California is among the states that are hardest hit by droughts over several years recently. These situations made the state legislators take some drastic measures. Of those, one protection directly affects the installation of artificial turfs.
Earlier, HOAs had a say in making specific guidelines for homeowners regarding their synthetic lawns. But the AB 349 bill puts an end to these prohibitions.
Homeowner Associations or HOAs are organizations formed in specific neighborhoods, intending to provide a sense of balance among the residents.
As long as homeowners comply with their HOA’s by-laws, they will not incur any fines. Some rules can relate to:
Paints: A HOA board may ask the homeowners to submit their paint color choices for approval. The reason behind this is to prevent garish colors or that don’t blend well with the overall neighborhood aesthetic.
Design: Fencing, installing garages or sheds, and their sizes may need prior approval from the HOA.
HOA Fees: The HOA may collect some amount from the homeowners every month, which goes towards maintaining the common areas, repairs, upgrades of equipment, etc.
Pets: Certain pets or animals may not be welcome in some neighborhoods, such as backyard chicken coops that might create a farm-like atmosphere.
Home Maintenance: If a garden is full of tall grass and weeds, it will stick out in the community and decrease the real estate value of the property. Also, the neighbors may complain about the eyesore.
Noise Levels: If someone is blasting the music at high volumes during the nights or waking the entire neighborhood by moving their lawn too early on a Saturday morning, HOA has specific rules designed for such situations.
HOAs set significant rules and regulations that help protect the community and bring out its best appearance. One such rule is that homeowners should use natural grass for their lawns so that the neighborhood looks good.
However, maintaining lawns properly requires a lot of water, which will violate the state’s water usage laws.
So, during drought conditions, this rule is often broken. Property owners replace their lawns with drought-tolerant plants or even artificial turf until the problematic weather conditions are over and go back to using natural grass.
But with AB 349 states that HOAs cannot force homeowners to revert to natural lawns unless it is their choice.
The drought bill AB 349, signed by Governor Brown, prohibits California HOAs from imposing restrictions on artificial turf installation. Certain protections were already in place to help homeowners use “low-water landscaping.” However, AB 349 that took effect in early 2020 addresses synthetic grass directly.
Some HOAs may still hold the right to pass reasonable guidelines for the artificial turf or the type of synthetic material used as grass.
But the good news for homeowners is that the new law bans the HOAs from reversing their artificial turf or other water-saving landscaping measures after the end of the state of emergency.
So, as we advance into 2021, homeowners can expect their artificial grass to be permanent.
Not all artificial turf materials are equal, nor is everything welcomed by all HOAs. To get the best synthetic grass installation for 2021 and beyond, call Courts and Greens today at 661-585-4602!
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