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

" Artificial turf is not banned but is tightly rationed, limited to a maximum of 10 percent of the front yard and treated as an accent feature rather than a lawn substitute; it must be maintained and replaced once it becomes weathered or worn, so a faded or matted patch is itself a compliance problem, not just an aesthetic one. The same subsection requires that at least 60 percent of the front setback area, excluding the driveway, be landscaped using trees, shrubs, vines, ground cover, gravel, stones, decomposed granite, mulch, or other pervious nonplant materials; bare dirt is explicitly disallowed.

At least one shrub of any container size is required per 50 square feet of landscape area. Bark mulch cannot be used within the public right-of-way and is only permitted as an accent near the residence; stabilized decomposed granite, rock, and cobble are affirmatively encouraged, and a porous fabric weed barrier must sit beneath any rock or mulched area other than stabilized decomposed granite. 05 (Water Efficient Landscape), and to substantially modified front setback landscaping on existing single-family lots, plus any visible street-side setback area between the curb and a perimeter fence, wall, or structure.