Monterey Park, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)

Chapter 6.31, the city's landscape water conservation standards adopted in 2009 under Government Code Section 65595(c), applies to new landscape installations and rehabilitation projects of 2,500 square feet or more by public agencies, private developers, or property managers, and to homeowner-installed projects of 5,000 square feet or more, per Section 6.31.030. Section 6.31.020 defines turf as a ground cover of mowed grass and lists both cool-season species like Kentucky bluegrass and Tall fescue and warm-season species like Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass. Because turf falls in the chapter's moderate-to-high plant factor range of 0.4 to 1.0, it drives up a project's Estimated Applied Water Use.

Section 6.31.060 caps that use at the Maximum Applied Water Allowance, calculated using an ET adjustment factor of 0.7 for ordinary landscaped area, with a less restrictive 1.0 factor allowed only for special landscape areas such as recycled-water features or active-play turf like sports fields. A landscape documentation package certified by a landscape professional, including water use calculations, must be approved by the city before permits or construction start under Section 6.31.050, and a certification of completion verifying compliance is required before final occupancy or permit close-out. Historic sites, ecological restoration projects without permanent irrigation, and botanical collections open to the public are exempt under Section 6.31.040.