Pasco, WA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)

030 defines "xeriscape" as a landscape design technique that minimizes water consumption using techniques including "reducing turf areas or using turf materials that have low water demand," alongside low-water plants, mulches, efficient irrigation zoning and maintenance to preserve water-conserving characteristics. 080(13) lets the City approve a xeriscape area using alternate irrigation methods, applying criteria such as site analysis of slopes and drainage, soil improvement techniques, low-water-demand turf grasses, mulches and ground covers, and highly efficient irrigation such as drip systems. Neither section forces an existing lawn to be converted, and there is no citywide turf-replacement rebate or mandate in the code.

050(4) sets the opposite floor: at least 50 percent of the required front yard area for residential property, including the right-of-way but excluding driveways, must be treated with live vegetation, meaning full turf removal in favor of gravel or artificial surfacing is not permitted outright. 020(2)(a) further protects yards existing before the chapter's effective date that use decorative rock demonstrating an intent to beautify rather than simply cover soil, treating them as legal nonconforming, but only if they otherwise meet the live-vegetation and irrigation standards; yards with silted-over rock, exposed soil patches, or no live vegetation at all do not qualify. 080(12).