Hemet, CA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Section 90-317 sets Hemet's landscaping standards for single-family residential property. New development must follow the city's broader landscape article (article XLVIII) and any council-adopted landscape design guidelines, but subsection (c) applies specifically to existing single-family homes and sets three minimum standards. First, any area within the front or side yard setback that is visible from the public right-of-way and is not covered by a structure, driveway, or hardscape must be landscaped rather than left as bare dirt. Second, the parkway strip between the curb and sidewalk is the property owner's responsibility to landscape and maintain, not the city's.

Third, and central to this rule, the code defines 'appropriate landscape' broadly: it can be drought-tolerant plants, groundcover, bushes, and trees, or a combination of living and non-living groundcover such as decorative rock, bark, artificial turf, or decomposed granite. That means a homeowner can legally cover a visible yard area entirely in synthetic turf, decomposed granite, or decorative rock instead of live plantings and still meet the landscaping requirement, so long as the area is not left as exposed dirt. The section works alongside the city's fencing and walls standards in § 90-316 and the yard-measurement rules in § 90-318, which define what counts as a front, side, or rear yard for these purposes.

Because subsection (c) is limited to existing single-family lots, new subdivision and multi-lot projects are instead governed by the more detailed site development and design requirements elsewhere in article XI and by article XLVIII's landscape standards, which can call for a higher share of live plant material.