Artificial turf is allowed in unincorporated Riverside County, and California Civil Code 4735 prevents HOAs from banning synthetic grass used as a low-water alternative. A new state law, AB 1572, will phase out potable-water irrigation of nonfunctional turf at non-residential and HOA common areas, not single-family lawns.
Unincorporated Riverside County does not prohibit homeowners from installing synthetic (artificial) turf, which fits the County's water-efficiency goals under Ordinance 859 and its California Friendly Landscaping guidance. For residents in homeowner associations, California Civil Code 4735 is decisive: it makes void and unenforceable any HOA governing-document provision that prohibits the use of artificial turf or any other synthetic surface that resembles grass as a replacement for living lawn, though an HOA may still impose reasonable aesthetic standards (such as quality or installation requirements). Installations should still respect County rules that apply generally, including drainage and grading requirements so that turf does not create runoff, and setback or right-of-way rules. A separate and newer state law, AB 1572, bans the use of potable (drinking) water to irrigate nonfunctional turf, meaning purely ornamental, non-recreational grass, at commercial, industrial, institutional, and HOA common-area sites on a phased schedule (government sites by 2027, commercial/industrial/institutional by 2028, and HOA common areas by 2029). AB 1572 does not apply to single-family residential lawns or to functional/recreational turf, so a homeowner's living lawn or play area is not banned, but the law strongly encourages replacing decorative grass with artificial turf or low-water plantings at the affected sites. Because synthetic turf uses no irrigation water, it is broadly favored under both county and state water-conservation policy.
There are no county penalties for installing residential artificial turf. HOAs that try to ban synthetic grass act contrary to Civil Code 4735. Affected non-residential and HOA common-area sites that keep irrigating nonfunctional turf with potable water after AB 1572 deadlines face state enforcement.
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