HOA Prohibiting Artificial Turf in Texas

Hi William,

According to Section 202.007 of the Texas Property Code:

“(a) A property owners’ association may not include or enforce a provision in a dedicatory instrument that prohibits or restricts a property owner from:

(1) implementing measures promoting solid-waste composting of vegetation, including grass clippings, leaves, or brush, or leaving grass clippings uncollected on grass;

(2) installing rain barrels or a rainwater harvesting system;

(3) implementing efficient irrigation systems, including underground drip or other drip systems; or

(4) using drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf.

(b) A provision that violates Subsection (a) is void.

(c) A property owners’ association may restrict the type of turf used by a property owner in the planting of new turf to encourage or require water-conserving turf.

(d) This section does not:

(1) restrict a property owners’ association from regulating the requirements, including size, type, shielding, and materials, for or the location of a composting device if the restriction does not prohibit the economic installation of the device on the property owner’s property where there is reasonably sufficient area to install the device;

(2) require a property owners’ association to permit a device described by Subdivision (1) to be installed in or on property:

(A) owned by the property owners’ association;

(B) owned in common by the members of the property owners’ association; or

(C) in an area other than the fenced yard or patio of a property owner;

(3) prohibit a property owners’ association from regulating the installation of efficient irrigation systems, including establishing visibility limitations for aesthetic purposes;

(4) prohibit a property owners’ association from regulating the installation or use of gravel, rocks, or cacti;

(5) restrict a property owners’ association from regulating yard and landscape maintenance if the restrictions or requirements do not restrict or prohibit turf or landscaping design that promotes water conservation;

(6) require a property owners’ association to permit a rain barrel or rainwater harvesting system to be installed in or on property if:

(A) the property is:

(i) owned by the property owners’ association;

(ii) owned in common by the members of the property owners’ association; or

(iii) located between the front of the property owner’s home and an adjoining or adjacent street; or

(B) the barrel or system:

(i) is of a color other than a color consistent with the color scheme of the property owner’s home; or

(ii) displays any language or other content that is not typically displayed by such a barrel or system as it is manufactured;

(7) restrict a property owners’ association from regulating the size, type, and shielding of, and the materials used in the construction of, a rain barrel, rainwater harvesting device, or other appurtenance that is located on the side of a house or at any other location that is visible from a street, another lot, or a common area if:

(A) the restriction does not prohibit the economic installation of the device or appurtenance on the property owner’s property; and

(B) there is a reasonably sufficient area on the property owner’s property in which to install the device or appurtenance; or

(8) prohibit a property owners’ association from requiring an owner to submit a detailed description or a plan for the installation of drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf for review and approval by the property owners’ association to ensure, to the extent practicable, maximum aesthetic compatibility with other landscaping in the subdivision.

(d-1) A property owners’ association may not unreasonably deny or withhold approval of a proposed installation of drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf under Subsection (d)(8) or unreasonably determine that the proposed installation is aesthetically incompatible with other landscaping in the subdivision.

(e) This section does not apply to a property owners’ association that:

(1) is located in a municipality with a population of more than 175,000 that is located in a county in which another municipality with a population of more than one million is predominantly located; and

(2) manages or regulates a development in which at least 4,000 acres of the property is subject to a covenant, condition, or restriction designating the property for commercial use, multifamily dwellings, or open space.”