New Braunfels, TX Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential status
- Single-family, two-family dwellings fully exempt
- Who's covered
- New commercial and mixed-use construction only
- Enforcing agency
- Planning and Development Services Department
- Article effective date
- August 29, 2005
Summary
New Braunfels' zoning landscaping article skips single-family and two-family homes entirely, so no permit or plant-material rule governs artificial turf in a residential yard.
The standards and criteria contained within this article are deemed to be minimum standards and shall apply, as of the effective date of this section (August 29, 2005), to all new construction requiring a building permit (including uses such as schools, day care centers, and churches) as well as city and county uses occurring within the city, except that single-family or two-family dwellings shall be exempt. Additionally, any special use permit or a PD zoning application for those uses that are not single-family or two-family dwellings, must comply with these landscape standards unless special landscaping standards are otherwise provided for in the ordinance establishing the SUP or PD district.
(ii) The provisions of this article shall be administered by the planning and development services department.
(iii) For all landscaping installed as a requirement of this section, if at any time after the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the approved landscaping is found to be not in conformance with the standards and criteria of this article, the code compliance division shall issue notice to the owner, citing the violation and describing what action is required to comply with this article. The owner shall have 90 days from date of said notice to establish/restore the landscaping, as required. If the landscaping is not established/restored within the allotted time, then such person shall be in violation of this chapter.
(iv) Existing development.
1.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 144-5.3-1 requires a reviewed landscape plan, approved plant materials, and (for tree replacement) bars artificial plant materials outright, but only for new commercial, mixed-use, and institutional construction. The article's scope section expressly exempts single-family and two-family dwellings from the whole chapter. Because a house's front and back yard fall outside that scope, the zoning code imposes no material restriction, plan requirement, or permit condition on laying artificial turf at a single-family or two-family home in the city.
Violations & Fines
A single-family or two-family lot cannot be cited for installing artificial turf. Non-residential and mixed-use properties that substitute synthetic material for required living plant coverage can be cited under Sec. 144-5.3-1(b)(3)(iii) and given 90 days to restore compliant landscaping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install artificial turf in my New Braunfels yard?
Does the city require a landscape plan for a house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Braunfels
How New Braunfels compares: Most Artificial Turf-Friendly Cities·Texas rules heatmap·Compare New Braunfels to another location·View the Texas landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.