Milpitas, CA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Milpitas Municipal Code Section XIII-C.4.050.E (General Landscaping Standards, Turf Allowance) treats synthetic turf as an approved substitute for natural grass rather than a prohibited surface. Natural turf must stay within activity or recreation areas, but synthetic turf may replace it for water conservation or in high-activity, high-foot-traffic areas such as sports fields. Subsection E.2.a requires the turf to consist of lifelike individual blades that emulate real grass in look and color, with a minimum pile height of one and one-half inches unless a lower pile height is needed for the turf's function, such as an athletic field or putting green.

Subsection E.2.b requires a permeable base and drainage system approved by the City Engineer underneath the turf, and Subsection E.2.c requires the turf to be installed together with natural plant material such as trees, shrubs, and groundcover to round out the landscaping design rather than standing alone as a lawn substitute. Subsection E.3 restricts where the turf can go: it must sit at least six feet from any tree and cannot be installed on a slope steeper than 25 percent. Under Subsection D, any paved or graveled ground-cover surface, separate from the turf allowance, cannot exceed 10 percent of a required landscaped area, and non-plant ground covers together cannot exceed 50 percent of that area, so turf is evaluated alongside those hardscape limits when a landscape plan is submitted for review.