Sparks, NV Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Section 20.04.006(C)(9) permits artificial turf as a landscape ground cover, but restricts it to side and rear yards that are not adjacent to a street; a yard facing any street frontage cannot use artificial turf under this provision. The allowance sits within the city's General Landscape Standards, alongside companion rules that ground surfaces generally consist of paving, turf, four-inch rounded river rock, decomposed granite with a pre-emergent herbicide and weed barrier, or another surface the Administrator approves, and that landscaping must be sited so mature plants do not block visibility within a sight triangle.

The landscaping chapter applies mainly to new development projects, including model homes for subdivisions, and to building expansions that are not already in conformance with minimum landscaping requirements; a project must have an approved landscape and irrigation plan on file with the Administrator before a building permit issues. Subsection A.4 exempts single-family dwelling units on separate lots from this section entirely, except for common areas in planned developments, so the artificial turf allowance chiefly governs common-area landscaping in multi-family, commercial and planned-development projects rather than the yard of a detached single-family home outside a planned development. Any property, including single-family homes and duplexes, remains subject to the separate Property Preservation Code in Title 7 regardless of this exemption. A licensed landscape architect must certify that installed landscaping, including any approved turf, matches the approved plan, and a surety bond can be required until the landscaping passes final inspection.