Meridian, ID Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Turf/lawn cap
- 50% of landscaped area
- Applies
- Only if opting into water-conserving design
- Incentive
- Up to 50% street buffer reduction
- Grass species
- Buffalo grass, fescue, blue gamma, Xerilawn
- Governs
- New development landscape plans only
Summary
Meridian's elective water-conserving landscape design option caps lawn and turf at 50% of total landscaped area, using approved drought-tolerant grasses, in exchange for a reduced street landscape buffer.
Lawn and turf areas shall not comprise more than fifty (50) percent of the total landscaped areas and shall consist of water conserving grasses, including, but not limited to, buffalo grass, blue gamma grass, compact fescue, Xerilawn, turf type tall fescue and/or rhyzomotuous tall fescue.4.Herbaceous and/or perennial ground cover shall be drought tolerant and able to withstand dry conditions once established. As a guide, refer to the recommended plants in the city of Boise parks and recreation "Water Conservation Guidelines".5.Excluding lawn and turf, no area larger than three hundred seventy-five (375) square feet may be covered by a single ground cover material without additional hardscape or design feature of no less than one hundred twenty-five (125) square feet.6.The required street landscape buffer widths in Chapter 2 may be reduced up to fifty (50) percent.7.Required landscape areas shall be at least forty (40) percent covered with vegetation at maturity.P.Safety.1.Landscaping shall be designed and installed in such a way as to provide natural surveillance opportunities from public areas and not create hiding places or blind spots.2.Shrubs and plant material installed in close proximity to windows and entryways should be limited in size and be of slow growing varieties to prevent overgrowth and concealment of windows and entryways creating opportunities for crime. (Ord. No. 21-1950, § 17, 10-10-2021; Ord. No. 22-2001, § 9, 11-1-2022)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 14).
Full Breakdown
Under Meridian City Code § 11-3B-5.O, developers may choose a 'water conserving design' landscape path instead of the standard 70%-vegetation-coverage rule. To qualify, lawn and turf can cover no more than 50% of the total landscaped area, using water-conserving grasses such as buffalo grass, blue gamma grass, or turf-type tall fescue, plus drought-tolerant shrubs and plants suited to 10-12 inches of annual rainfall. Qualifying projects can shrink required street landscape buffer widths by up to 50%. This is a development-review standard for new landscape plans, not a retrofit mandate for existing lawns.
Violations & Fines
Not a standalone infraction: a landscape plan claiming the water-conserving design exception must meet the 50% turf cap and grass-species list, or the Planning Department can deny the associated buffer-width reduction and require plan revision before occupancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Meridian require homeowners to remove existing turf?
Is the 50% turf cap mandatory for all new landscaping?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Meridian
Compare Meridian to another location·View the Idaho water use rules overview
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Turf Replacement Rebates in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle turf replacement rebates.