Los Banos, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Slope turf ban
- Slopes over 25% next to hardscape
- Median rule
- Turf and high water-use plants prohibited
- Applies to
- New/rehab landscape projects under Ch. 9-6
- 25% defined as
- 1 ft vertical rise per 4 ft run
Summary
Los Banos bans turf grass on steep slopes and in street medians under its Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. New and rehabilitated landscape projects cannot plant turf on slopes steeper than 25 percent next to hardscape, and high water-use plants and turf are flatly prohibited in street medians citywide.
Turf is not allowed on slopes greater than 25% where the toe of the slope is adjacent to an impermeable hardscape and where 25% means one foot of vertical elevation change for every four feet of horizontal length (rise divided by run x 100 = slope percent). ... High water use plants, characterized by a plant factor of 0.7 to 1.0, and turf are prohibited in street medians.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4356507; v3 updated 2025-03-05).
Full Breakdown
06(a)(1)(D) and (E) of the Municipal Code, part of the landscape design plan standards adopted by Ordinance 1156, set two hard turf limits rather than a turf-removal rebate program. First, turf is not allowed on slopes greater than 25 percent where the toe of the slope is adjacent to an impermeable hardscape, with 25 percent defined as one foot of vertical rise for every four feet of horizontal run. 0, and turf of any kind are prohibited in street medians. Both rules apply to the same project types as the rest of the chapter: new development landscapes of 500 square feet or more and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more that require a building, landscape, plan check, or design-review permit.
The restrictions sit inside the broader plant-selection criteria a licensed landscape architect or contractor must certify on the Landscape Documentation Package, alongside requirements to protect native vegetation and avoid invasive species. There is no separate turf-removal incentive described in this chapter; the rule works purely as a design prohibition enforced when the City reviews plans and issues the certificate of completion through Public Works.
Violations & Fines
A landscape plan that puts turf on a steep hardscape-adjacent slope or in a street median will not clear Public Works review or receive a certificate of completion. Beyond that plan-approval leverage, Section 9-6.09 makes any violation of the chapter an infraction or misdemeanor, fined and jailed within the limits of Government Code Section 36901, with administrative penalties also available under Title 4, Chapter 11.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a lawn on a steep slope in Los Banos?
Are street medians allowed to have grass?
Is there a turf-removal rebate program in Los Banos?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Banos
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Banos to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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