Orange County Lawn Conflict

Two months into a state-declared drought, officials in the cities where artificial grass is prohibited are reconsidering the ban. Cities that tightly regulate the aesthetics of neighborhood yards are starting to reconsider whether artificial lawns really are a blight.

Residents are seeking to reverse policies banning artificial lawns, saying the rules conflict with water district rebates for water saving artificial turf. Garden Grove is one of five cities in Orange County—the others are Stanton, La Palma, Orange and Santa Ana—that for years have barred residents from putting in fake lawns.

Although most of the resistance has to do with the look of fake grass—particularly the older imitations—there have also been concerns over the level of lead found in some artificial grass. A U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report focusing on athletic fields concluded, however, that young children are not at risk from exposure to lead in newer artificial turf fields.

Officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a consortium of 26 cities and water districts in the region, said they didn’t know of any cities outside Orange County that ban fake lawns. In Garden Grove, many are baffled by the ban.

In Santa Ana, for instance, the city code says that “turf or acceptable dry climate ground cover is allowed in the frontyard,” Planning Manager Karen Haluza said. For years, that was interpreted to exclude artificial lawns, but city staff is revisiting the regulation. “Given today’s circumstances, I think we would make the interpretation that ‘dry climate ground cover’ would include artificial turf,” Haluza said. The city is developing guidelines to regulate the lawns.

In La Palma, city code calls for exactly “70-percent of the front yard” to be planted, which effectively prohibits artificial turf in that area, Community Development Director John Di Mario said. City staff is looking into changes that would allow artificial grass, but those adjustments would have to be approved by the City Council. In the meantime, the city is not actively enforcing the ban.

In Orange, officials said the code needs to be amended to specifically address artificial lawns. Garden Grove’s code is exhaustively detailed when it comes to what is and isn’t attractive in a lawn. It requires all “unpaved areas” to be planted and specifically prohibits “synthetic ground covers” and even artificial plants. The city takes aesthetics seriously but water shortages are forcing a new look at mandated greenery, Garden Grove Mayor William Dalton said. The City Council met recently to reconsider the ban but has yet to make a decision. In the meantime, it has asked staff to refrain from enforcing the ban. “We’re in a drought,” Dalton said. “Alternatives make a lot of sense.”

Source: Orange County Register