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

The rule sits in Article 11 of Chapter 2, Thousand Oaks' water conservation ordinance (Ord. 1705-NS, effective November 25, 2022). 1104(l) targets 'non-functional turf,' defined in Sec. 1101(k) as turf that is ornamental and not regularly used for recreation, civic events, or community gatherings, on CII properties (commercial, industrial and institutional, per Sec. 1101(b)). Irrigating that kind of grass is flatly prohibited; subsection (l) itself carries no seasonal exception. An owner who believes turf on a CII site is actually 'functional' (used for recreation or events) can only keep watering it by filing an application with the water purveyor and getting the turf reclassified through an approved waiver; without that waiver, watering the grass is a permanent-measure violation.

Owners who do not want a waiver may instead replace CII turf shown on their filed landscape plans with 'alternative climate-appropriate landscaping,' which the ordinance lists as including mulch or other permeable ground cover, tying back to the Article 11 definition of climate-appropriate plants as species suited to the region's rainfall pattern in Sec. 1101(c). 1109 that only activate once the City Council declares a shortage tier.