James City County, VA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Sec. 23-3 of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance defines 'accessory uses' to include synthetic turf by name, alongside in-ground pools, patios, terraces and tennis courts, grouping them together as impermeable landings that do not permit infiltration to groundwater. That classification matters because Sec. 23-4 designates the entirety of James City County as a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area, so the rule reaches a backyard turf installation anywhere in the county, not just waterfront lots. Installing turf where none previously existed, or modifying or expanding an existing installation, falls under the accessory-use rule in Sec.

23-3 that requires review and approval through a formal exception process rather than a simple landscaping permit. The performance standards in Sec. 23-9 explain why: the purpose section states that keeping impervious cover to a minimum enhances rainwater infiltration and effectively reduces increases of stormwater runoff, and the general standards cap total impervious cover, which synthetic turf counts toward, at 60 percent of the site under Sec. 23-9(b)(1)b. A homeowner who wants to install more turf than the impervious-cover math allows has to either redesign the layout or seek an exception.

Exception requests for an accessory-use change like turf go to the manager, who must act within 35 calendar days of a complete application under Sec. 23-16, and any granted exception expires after 12 months if substantial work hasn't started. Because the standard applies through the CBPA rather than the zoning ordinance's landscaping article, a turf project also has to be checked against the impervious-cover math on the specific lot, not just against a generic yard-coverage rule.