Hemet, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger (rehab)
- 2,500 sq ft or more
- Trigger (homeowner)
- 5,000 sq ft or more
- Water budget factor
- 0.7 ET adjustment factor
- Waiver
- Turf-to-low-water swaps, planning director discretion
Summary
Hemet's Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance regulates turf and landscape water use citywide: rehabilitation projects covering 2,500 square feet or more, including turf swaps, must meet a calculated water budget before the city issues permits, though low-water replacement plantings can qualify for a waiver.
Landscape rehabilitation projects by public agencies, private developers (except for cemeteries) or property managers of commercial, industrial, institutional, single-family and multifamily residential projects or complexes with a landscaped area, equal to or greater than 2,500 square feet, and which are subject to a building permit, landscape permit, grading permit, plan check, or design review.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Under Hemet City Code § 90-1701 et seq., new landscapes and landscape rehabilitation projects (defined to include relandscaping of 2,500+ sq ft) must submit a landscape documentation package showing the estimated applied water use, including turf, stays within the city's Maximum Applied Water Allowance calculated with a 0.7 ET adjustment factor (§ 90-1706(b)). The planning director may partially or wholly waive these requirements for rehab projects limited to replacing existing plantings, including turf, with equal or lower water-need plantings where the irrigation system already meets city and water-purveyor standards (§ 90-1703(b)). Homeowner-installed residential turf projects trigger the same review at 5,000 sq ft or more.
Violations & Fines
No building, landscape, or grading permit is issued without an approved landscape documentation package; occupancy or permit final requires a certification of completion verifying compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just rip out my lawn without city review?
Does replacing turf with drought-tolerant plants get easier approval?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hemet
California rules heatmap·Compare Hemet to another location·View the California water use rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Turf Replacement Rebates in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle turf replacement rebates.