Which States Ban PFAS in Artificial Turf, and Does It Apply to My Backyard?

This page is for homeowners and installers who have read that their state "bans PFAS turf" and want to know whether that is true, from when, and whether it touches a home lawn. We read the enacted text in each state. For what PFAS are and what is known about health effects, see our safety and health guide.

Which states ban PFAS in artificial turf?

The split that matters is installation versus sale. Colorado is the only state that regulates putting turf down. The other four regulate what can be sold into the state, so the rule reaches you through your supplier, not through your yard.

Does California ban PFAS in artificial turf?

No, and this is the most repeated error on the topic. AB 1423 would have barred manufacturing, distributing or selling artificial turf or other synthetic surfaces containing regulated PFAS from January 1, 2026, and stopped public entities and schools from buying or installing them. It passed both houses in September 2023.

Governor Newsom vetoed it on October 8, 2023, writing, as CalMatters reported, that it "does not identify or require any regulatory agency to determine compliance with, or enforce, the proposed statute." The bill history shows the override was stricken from the file on January 29, 2024.

The 2026 date survives because pages written while the bill awaited signature reported it as coming, and Colorado's real ban starts the same day. Skim two headlines and you get "California, 2026."

What California did sign that day was SB 676, which lets cities and counties ban artificial turf on homes outright. That is a land-use rule, not a chemical rule; see California city turf bans and our California turf guide.

Does Colorado's PFAS turf law apply to a backyard?

Yes. SB24-081, signed May 1, 2024, says: "On and after January 1, 2026, a person shall not install artificial turf that contains intentionally added PFAS chemicals on any portion of property in the state." Any portion of any property includes a backyard or dog run, and "a person" includes a homeowner doing it themselves.

Two limits matter. The law says "nothing in this section prohibits a person from maintaining artificial turf installed before January 1, 2026," so existing lawns are untouched. And it does not bar selling turf: a Colorado retailer can still stock a PFAS product, but installing it breaks the law.

Colorado also stops HOAs from banning nonvegetative turf in a detached home's backyard, as covered in our HOA turf laws by state. The rules stack: your HOA cannot refuse turf, and the turf must meet the PFAS rule.

Do the sales bans in Vermont, New York, Maine and Rhode Island reach a home lawn?

Yes. None is limited to athletic fields.

Vermont. Act 131, signed May 30, 2024, defines artificial turf as synthetic fibers used in place of grass "in recreational, residential, or commercial applications." From January 1, 2026, a manufacturer may not sell or distribute it for use in the state if PFAS were intentionally added "in any amount," or entered from manufacturing or processing where that is "known or reasonably ascertainable by the manufacturer." That second clause is the broadest turf wording we have read.

New York. ECL 27-3301 defines carpet to include artificial turf placed as a "building interior or exterior feature." ECL 27-3313 now reads: "On and after December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-six, no carpet sold or offered for sale in the state shall contain or be treated with PFAS substances for any purpose." The 2022 bill (A9279A) said December 31, 2024, which is why older summaries give that date.

Maine. 38 M.R.S. 1614 bars selling "artificial turf containing intentionally added PFAS" from January 1, 2029, except turf sold "in used condition." A 2025 proposal for a moratorium on turf athletic fields was dropped in committee, as the Maine Morning Star reported.

Rhode Island. R.I. Gen. Laws 23-18.18-4 bars manufacturing or selling turf containing intentionally added PFAS from January 1, 2029. Its definition covers any material that simulates "grass, sod or lawn."

What about Maryland, Minnesota and Connecticut?

Maryland bans installing or selling playground surfacing with intentionally added PFAS from October 1, 2024, but its statute defines a playground as "a public outdoor recreation area for children." A backyard play area is outside it; our playground turf guide covers home surfacing. Maryland's HB 457 (2024) requires turf sellers to disclose maintenance and disposal costs and does not restrict PFAS.

Minnesota's statute does not mention turf; its 2025 list covers carpets defined as floor coverings. Its catch-all ban on any product with intentionally added PFAS starts January 1, 2032, as does Maine's. Connecticut's 2024 PFAS act lists product categories from 2028 and does not mention turf.

What should a "PFAS-free" claim come with?

None of the five enacted turf provisions sets a parts-per-million limit. Colorado, Maine and Rhode Island hinge on "intentionally added," New York on "contain or be treated with," and Vermont adds PFAS that enter during manufacturing. The only turf-specific number in any of these bills is in vetoed AB 1423, which counted PFAS at "20 parts per million, as measured in total organic fluorine." It is a sensible benchmark to ask about, not a legal standard anywhere.

The concern is mostly the yarn. As our fiber types guide explains, blades are extruded with processing aids, and fluoropolymer aids are the ones in question. A label reading only "PFAS-free" does not say how anyone knows. Ask for, in writing:

1. A manufacturer statement that no PFAS were intentionally added to the yarn, thatch, backing coating or recommended infill.
2. A lab report with a total organic fluorine result in ppm, the lab, the sample date and the component tested.
3. Confirmation that the report covers the style code on your quote, not a sister product.
4. For Vermont, a statement that no PFAS enter from manufacturing or processing.
5. The infill named separately; mineral infills avoid most chemical questions (see infill types).

Add these to your spec sheet review and to the written scope when you compare installer quotes.

Our rule of thumb

In Colorado from 2026, or Vermont or New York, treat PFAS documentation as a legal requirement for the product you buy. Elsewhere, treat it as a buying standard. A seller who cannot produce a fluorine result for the exact product has either not tested it or would rather not show you.

None of the five state texts orders existing turf removed. When you eventually replace an old lawn, see removal and recycling.

When does this page stop applying?

This table reflects statute texts we read in October 2026. It goes out of date when another state enacts a turf rule, when New York's date moves again, or when the 2032 catch-all bans arrive. Cities can act on their own where state law lets them. For the wider picture, including the EU infill restriction, see environmental impact.

Frequently asked questions

Is all artificial turf made with PFAS?

Not as a category. The concern centers on fluoropolymer processing aids used in extruding some plastic yarns, and testing has found fluorine in some turf samples, not all. That is why the laws target turf with intentionally added PFAS rather than turf itself. You cannot tell by look or feel, so the only way to know for a specific product is a manufacturer statement plus a total organic fluorine test on that product.

Can I order turf from another state if I live in Vermont?

Vermont's law bars a manufacturer from distributing non-compliant turf "for use in this State," not only selling it in a Vermont store. The duty sits with the manufacturer, not the homeowner, but you are the one left with the product, so ask for the documentation before you order.

Does Colorado's law cover replacing a section of turf?

The statute bars installing PFAS turf from January 1, 2026 and expressly allows maintaining turf installed earlier. It does not say where a patch ends and a new installation begins. A small patch sits closer to maintenance; a whole new lawn is an installation. Using a compliant product for any new material avoids the question.

Does New York ban PFAS turf in 2025?

No. The 2022 bill set December 31, 2024, which is why many summaries say 2025. The statute in force, ECL 27-3313, says December 31, 2026. Because carpet is defined to include artificial turf used as an exterior feature, a home lawn product counts.