Madera, CA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Artificial turf (synthetic grass) is not banned countywide in unincorporated Madera County, and there is no published County artificial-turf ordinance. Whether and where it can be installed is mainly a matter of parcel zoning, any project or design conditions, and—within a homeowners association—state HOA protections. California Civil Code Section 4735 prohibits a common-interest-development association from enacting or enforcing any governing-document provision that prohibits, or has the effect of prohibiting, the use of artificial turf or any other synthetic surface that resembles grass on a homeowner's own separate-interest property. So inside an HOA in unincorporated Madera County, the association cannot flatly ban synthetic grass on a homeowner's lot. It is important to distinguish two different state protections: Government Code Section 53087.7 stops local governments from banning drought-tolerant landscaping, but that statute is limited to living plant material and expressly does not include synthetic grass or artificial turf—so the local-government anti-ban protection does not extend to artificial turf. Because turf products vary, owners should still check any County building, drainage, or stormwater requirements (for example, ensuring proper drainage so runoff does not flow onto neighbors), and confirm zoning or design-review conditions for larger installations. Artificial turf can reduce outdoor water use, which aligns with state conservation goals, but it does not by itself satisfy fire-clearance duties, and surrounding vegetation must still meet weed-abatement and defensible-space rules.