Henderson, NV Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)
Key Facts
- Coverage
- Limited amounts only
- Approval
- Director's discretion required
- Quality bar
- Must be high-quality turf
- Default rule
- Artificial plants otherwise prohibited
- Governing section
- Development Code § 19.11.4.A.5
Summary
Henderson's Development Code bars artificial plants from meeting landscaping standards, but carves out one exception: limited amounts of high-quality artificial turf, approved at the Community Development Director's discretion.
No artificial plants or vegetation shall be used to meet any standards of this Section, except in the discretion of the Director. Limited amounts of high-quality artificial turf may be allowed to meet the requirements of this Section.
6. Plant Sizes and Specifications.
a. Trees.
i. Outside the downtown districts, trees planted to satisfy the standards of this Section shall have a minimum box size of 24 inches and height consistent with a 24-inch-box size per the Arizona Nursery Standards. Within the downtown districts, trees planted to satisfy the standards of this Section shall have a minimum box size of 36 inches and height consistent with a 36-inch-box size per the Arizona Nursery Standards.
ii. At maturity, shade tree canopies in commercial, industrial, semipublic, multifamily, and mixed-use developments shall be pruned to provide a minimum clearance of eight feet from the ground.
iii. Installed trees shall meet the minimum size and surface area size requirements in Table 19.11.4-1, Tree Canopy Size and Minimum Required Surface Area.
TABLE 19.11.4-1, TREE CANOPY SIZE AND MINIMUM REQUIRED SURFACE AREA
Recommended Tree Species Size Categories
Average Canopy Size (At maturity)
Minimum Required Surface Area (per tree)
Small Canopy
16 feet by 16 feet
81 square feet (9 feet by 9 feet)
Medium Canopy
22 feet by 22 feet
121 square feet (11 feet by 11 feet)
Large Canopy
28 feet by 28 feet
196 square feet (14 feet by 14 feet)
Full Breakdown
Section 19.11.4.A.5 of the Development Code requires nursery-grown, drought-tolerant plants for landscaping and generally bans artificial plants or vegetation. The one carve-out: "Limited amounts of high-quality artificial turf may be allowed to meet the requirements of this Section," subject to the Community Development Director's discretion. This sits alongside HMC 14.14.050's separate ban on new lawn grass in single-family front yards, so artificial turf is one of the few ground-cover options homeowners can still add there, but only if the amount and quality clear the Director's review, not as a by-right installation.
Violations & Fines
No fixed fine is listed for exceeding the "limited amount." Community Development can reject non-conforming turf during landscape plan review, or flag it for removal during a property maintenance inspection under HMC Chapter 15.12.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put artificial turf in my Henderson front yard?
Is artificial turf treated the same as real grass in Henderson?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Henderson
How Henderson compares: Most Artificial Turf-Friendly Cities·Compare Henderson to another location·View the Nevada landscaping rules overview
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Artificial Turf in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Clark County handle artificial turf.