Apple Valley, CA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Synthetic turf is a favored water-saving option in the High Desert, and Apple Valley cannot prohibit it. California Government Code section 53087.7, enacted via AB 1164, provides that a city (including a charter city), county, or city and county shall not enact or enforce any ordinance or regulation that prohibits the installation of drought-tolerant landscaping, synthetic grass, or artificial turf on residential property. A jurisdiction may impose only reasonable restrictions on the type of artificial turf, provided those restrictions do not substantially increase installation cost, effectively prohibit installation, or significantly impede it, and may not require that a yard be completely covered with living plant material. For HOA-governed homes, AB 1164 and Civil Code section 4735 reinforce that associations cannot ban artificial turf or force living turf. Apple Valley's Development Code addresses landscaping and water efficiency in Chapter 9.75 (Water Conservation/Landscaping Regulations); any artificial-turf provisions there must stay within the limits set by section 53087.7. State turf policy is also shifting against natural "nonfunctional" lawns: AB 1572 phases out irrigating nonfunctional turf with potable water at government (2027), commercial/institutional (2028), and HOA-common-area (2029) properties, which further encourages synthetic or low-water alternatives.