Somerville, MA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Zoning Ordinance §10.3.5, Site Landscaping, applies to the landscaped areas required for new construction and substantial renovation under Article 10's development standards, covering plant material, soil, mulch, spacing, and water features. Subsection h, Restrictions, lists several outright prohibitions: invasive plant species to Massachusetts, thorny or spined vegetation within two feet of a front lot line, and, at item v, 'Artificial plants and artificial turf,' which 'are prohibited.'

The prohibition carries only two carve-outs, both written narrowly: civic space athletic fields that see intense use and soil compaction severe enough that real turf grass cannot be established there, and areas where paving or grass-paving systems will not suffice given the area's purpose and level of use. A private yard, a residential lot, or an ordinary commercial landscaped strip does not qualify for either exception, so a homeowner or developer satisfying Somerville's landscaping requirements with synthetic grass instead of live plantings is not in compliance. The rule sits inside the same section that separately requires new trees to be at least ten feet tall or two inches in caliper at planting, and that requires water features with recirculation systems to be designed against seepage and leaks, underscoring that §10.3.5 is built around living, functioning landscape performance rather than a purely visual green appearance. The section was adopted by Ordinance 2023-26, effective December 14, 2023.