Guides · California · landscaping

Can a California HOA make you keep your lawn?

It cannot ban the alternatives. California voids any governing document provision that prohibits low water-using plants in place of turf, or artificial turf that resembles grass. What your association keeps is design review, not a veto over the category.

What the law says

Cal. Civ. Code § 4735(a)

Your HOA cannot ban low water-using plants or artificial turf in place of a lawn (Civil Code § 4735).

A governing document or architectural or landscaping guideline is void and unenforceable if it prohibits, or has the effect of prohibiting, low water-using plants as a group or as a replacement for turf, or artificial turf or another synthetic surface that resembles grass.

Read the statute

The distinction that matters

“You may not replace your lawn with drought-tolerant planting” is unenforceable. “Submit a plan, and here are our standards for edging, plant coverage, and materials” generally is not. Most disputes are really about the second dressed up as the first, and they resolve when the application arrives with a real planting plan instead of a description.

During a declared drought emergency

The statute also protects owners who cut back watering while the Governor has declared a drought emergency, and an owner who installed water-efficient landscaping in response to such a declaration is not required to tear it out when the emergency ends.

Giving your plan the best chance

A plan drawn to scale, showing what is removed and what replaces it.
Plant list with mature sizes and coverage — sparse gravel is what gets denied.
Product details and a photo sample for artificial turf, including pile and color.
How edges, borders, and irrigation changes are handled.

The landscaping application checklist lists what committees usually ask for, and what to do if you get a denial.

wHOA handles this for you. We prepare the application, submit it the way your association accepts submissions, track the deadline that applies, and follow up until there's a decision. Free if your contractor works with us. Request a free pre-check or see how it works for contractors.

This is general information about the law in your state, not legal advice about your situation. Talk to an attorney before relying on it.

Statutes reviewed September 2026. Laws change; verify before relying on this.