 10 feet or more from the house. 3. **Does the lot back to a creek, marsh or the river system?** If so, check the post locations against the county’s Upland Buffer and setback under Sec. 4.01.06 before the footings are set. 4. **Is a building permit required for this structure?** St. Johns County’s [permitting page](https://www.sjcfl.us/building-permits/) says permits cover most improvements and doesn’t list a size exemption — confirm with the Building Department rather than assume. 5. **Where will the turf seams fall relative to the posts?** Mark the post centers on the ground before the base goes in, so the layout can be drawn around them instead of guessed at. Bring the answers to your free visit, and we’ll build the layout — and the base under it — around the posts you’ve already settled on. Call us at 303-349-2368. ## Common questions ### Can a pergola go up after the turf is already installed? It can, but it costs the turf. Each post hole has to be cut through the finished surface and base, and the material removed there won't match the compaction around it. If the pergola is already planned, even loosely, settle the post layout before the turf base goes in. ### Do I need a permit for a pergola in St. Johns County? Ask the county's Building Department before footings are dug. St. Johns County's own permitting page says permits are required for most improvements, without listing an exemption by structure type, so a freestanding pergola isn't automatically excused because of its size. That answer, and the county's setback rule below, both come from the county, not from us. ### How close to my lot line can pergola posts sit? St. Johns County's own answer is that accessory structures meet the minimum structure setback for the zoning district, unless the structure sits at least 10 feet from the house, in which case the setback drops to 3 feet from the side and rear lot lines. Either way, the posts can't sit in a required front yard. Confirm your lot's setback before the post layout is drawn. ### My lot backs to a creek or wetland. Does that change where the posts can go? It can. St. Johns County's Land Development Code sets a natural vegetative buffer next to contiguous wetlands and named rivers, plus a setback beyond that buffer. Landscaping is named as an allowed use inside that setback, but a structure "which has a permanent foundation" is not treated the same as the rest of the exempted accessory uses. If a post footing would land in that setback, check with the county before it's poured. ## Related turf questions - [Polyethylene, nylon or polypropylene turf: which fiber?](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/polyethylene-vs-nylon-vs-polypropylene-turf/) - [Selling a house with artificial turf: what the disclosure forms ask](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/selling-a-house-with-artificial-turf/) - [Before a Grand Strand HOA raises its budget for a turf project, what notice does it owe?](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/south-carolina-hoa-budget-increase-notice-turf/) ## Where to go next - [Artificial lawns](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/residential-turf/) - [Turf in Northeast Florida](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/) Useful links - [St. Johns County Land Development Code, Article IV, Sec. 4.01.06: Environmentally Sensitive Areas - Wetlands, Estuaries, and Natural Water Bodies (effective 11 Aug 2025)](https://www.sjcfl.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Article-IV.pdf) - [St. Johns County: What are the setbacks for accessory uses?](https://www.sjcfl.us/faqs/what-are-the-setbacks-for-accessory-uses/) Free estimate ## Planning a turf installation? Tell us about the area you want to install or replace. We’ll call to arrange a free site visit. [Or call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) Your free estimate includes - A visit to measure your space - A custom layout, drawn for your space - Turf options, side by side - A written price, with no pressure to sign [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) Five short steps. We’ll call to arrange your visit.