Huntington Beach, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)

070(G)(5) states that lawn areas shall be minimized and sets a hard ceiling: 'the amount of lawn area shall not exceed 25% of the total landscaped area on any project,' with an exception carved out only for high-use facilities such as parks or play fields that qualify as special landscaped areas. The same subsection discourages lawn areas less than 10 feet in any dimension, specifically singles out narrow strips of lawn for discouragement, and limits sloped or bermed lawn to a four-to-one horizontal-to-vertical ratio, or a 25% slope.

040 for covered building and planning permits, any project redesigning a yard, replacing a failed lawn, or adding hardscape has to recalculate its lawn footprint against the cap rather than simply replanting grass. 070(G)(6) then gives applicants an explicit release valve: where lawn is desired but discouraged, or where it would exceed the 25% ceiling, artificial turf 'may be considered' as the substitute, with additional installation requirements applying in public rights-of-way. 070(H)(1)(b): they must be irrigated with subsurface or low-volume systems delivering full coverage with no overspray, which in practice steers those strips away from conventional sprinkler-fed lawn altogether.