Glendale, AZ Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UDC § 35.4.105(B)
- Allowed artificial material
- Synthetic turf only
- Live plant source
- Phoenix AMA Low Water Plant List
- Maintenance duty
- Neat, clean, free of dead plants
- Late-correction fine
- $1,000 per day after 30-day notice
- Enforcing department
- Development Services Department
Summary
Glendale's Unified Development Code bans artificial plant materials from counting toward required landscaping, with one named exception: synthetic turf. Under UDC § 35.4.105, only turf grass substitutes qualify as artificial landscape material, so homeowners and developers may install synthetic turf on private lots, but plastic shrubs, trees or flowers never satisfy any landscape-plan requirement enforced by the Development Services Department.
A.Plant materials must be included on the most recent edition of the Phoenix Active Management Area Low Water Using Plant List and shall be installed in accordance with the Arizona Nursery Association Container Grown Tree Guide, unless otherwise specified herein.B.With the exception of synthetic turf, no artificial plant materials may be used to satisfy the requirements of this Section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 115).
Full Breakdown
' That sentence sits inside the landscape material standards governing every required planting area in the city, from single-family front yards to commercial parking lots. 105(A) requires that live plant material come from the current Phoenix Active Management Area Low Water Using Plant List and be installed to Arizona Nursery Association container-grown tree standards, so synthetic turf is the code's only carve-out from that live-plant mandate. 100-5, attached to the same section, sets minimum sizes for trees, shrubs and groundcover but sets no separate size or coverage limit for synthetic turf, leaving placement inside a private yard to the property owner so long as it functions as substitute landscape material rather than hardscape.
The same table's 'Water Intensive Landscaped Areas' entry treats natural turf differently, barring it outright in the public right-of-way, which is why synthetic turf is the only turf allowed in city rights-of-way as an approved accent material. 107, which requires landscaping to be kept free of trash, debris, weeds and dead plant material in a neat and clean condition, and any final landscape plan submitted with a building permit must be sealed by a registered Arizona landscape architect, architect or civil engineer except on single-residence lots.
Violations & Fines
Landscaping enforcement runs through Development Services under § 35.4.110. Inspectors who find a landscape-plan violation must serve written notice, and the responsible owner, lessee or HOA has thirty days to correct it. Missing that deadline triggers a civil fine of $1,000 per day for every day the violation continues beyond the thirty-day notice period, collected by the city attorney through a complaint filed in Glendale City Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install artificial turf in my Glendale front yard?
Does synthetic turf need to meet the same plant-list rules as real landscaping?
Can I put synthetic turf in the right-of-way in front of my house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
How Glendale compares: Most Artificial Turf-Friendly Cities·Compare Glendale to another location·View the Arizona landscaping rules overview
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