The General Rule
Traditionally, CC&Rs required lush, uniform green lawns, sometimes explicitly banning artificial turf or rock/desert landscaping. As western states have faced worsening droughts, many have passed laws overriding these restrictions to encourage water conservation. Where such laws exist, HOAs cannot flatly prohibit drought-tolerant (xeriscape) landscaping or artificial turf, though they typically retain authority to set reasonable aesthetic standards — turf quality, installation method, maintenance, and prohibiting artificial turf that looks obviously fake or is poorly maintained. In states without these specific protections, standard landscaping restrictions in your CC&Rs still apply and ARC approval is usually required before making changes.
Arizona-Specific Rules
Arizona §33-1819 explicitly protects xeriscaping and low-water-use landscaping; most Arizona HOAs already default to desert landscaping given the climate.
Why Your CC&Rs May Be Different
State law sets the minimum floor — but your community's CC&Rs, bylaws, and board-adopted rules may be stricter, may include exceptions, or may have been amended recently. The only way to know exactly what applies to your community is to read your specific governing documents.
Most CC&Rs are 40–120 pages of dense legal language. Finding the exact section that answers your question can take 20–30 minutes — if you can find it at all.
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