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

Artificial grass is expressly allowed in the City of Fountain Valley, but only if it meets the product and installation standards in § 21.20.070 of the Development Code. The section opens by stating that synthetic turf, as defined in § 21.20.030, shall be permitted as follows.

Materials: the turf must be a cut pile type made from nylon, polypropylene or polyethylene, or a blend, stitched onto a mesh or hole-punched backing. An eight-year minimum no-fade product warranty is required.

Installation: a licensed contractor must install it according to manufacturer specifications, anchored at all edges and seams. A proper drainage system must be installed to prevent excessive run-off or pooling. Synthetic turf must be separated from flower beds by a bender board or similar material to keep living plants from growing into the artificial turf.

The definition in § 21.20.030 ties the term to those requirements, describing synthetic turf as man-made material of nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene or a blend that simulates live turf and meets § 21.20.070. Where artificial turf is used elsewhere in Chapter 21.20 it is treated as a form of landscaping. In a single-family front yard, § 21.20.040(b) counts synthetic turf meeting § 21.20.070 toward the fifty percent landscaping minimum. Section 21.20.050(b)(2)(D) prohibits other artificial groundcover or shrubs, so only turf, not fake plants, qualifies. Irrigation controllers are required for landscaped areas except where synthetic turf is used, under § 21.20.050(a)(5).

Maintenance is a continuing duty: § 21.20.060(c) says synthetic turf must be maintained so as to replicate live turf and replaced when worn. The percentage of turf, live groundcover and synthetic turf is also limited by § 21.20.050(a)(6), which sets a forty-five percent share for single-family and seventy-five percent for multi-family required landscaping.