Tempe, AZ Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Turf/water feature cap
- 20% of landscapable area
- Trigger threshold
- Above 10,000 sq ft (20,000 hotels)
- Exempt uses
- Single-family homes, small parks
- Large exempt facilities
- 10+ acre parks, golf courses, schools
- Plan approval needed
- Landscape plan and irrigation plan
Summary
Tempe caps how much turf and other thirsty landscaping a new development can plant. Section 4-702(B)(1) of the Zoning and Development Code limits water-intensive landscape, including turf, water features and bodies of water, to 20% of landscapable area beyond the first 10,000 square feet, 20,000 for hotels, with schools, parks and golf courses of 10 acres or more exempt.
B. Low Water Use Landscape. All development, except as noted herein, shall comply with the Low Water Use/Drought Tolerant Plant List, as provided by the Arizona Department of Water Resources or plants identified as xeric by landscape architects registered in the State of Arizona. 1. Limit on Water Intensive Landscape. Landscape installations for new construction and whenever a new landscape plan is required to be filed for the entire site, except hotels and motels, shall limit the area of water intensive landscape (including bodies of water, water features, and turf) to no more than twenty percent (20%) of landscapable area in excess of ten thousand (10,000) square feet. Schools, parks, cemeteries, golf courses, common areas of housing developments and public recreational facilities with water-intensive landscape equal to or greater than ten (10) acres are exempt from this provision. New hotels and motels shall limit the area of water-intensive landscape to no more than twenty percent (20%) of the landscapable area in excess of twenty thousand (20,000) square feet.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 4-702(B) requires all development, apart from individual single-family homes and a short list of exemptions, to plant from the Arizona Department of Water Resources' Low Water Use/Drought Tolerant Plant List or use xeric species selected by a landscape architect registered in Arizona. Subsection (B)(1) then draws a hard numeric line on turf: new construction, and any site filing a new landscape plan, must hold water intensive landscape, defined to include bodies of water, water features and turf, to no more than 20% of landscapable area once that area exceeds 10,000 square feet.
Hotels and motels get a larger baseline, with the same 20% cap applying only to landscapable area above 20,000 square feet. The rule exempts several categories outright: single-family residential units, residential subdivision common areas built for active recreation, small city parks under 10 acres, and schools, parks, cemeteries, golf courses, housing-development common areas and public recreational facilities that carry 10 acres or more of water-intensive landscape. Before a permit issues, Section 4-702(B)(2) requires the Community Development Department to approve both a landscape plan and an irrigation plan, and the city withholds a certificate of occupancy until it has separately approved the installed irrigation system and landscape treatments.
This turf and water-feature cap sits alongside a separate water-retention rule in Section 4-702(A), which limits retention basins to 67% of the on-site street frontage landscape area and caps their side slopes at 4:1.
Violations & Fines
Installing turf, water features or other water-intensive landscape beyond the 20% cap, or occupying a building before the Community Development Department approves the landscape and irrigation installation, violates Section 4-702(B) and Section 1-201 of the Code. The city can withhold or revoke a certificate of occupancy, and can pursue a civil citation of $100 to $1,000 per day or a class 1 misdemeanor charge carrying up to a $2,500 fine and six months in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tempe limit how much turf a new business can install?
Are single-family homes subject to Tempe's turf limit?
Is a golf course exempt from Tempe's water-intensive landscape cap?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
Compare Tempe to another location·View the Arizona water use rules overview
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