Pasadena Is Banning Tap-Water Sprinklers on Decorative Lawns at Businesses, City Properties and Some HOA Common Areas

Pasadena has adopted a ban on watering decorative grass with drinking water. The City Council approved an ordinance that covers businesses, public facilities and certain homeowners association common areas, Pasadena Now reported on Oct. 29, 2026. Nothing changes overnight, though: the rules phase in over several years, and the date for HOA common areas comes last.

For homeowners in single-family houses, the ordinance changes nothing. For anyone who lives in a community with shared landscaping, it sets a clock.

What the ordinance does

The new rules amend the Pasadena Municipal Code and prohibit using potable water to irrigate what the state calls nonfunctional turf. That is grass with an ornamental purpose, as opposed to lawn used for recreation or community gatherings. The ordinance applies to commercial, industrial and institutional properties, public facilities and certain common areas maintained by homeowners associations.

Pasadena Now reported that the council adopted it on second reading on Oct. 27, after introduction on Oct. 20, in a follow-up story on the adoption. The article also noted that the restrictions do not reach single-family homes or multifamily buildings without an HOA.

Why Pasadena had to act

The ordinance responds to California Assembly Bill 1572, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 13, 2023. According to the City of Pasadena’s Aug. 31, 2026 council agenda report, the law requires public water systems to update their local rules and notify customers by Jan. 1, 2027. Pasadena Water and Power General Manager David Reyes presented the item, and the Municipal Services Committee approved the staff recommendation unanimously on Aug. 25.

The same report said Pasadena Water and Power has been doing outreach since 2023 through workshops, emails, flyers, bill inserts and site visits, and that the changes carry no immediate impact on the Water Fund budget. Any related programs would draw on existing Water Fund appropriations, according to the report. Pasadena Water and Power will oversee implementation, including public education and possible incentive programs to help owners comply.

The dates that matter for each property type

The state law sets different start dates depending on who owns the grass, and the city’s report lays them out:

Properties owned by the state Department of General Services, local governments, public agencies and public water systems, outside disadvantaged communities, are covered starting Jan. 1, 2027. Other commercial, industrial and institutional properties follow on Jan. 1, 2028. Common areas of homeowners associations, common interest developments and community service organizations come under the ban on Jan. 1, 2029. Public properties in disadvantaged communities are covered no earlier than Jan. 1, 2031, depending on state funding for turf conversion.

Law firm Best Best & Krieger summarizes the same schedule and notes that a disadvantaged community is one where the annual median household income is below 80 percent of the statewide median.

What stays exempt

The ban targets grass that nobody uses. The State Water Resources Control Board describes functional turf, meaning mowed grass used for games, gatherings or park recreation, as outside the rule, and cemeteries are excluded from the commercial, industrial and institutional requirements.

Trees and other perennial plants are protected as well. Best Best & Krieger notes that potable water may still be used to maintain trees and other perennial non-turf plantings, as well as for an immediate health and safety need, and that irrigating with recycled water is not covered by the prohibition. Pasadena’s proposed code language, according to the city report, allows potable water where it is needed for tree and perennial plant health.

What HOAs will need to do

Larger properties also face paperwork. The city report said that owners with more than 5,000 square feet of irrigated area must certify compliance with the State Water Board, and Pasadena Now put the first certification deadlines at June 30, 2030 for commercial, industrial and institutional owners and June 30, 2031 for HOAs. The state’s own page notes that the certification form is still listed as “coming soon.”

The HOA side of the debate was visible in the public record. Pasadena Now reported that the president of an association on South Orange Grove Boulevard submitted a written comment that did not oppose the ordinance, but relayed neighbors’ worry that the Rose Parade route could end up with a patchwork of landscaping and the association’s expectation of special assessments.

The State Water Board has described the aim as ending the use of drinking water for something people do not directly use, Pasadena Now reported. For Pasadena associations, that leaves several years to decide whether to convert the grass to other plantings or keep it in areas designed for recreation and gatherings.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: “Lawn water hose sprinkler conservation (4)” by TCAtexas is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (illustrative image).