The 2021 Nevada Legislature enacted AB 356, prohibiting use of Colorado River water delivered by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) member agencies to irrigate useless grass (nonfunctional turf) not zoned exclusively for single-family residences effective Jan. 1, 2027.

Learn more. 

Southern Nevada Water Authority Nonfunctional Turf Removal Advisory Committee (snwa.com)

The following must remove nonfunctional, useless, decorative grass: 

• Office parks
• Businesses
• Industrial facilities
• Commercial facilities
• Golf Courses
• Multi-family housing 
• HOA's 
• Churches and religious organizations
• Environmental organizations
• Local governments

AB 356 does not apply to grass at single-family residences, nor functional grass at schools and parks.

Definition of Nonfunctional Turf
“Nonfunctional turf” or "useless grass" means an irrigated grass area not providing functional use. Areas of nonfunctional turf include, but are not limited to:

• Streetscape Turf: Grass located along public or private streets, streetscape sidewalks, driveways and parking lots, including turf within a community, park and business streetscape frontage areas, medians, and roundabouts.

• Frontage, Courtyard, Interior and Building-Adjacent Turf: Grass in front of, between, behind or otherwise adjacent to a building or buildings located on a property not zoned exclusively for single-family residence, including maintenance and common areas.

• Certain HOA-Managed Landscape Areas: Turf managed by a homeowner association that does not provide a recreational benefit to the community or that otherwise does not qualify as Functional Turf, regardless of property zoning. 

Definition of Functional Turf
“Functional Turf” means an irrigated grass area that provides a recreational benefit to the community and is:

• Located at least 10 feet from a street, installed on slopes less than 25 percent and not installed within street medians, along streetscapes or at the front of entryways to parks, commercial sites, neighborhoods, or subdivisions.

   

• Active/Programmed Recreation Turf, athletic fields, designated use area turf, golf course play areas, some pet relief turf, playground turf or resident area turf.

Additional Functional Turf Definitions
The following are abbreviated definitions. For a complete list of definitions and clarifications, visit snwa.com.

• Active/Programmed Recreation Turf: Grass used for recreation that is 1,500 contiguous square feet or greater; co-located with facilities; located at least 10 feet from a street or interior-facing parking lot.

• Athletic Field Turf: Grass used for sports or physical education that is 1,500 contiguous square feet or greater; not less than 30 feet in any dimension; and located at a school, daycare, religious institution, recreation center, senior center, park or water park.

• Designated Use Area: Grass designated for special use at cemeteries and mortuaries.

• Golf Course Play Area: Grass in driving ranges, chipping and putting greens, tee boxes, greens, fairways and rough.

• Pet Relief Area: Grass at a property providing commercial and retail services for pets, such as veterinarian and boarding facilities. The area must not exceed 200 square feet.

• Playground Turf: Grass in designated play areas with playground amenities, including but not limited to slides, swings and climbing structures on homeowner association owned/managed property or at a public park, water park, school, daycare, recreation center or religious institution. Playground turf may be located less than 10 feet from a street if fenced.

• Resident Area Turf:  Grass up to 150 square feet per dwelling unit at multi-family residential properties, commercial/multi-family mixed use properties, extended stay hotels/motels, or assisted living and rehabilitation centers used by tenants for recreation or leisure. May not be located in parking lots, streetscapes or other non-accessible areas.

Any establishment may apply for a waiver for functional turf that provides a recreational benefit to the community and meets the functional turf definition.

For information about the waiver process, visit snwa.com.

Waiver applications must demonstrate turf substantially complies with the Functional Turf definition as indicated by:

• Activity type
• Activity appropriate dimensions
• Number of persons served and use frequency
• Location in proximity to similar turf areas
• Public access and proximity to roadways
• Presence of facilities and/or other recreational amenities
• Irrigation efficiency

The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) offers a cash incentive of up to $3 a square foot to replace grass landscapes with drip-irrigated trees and plants through the Water Smart Landscapes (WSL) rebate (some restrictions apply).