Nashua, NH Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Nashua has no specific artificial-turf ordinance. On private single-family yards outside required-landscape contexts, synthetic turf is generally allowed and not regulated by the City. Three secondary considerations apply. (1) Chapter 190 Article XXVII Landscaping requires living plant material — shade trees with 2½-inch caliper, evergreens 6 feet tall, ground cover suitable for the front yard area — for required landscape area on site-plan-approved developments, so synthetic turf cannot satisfy required-plant area in commercial, multi-family, or buffer-yard landscapes. (2) Article XI Wetlands regulates impervious surface within delineated wetlands and buffers (20-75 feet, 100 feet vernal pool); impermeable-backed artificial turf may count as impervious for buffer disturbance review by the Nashua Conservation Commission and may require NH DES permitting under RSA 482-A. (3) Nashua's NPDES MS4 stormwater program treats impermeable backings as impervious surface for purposes of post-construction stormwater calculations; permeable-backed turf may be treated as pervious depending on the underlying drainage layer. There is no Pennichuck Water rebate or watering exemption for artificial-turf installations. HOA covenants in many Nashua subdivisions impose architectural-review requirements that may regulate or prohibit synthetic turf.