Riverside, CA Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential turf cap (prescriptive option)
- 25% of landscape area
- Nonresidential turf (prescriptive option)
- None allowed
- Turf banned on slopes exceeding
- 1 ft rise per 4 ft run
- Turf banned in parkways under
- 10 ft wide
- Applicability threshold
- New ≥500 sq ft / rehab ≥2,500 sq ft
Summary
If a Riverside landscape project uses the code's prescriptive compliance option instead of the full water-budget calculation, new turf is capped at 25% of the landscape area for homes and banned entirely on commercial and institutional sites under RMC §19.570.130(B)(4); turf is also barred on steep slopes and in narrow parkways.
4.Turf shall comply with all of the following:a.Turf shall not exceed 25 percent of the landscape area in residential areas, and there shall be no turf in nonresidential areas;b.Turf shall not be planted on sloped areas which exceed a slope of one foot vertical elevation change for every four feet of horizontal length;c.Turf is prohibited in parkways less than ten feet wide, unless the parkway is adjacent to a parking strip and used to enter and exit vehicles. Any turf in parkways must be irrigated by sub-surface irrigation or by other technology that creates no overspray or runoff.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
130 offers a 'prescriptive compliance option', drawn from Appendix D of the State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, as an alternative to the performance-based water budget calculation for any project with 2,500 square feet or less of landscape area, or as a mandatory path for smaller lots meeting their water needs entirely with stored rainwater or graywater. Under that option, turf can't exceed 25% of the landscape area in residential projects and isn't allowed at all in nonresidential projects; turf can't be planted on slopes exceeding a one-foot rise for every four feet of horizontal run; and turf is prohibited in parkways under ten feet wide unless the parkway sits next to a parking strip used for entering and exiting vehicles, in which case it must be irrigated by subsurface or no-runoff technology.
3 or better covering 75% of residential plant area (100% for nonresidential). 030(D)(1)(d)), so turf faces real restrictions under either compliance route on a project that triggers the ordinance at all (new landscape ≥500 sq ft, rehab ≥2,500 sq ft).
Violations & Fines
A landscape plan that exceeds the 25% residential turf cap or includes any turf on a covered nonresidential project under the prescriptive option is rejected at Planning Division plan check, and no certificate of occupancy or final City approval issues until the landscape and irrigation plans are brought into compliance and installed as approved (§19.570.030). Under City Charter §417, an installed violation of the adopted landscape ordinance can also be prosecuted as a misdemeanor, carrying up to a $1,000 fine, six months' imprisonment, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is turf banned in Riverside?
Do I have to remove my existing lawn?
Can I put turf in the parkway strip next to my driveway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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Turf Replacement Rebates in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle turf replacement rebates.