North Las Vegas, NV Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- City of North Las Vegas Utilities Department
- Protected action
- Cannot remove water-efficient landscaping to install turf
- HOA override
- Covenants requiring turf or barring water-wise plants are void
- First fine
- $80 after warning letter (1-inch meter or less)
- Appeal path
- Director review, then SNWA independent hearing officer
Summary
North Las Vegas protects water-efficient, drought-tolerant landscaping once it is installed: the turf-restriction ordinance bars removing water-wise plantings to put in turf, and no HOA covenant, deed clause, or CC&R can force a lawn or block water-efficient landscaping. The rule sits in the city's Chapter 13.08 water-conservation code, enforced by the Director of Utilities.
D. No person shall remove water-efficient landscaping for the purpose of installing turf. ... I. No person shall impose private covenants, conditions, restrictions, deed clauses or other agreements which require the installation of turf or prevent the utilization of water-efficient landscaping provided such landscaping receives appropriate architectural review approval. No person shall prohibit landscaping materials and designs solely on the basis that they make use of water-efficient landscaping.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 146 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
060, the City's Turf Restrictions ordinance, does more than ban new turf, it locks in protection for water-efficient landscaping already on a property. Subsection D makes it unlawful to "remove water-efficient landscaping for the purpose of installing turf," closing off the obvious workaround to the turf ban. " That directly overrides HOA rules in master-planned communities that historically required grass. 010). 110, starting with a warning letter and escalating to $80, $160, $320, $640 and $1,280 charges added to the water bill for meters one inch and under. 120, then escalate to an independent hearing officer supplied through the interlocal agreement with the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Violations & Fines
Removing water-efficient landscaping to install turf, or enforcing a covenant that requires turf or blocks water-efficient plantings, is treated as a Chapter 13.08 violation. The Utilities Department issues a warning letter first; continued noncompliance brings administrative fines on the water bill starting at $80 and doubling with each repeat violation up to $1,280, with service disconnection possible under §13.08.110(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my HOA require me to keep a grass lawn in North Las Vegas?
Can I replace my drought-tolerant landscaping with turf?
Who enforces North Las Vegas's landscaping protections and what happens if I violate them?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in North Las Vegas
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