Livermore, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential cap
- Turf limited to 25% of landscape area
- Nonresidential
- No turf permitted under this option
- Slope limit
- Barred on grades over 1 ft rise per 4 ft run
- Parkway rule
- Barred under 10 ft wide, narrow parking exception
- Applies under
- Alternative Prescriptive Compliance Option, § 13.25.200
Summary
Livermore's prescriptive compliance option caps turf at 25 percent of the landscape area for residential projects and bans it entirely on nonresidential sites. LMC § 13.25.200(B)(4) also blocks turf on steep slopes and in parkways under 10 feet wide unless the strip is used for parking access with subsurface irrigation.
4. Turf shall comply with all of the following: a. Turf shall not exceed 25 percent of the landscape area in residential areas, and there shall be no turf in nonresidential areas. b. Turf shall not be planted on sloped areas that exceed a slope of one-foot vertical elevation change for every four feet of horizontal length. c. 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. Any turf in parkways must be irrigated by subsurface irrigation or by other technology that creates no overspray or runoff.
Full Breakdown
060. Its turf standards, at (B)(4), set three limits: turf cannot exceed 25 percent of the landscape area in residential projects, and there can be no turf at all in nonresidential projects; turf cannot be planted on sloped areas exceeding a one-foot vertical elevation change for every four feet of horizontal length, roughly a 25 percent grade; and turf is prohibited in parkways narrower than 10 feet unless the parkway sits next to a parking strip used to enter and exit vehicles, in which case any turf allowed there must be irrigated by subsurface irrigation or another technology that produces no overspray or runoff.
3 or less, covering 75 percent of the residential plant area or 100 percent of the nonresidential plant area, reinforcing the low-turf design outside the full documentation-package path. 080(A)(1)(e).
Violations & Fines
A residential landscape plan under the prescriptive compliance option that exceeds 25 percent turf coverage, or any nonresidential plan showing turf at all, fails LMC § 13.25.200(B)(4) review. The City can suspend any development permit already issued for the property under § 13.25.220 until compliance with the turf limits is demonstrated to the Public Works Director's satisfaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much lawn can I install at my Livermore home?
Can I put turf on a sloped part of my yard?
Is turf allowed in the strip between the sidewalk and street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Livermore
California rules heatmap·Compare Livermore to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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