San Mateo County, CA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

San Mateo County's landscaping rules center on the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO), which sets irrigation efficiency, turf caps for living lawn, mulch and plant-factor requirements - but WELO governs water budgets and does not by itself mandate or prohibit artificial (synthetic) turf. The County does not impose a dedicated artificial-turf permit for ordinary installations on private residential property. A County permit comes into play mainly at the right-of-way: any planting or encroachment in the public right-of-way/parkway requires a permit from the Department of Public Works, so synthetic turf or edging that crosses into the parkway would need that approval and any required encroachment agreement. Statewide, California Government Code 65595 limits local governments' ability to require natural turf, and Civil Code 4735 prohibits homeowners associations from banning low-water landscaping or, during a declared drought emergency, penalizing owners who reduce or stop watering. Because the County did not surface a specific synthetic-turf product standard (such as recycled-water-compatibility or permeability rules), owners should confirm current requirements with Planning and Building before installing large areas of synthetic turf, particularly in the Coastal Zone where development permits may apply.