Placer County, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential turf cap
- 25% of landscape area
- Nonresidential turf
- Prohibited entirely
- Prescriptive path threshold
- 5,000 sq ft or less
- Turf slope limit
- 1 ft rise per 4 ft run maximum
- Narrow parkway rule
- No turf under 10-foot-wide parkways
Summary
Under Placer County's small-project landscaping standard, new turf cannot exceed 25% of the landscape area on residential projects and is barred entirely on nonresidential projects. Turf is also banned on steep slopes and in narrow street parkways.
Turf shall comply with all of the following: (1) Turf shall not exceed 25% of the landscape area in residential areas, and there shall be no turf in nonresidential areas; (2) Turf shall not be planted on sloped areas which exceed a slope of one foot vertical elevation change for every four feet of horizontal length; and (3) Turf is prohibited in parkways less than 10 feet wide, unless the parkway is adjacent to a parking strip and used to enter and exit vehicles.
Full Breakdown
010(1)(g) sets prescriptive compliance measures for any landscape project needing a permit, plan check or design review with an aggregate landscape area of 5,000 square feet or less. Within that prescriptive path, subsection (1)(g)(iv) caps turf at no more than 25% of the landscape area for residential projects, and prohibits turf outright in nonresidential landscapes. Turf also cannot be planted on slopes exceeding a one-foot vertical rise for every four feet of horizontal run, and it is prohibited in street parkways narrower than 10 feet unless the parkway sits next to a parking strip used for entering and exiting vehicles, in which case any parkway turf must run on subsurface irrigation or another method producing no overspray or runoff.
0, from street medians entirely. Compliance requires submitting a project information sheet identifying the total landscape area and the turf-to-plant breakdown, along with compost incorporated at a minimum of four cubic yards per 1,000 square feet, three inches of mulch on exposed soil, and an automatic irrigation controller using evapotranspiration or soil moisture sensor data. 010(2)(e).
Violations & Fines
A landscape package or prescriptive compliance submittal that exceeds the 25% residential turf cap, includes any turf on a nonresidential project, or omits the required project information sheet and applicant certification statement is incomplete and cannot receive plan check, design review, or permit approval under Section 15.75.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my new Placer County landscape can be turf grass?
Can I put turf on a slope in my yard?
Does the county turf limit apply to my property near Lake Tahoe?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Placer County
California rules heatmap·Compare Placer County to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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