Boise, ID Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Turf cap
- 33% of landscaped area max
- Banned areas
- medians, roundabouts, parking lot islands
- Large lawns
- soil moisture sensors over 15,000 sq ft
- Exempt
- single-family homes and standalone ADUs
- Applies to
- new multi-family, mixed-use, nonresidential projects
Summary
New Boise developments must cap water-hungry lawn grass like Kentucky Bluegrass at 33% of landscaped area and ban decorative turf in medians, traffic circles, and parking lot islands.
Lawn areas shall be a drought-tolerant and/or adaptive sod or seed mix that is appropriate to the natural conditions found at the site, except that lawn species that require regular mowing or maintenance, such as Kentucky Bluegrass: i. Shall not exceed 33 percent of the landscaped area on a site... In all zoning districts, any area that does not provide recreational value or is used solely for decorative purposes is prohibited from using lawn that requires regular maintenance for landscape purposes.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-31: Code current through: Ord. 20-26, passed 6-9-2026).
Full Breakdown
New development in Boise -- multi-family, mixed-use, and nonresidential projects, plus parking lots expanded 26% or more -- must follow the water-conservation landscaping standard in City Code Section 11-04-09.3.E. High-maintenance lawn species such as Kentucky Bluegrass are capped at 33% of the landscaped area and are barred outright from roadway medians, traffic circles, street-frontage strips between sidewalk and curb, and parking lot islands or stormwater swales. Lawns over 15,000 square feet must have working soil moisture sensors. Single-family homes and standalone ADUs are exempt. Planning and Development Services checks compliance through the required landscape plan review.
Violations & Fines
A noncompliant landscape plan is rejected at plan review; the project cannot get its zoning certificate, design review approval, or certificate of occupancy until the turf and irrigation standards are met.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule apply to my house?
Can a new project still plant Kentucky Bluegrass?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boise
Compare Boise to another location·View the Idaho water use rules overview
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