CALIFORNIA STATE – Some familiar patches of green around the Bay Area are approaching a deadline: California will soon prohibit watering certain decorative lawns with drinking water.
The first restrictions begin January 1, 2027. But before you start worrying about your front yard, there’s a major distinction: ordinary residential lawns are exempt, including those at individual homes within homeowners associations. Shared HOA landscaping, however, can fall under the ban. California’s official FAQ explains that difference.
The change comes from Assembly Bill 1572, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in October 2023. Its watering restrictions are rolling out over several years.
Which Lawns Are Affected?
The law targets what California calls “nonfunctional turf” — grass that isn’t in a recreational area or community gathering space.
Think of a strip of mowed grass surrounding a business sign, a lawn inside a parking lot, or decorative turf behind a barrier that permanently keeps people out.
Grass used for recreation or community activities falls into a different category. Sports fields and gathering lawns can qualify as functional turf. The distinction is about how a space is used, rather than simply whether it has grass. The State Water Resources Control Board provides examples of both.
The restriction also concerns the water supply. AB 1572 prohibits using potable water — water suitable for drinking — on covered decorative lawns. It does not impose the same prohibition on irrigation with nonpotable recycled water.
California’s stated goal is to preserve drinking water for other uses and reduce the energy spent treating and delivering water to grass that people don’t directly use.
When Does the Ban Start?
January 1, 2027, is the first major deadline. It covers properties owned by California’s Department of General Services, along with most properties owned by local governments, local or regional public agencies, and public water systems.
Commercial and industrial properties, plus remaining institutional properties, follow on January 1, 2028.
Covered common areas within HOAs and similar developments face a January 1, 2029, deadline.
Certain properties owned by local governments, local public agencies, and public water systems in disadvantaged communities receive longer: January 1, 2031, or when state funding becomes available for conversion, whichever is later. Those dates are set out in California’s Water Code.
What About Trees and Existing Grass?
The law doesn’t require property owners to tear out their lawns. It restricts how covered grass can be watered.
It also allows watering necessary to keep trees and other perennial nongrass plants healthy, along with water needed to address immediate health and safety needs. Cemeteries are excluded from the prohibition.
For an HOA, the practical question is which shared lawns serve a recreational or community purpose and which are purely decorative. The state directs property owners with questions about specific lawns to their local water provider.
Violations can carry civil penalties. AB 1572 references a state enforcement provision allowing penalties of up to $1,000 per day, while also allowing penalties under locally adopted water-supplier rules. That is a potential penalty for covered violations, rather than an automatic fine for a homeowner running a sprinkler. California’s penalty provision establishes the daily maximum.
For residents with a typical private front or back lawn, AB 1572 doesn’t create a new watering ban. For businesses and associations maintaining decorative grass, the approaching deadlines make this a good time to review the landscaping.
