Can an HOA or Business Replace Nonfunctional Grass With Artificial Turf Under AB 1572?

This page is for California property managers, HOA boards and business owners with decorative lawn on the AB 1572 list and quotes that call artificial turf "AB 1572 compliance." It sets out what the law requires, by when, and where synthetic turf fits.

What does AB 1572 actually require?

AB 1572 (2023) added Water Code section 10608.14. The State Water Board's FAQ, last updated July 29, 2026, summarizes it as a ban on "using drinking water to irrigate nonfunctional mowed grass" on properties owned by commercial, industrial and institutional entities, homeowners' associations, common interest developments and community service organizations. Cemeteries are not included.

The definitions do most of the work:

• Turf is "mowed grass used as a ground cover," per the Board, citing Title 23 section 491.
• Functional turf is mowed grass "located in a recreational use area or in a community space," such as a soccer field or a park lawn used for community events.
• Nonfunctional turf is all other mowed grass, including grass in street rights-of-way and parking lots and grass "enclosed by fencing or other barriers to permanently keep people out."

A September 2026 legal alert from Best Best & Krieger lists the functional side as sports fields, playgrounds, picnic grounds, pet exercise areas and spaces used for civic or social events. It adds that the ban does not reach recycled water, or potable water needed for trees, other perennial non-turf plantings or an immediate health and safety need.

The law does not apply to residential properties, including homes inside an HOA. It does apply to the HOA's common areas, meaning land not assigned to the exclusive use of one dwelling.

When do the deadlines hit, and who has to certify?

Certifications will be public on the Board's nonfunctional turf page.

Does AB 1572 allow artificial turf as the replacement?

It allows it by saying nothing about it. The Board's FAQ is direct: "This law does not mandate removing grass." Cal Water's AB 1572 page puts it the same way: owners are "not required to replace lawn by these dates, only to stop irrigating with potable water." Because the statute regulates irrigation of mowed grass, a synthetic surface that is never irrigated is simply outside it.

So each nonfunctional area has several legal outcomes: stop watering it, switch it to recycled water, convert it to low-water plants on drip (still allowed on drinking water), cover it with mulch or decomposed granite, install artificial turf, or make it genuinely functional, such as a designated picnic lawn or pet exercise area. The Board says it has no plans to rule on individual cases, so ask your retail water system whether a specific area counts as functional before you spend money reclassifying it.

Why do contractors and water agencies give opposite answers?

Turf installers say synthetic grass solves AB 1572, and they are right that it removes the irrigation. Water agencies point you to plants, and they are right that their rebates will not pay for turf. Each is describing its own product, not the law. The statute is neutral; the money and the local rules are not.

Which three gates can still block artificial turf?

The city. Government Code 53087.7, added in 2015 by AB 1164, stopped cities from banning synthetic grass "on residential property," according to the Assembly Local Government Committee analysis of SB 676. A business park or office campus was never inside that protection, and SB 676 removed it for homes too from January 1, 2024. Carmel-by-the-Sea has used that power across the board: Policy 2025-02, effective March 4, 2025 under Resolution 2025-027, prohibits "the installation, repair, or replacement of artificial turf in all zoning districts." Our California city turf bans table covers other cities' residential rules.

The rebate. Metropolitan Water District's Commercial Turf Replacement Program fact sheet (March 2024), which names the 2027 nonfunctional turf ban as its reason, pays from $2 per sq ft and states: "Artificial or synthetic turf is not allowed." It also requires three California Friendly plants per 100 sq ft, a stormwater retention feature, permeable hardscape only (mulch, decomposed granite), and an upgrade from spray irrigation. You must reserve before removing any grass, and areas already cleared are ineligible. Cal Water pays $1 per sq ft to agencies, multifamily properties, HOAs and commercial sites, and its lawn-to-garden rebate FAQ says artificial turf is ineligible and asks for three low-water plants per 100 sq ft.

The HOA board. Civil Code 4735 voids any governing-document provision that prohibits "the use of artificial turf or any other synthetic surface that resembles grass," so old CC&R language is rarely the obstacle. The board still decides common-area projects and budgets. Our HOA turf laws by state page covers what owners can install on their own lots.

What do most AB 1572 turf pitches get wrong?

They aim synthetic turf at exactly the wrong grass. Nonfunctional turf is, by definition, grass nobody uses: parking-lot borders, entry strips, fenced lawns. Artificial turf's real advantage is a usable surface. On grass that people walk, play or exercise dogs on, AB 1572 lets you keep watering. Turf there buys only appearance, at full price and with no rebate, and brings heat and replacement every 8 to 15 years.

Our rule of thumb: put synthetic turf only where people will use the surface but grass keeps failing (deep shade, compaction, heavy wear), and convert the purely decorative areas to rebated planting. Compare the long-run trade-offs in turf vs xeriscaping, and see turf heat before you put it beside a building entrance.

Run your own areas through the turf cost calculator, and see commercial landscape turf for the specification and maintenance contract if you do choose turf.

How does Colorado's approach differ?

Colorado took the other road. SB24-005, approved March 15, 2024, says that on and after January 1, 2026, local governments may not allow "the installation, planting, or placement of nonfunctional turf, artificial turf, or invasive plant species" on commercial, institutional or industrial property, common interest community property, or a street right-of-way, parking lot, median or transportation corridor. Artificial turf on athletic fields is exempt.

A management company running HOAs in both states gets opposite answers for the same entry-strip lawn. Colorado also bars installing turf with intentionally added PFAS on any property; see our PFAS turf laws by state.

When does this page stop applying?

It does not cover single-family homes, cemeteries or recycled-water areas, which AB 1572 leaves alone. Rebate terms change between budget years and city rules change by ordinance, so recheck both at permit time. For the wider California picture, see our California turf guide and the rebates, HOA and water rules checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Does AB 1572 make homeowners in an HOA remove their front lawns?

No. The State Water Board says residential properties, including those inside HOAs, are not subject to AB 1572. Only common areas are covered, from January 1, 2029. Your own yard can keep its lawn under this law, although your water agency's watering-day limits still apply.

Can a business simply stop watering and leave dead grass?

Under AB 1572, yes. The Board states that the law only prohibits irrigating nonfunctional grass with drinking water and does not mandate removal. Plan the end state first, though: Metropolitan's commercial rebate must be reserved before any grass is removed, and areas already cleared are ineligible, so clearing a dead lawn on your own forfeits the rebate for that area.

Is a dog area functional turf?

Pet exercise areas appear in the list of recreational uses that make grass functional, per the Best Best & Krieger summary, so a real, designated dog area can keep potable irrigation. If you convert one to synthetic turf anyway, our dog run installation guide covers drainage and cleaning.

Who enforces AB 1572, and can the deadline move?

Water systems, cities and counties may enforce it, and a city or county should notify the retail water system 30 days before acting against a property it serves. The State Water Board may postpone an owner's deadline by up to three years for economic hardship, critical business need and potential health or safety impacts; the Board says details on that process are still to come.