Riverside County, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Front-yard turf
- Banned in new subdivisions
- Medians/parkways
- New natural turf banned
- Applies to
- Unincorporated area only
- Enforced by
- County Planning Director
- Governing chapter
- RivCo Code Ch. 17.276
Summary
Riverside County prohibits new natural turfgrass lawns in the front yards of new residential subdivisions and bars installing new natural turf in medians and parkways along county-maintained roads, under the county's water-efficient landscape ordinance.
New natural turfgrass lawns are effectively prohibited within the front yard for any new residential subdivisions. New natural turfgrass within medians and parkways within and along county maintained roads are effectively prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 84 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Riverside County's Water Efficient Landscape Requirements ordinance (Code Chapter 17.276) bars new natural turfgrass lawns in front yards of new residential subdivisions and forbids new natural turf in medians and parkways along county-maintained roads. The planting-plan rule applies to new and rehabilitated landscapes tied to a discretionary permit in the unincorporated county only, not incorporated cities such as Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula or Palm Springs, which set their own landscape codes. Low-water plants, artificial turf or inert materials are the required substitute, reviewed by the planning director as part of the landscape documentation package.
Violations & Fines
The planning director rejects landscape documentation packages showing prohibited front-yard natural turf or new median/parkway turf during discretionary permit review, and withholds sign-off on the certificate of completion until plans are revised to comply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant a natural grass lawn in my new home's front yard in unincorporated Riverside County?
Does this turf ban apply inside the City of Riverside or other cities?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside County
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside County to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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