Del Norte County, CA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

No Del Norte County ordinance has been identified that prohibits or specially regulates artificial (synthetic) turf on private residential property in the unincorporated area. As with any landscaping, installation that involves significant grading, drainage changes, or work in the coastal zone could trigger the County's grading or coastal-permit review, and homeowners should ensure proper drainage given the county's very high rainfall. The controlling rules are mostly statewide. California Civil Code Section 4735, as amended by AB 349 (2015), renders void and unenforceable any homeowners-association governing-document provision that prohibits, or effectively prohibits, the use of artificial turf or other synthetic surfaces that resemble grass; HOAs may still set reasonable standards on type and quality but cannot ban it outright. Separately, California Government Code Section 53087.7 provides that a city or county shall not prohibit the installation of drought-tolerant landscaping on residential property, but it expressly excludes synthetic grass and artificial turf from the definition of 'drought-tolerant landscaping.' The practical effect is that artificial turf is generally permitted in unincorporated Del Norte County, HOAs cannot forbid it, but the County retains authority to apply reasonable landscaping, drainage, and permitting standards. Because the climate is wet rather than drought-stressed, turf is a homeowner preference here rather than a water-savings necessity.