Placer County, CA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Placer County does not have a specific ordinance prohibiting or heavily regulating residential artificial turf, and there is no countywide ban. Because synthetic turf uses no irrigation, it is treated as a water-conserving surface and can help a regulated landscape meet the water-budget goals of the county's Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO), which the Board of Supervisors adopted in 2017 to implement California's MWELO. For typical homeowners, installing artificial turf in a yard generally does not require a discretionary planning permit, though larger projects, drainage work, or grading may trigger building or grading permits, and you should confirm setback and stormwater/drainage requirements with Placer County building staff. On the state side, California Civil Code (the Davis-Stirling Act) prevents homeowners associations from prohibiting low-water-using plants or artificial turf as a form of drought-tolerant landscaping, so HOA bylaws in unincorporated subdivisions cannot flatly ban synthetic lawn. Keep in mind that artificial turf near structures should still meet defensible space and fire-safety expectations, and that it does not exempt a property from hazardous-vegetation abatement of surrounding natural grasses and weeds.