Monterey County, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential turf cap
- 20% of landscape area or 1,500 sq ft
- Trigger
- Rehab project of 2,500+ sq ft under a permit
- Turf banned on
- Slopes over 10%, strips 8 ft wide or less
- Also banned
- Street medians, traffic islands, planter strips
- Major-project exception
- Turf allowed above cap as recreational special area
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 5367, effective December 7, 2021
Summary
Unincorporated Monterey County caps grass turf at 20% of the landscape area, or 1,500 square feet, whichever is less, for residential projects that trigger the county's landscape ordinance, effectively forcing turf reduction whenever 2,500 or more square feet of existing lawn is rehabilitated under a qualifying permit.
Turf shall be limited to twenty percent (20%) of the landscape area or up to one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet, whichever is less, for residential projects. Planting of turf shall be prohibited in the following conditions:a.Non-residential minor landscape projects;b.Slopes exceeding ten percent (10%);c.Planting areas eight feet wide or less; andd.Street medians, traffic islands, planter strips, or bulb-outs of any size.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
030(A)(3)-(4)). 070(B)(3) (major projects, over 2,500 sq ft): turf is limited to 20% of the landscape area or 1,500 square feet, whichever is less, for residential projects. Turf is prohibited outright on non-residential minor landscape projects, on slopes exceeding 10%, in planting areas 8 feet wide or narrower, and in street medians, traffic islands, planter strips, or bulb-outs of any size. On major projects, turf may exceed the cap only if it is designated a "special landscape area" dedicated to recreation. 63 was adopted by Ord.
No. 5367 (12-7-2021) under Government Code § 65595 to apply in lieu of the state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, and it governs only unincorporated Monterey County, in both coastal and non-coastal zoning districts. 120).
Violations & Fines
A rehabilitated landscape that exceeds the 20%-or-1,500-square-foot turf cap, or that installs turf on a prohibited slope, narrow strip, or median, fails to meet its approved landscape package and can be denied a Certificate of Completion under § 16.63.110. Turf installed contrary to Chapter 16.63 is unlawful landscaping under § 16.63.180(B), enforceable through Monterey County Code Chapters 1.20 and 1.22, including administrative citations and required corrective action.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much lawn can I keep when I re-landscape a large yard in unincorporated Monterey County?
Are there places where turf is banned outright, no matter the project size?
Does the turf cap apply to a small lawn patch I'm replacing?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey County
California rules heatmap·Compare Monterey County to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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