California AB 1572 Compliance for Land Developers & AE Firms: What New Construction Projects Must Know

The core requirement is direct: beginning January 1, 2027, potable water may not be used to irrigate nonfunctional turf at state and local government properties, public schools, and public water systems – January 1, 2028, for commercial, industrial, institutional, and multifamily properties – January 1, 2029, for homeowners’ associations (HOAs), retirement communities, and mobile parks – and January 1, 2031, for local government properties located in disadvantaged communities. 

AB 1572 applies based on the date of landscape installation and irrigation operation, not the date of permit application. Projects that will be installing and activating irrigation systems after January 1, 2027 — regardless of when permits were pulled — must comply. This is a critical point for multiphase developments and projects with extended construction schedules. Engage your landscape architect to assess where your project sits relative to the compliance deadline.

MWELO remains the operative framework for landscape water use documentation in California — AB 1572 eliminates potable irrigation of nonfunctional turf as a permissible use within that framework. Your Landscape Documentation Package must reflect the AB 1572-compliant plant program and irrigation design. Hydrozone maps, MAWA calculations, and irrigation schedules all need to be updated to reflect the elimination of nonfunctional turf from the irrigated area. Jurisdictions with enhanced local MWELO ordinances may have additional documentation requirements beyond state baseline.

Yes, with qualification. AB 1572 restricts potable water irrigation of nonfunctional turf — it does not prohibit irrigation of nonfunctional turf with recycled water where locally available and permitted under Title 22. This is a project-specific determination that requires early coordination with the local water purveyor. Not all California service areas have recycled water infrastructure available at every project location, and the cost of extending recycled water service must be weighed against alternative xeriscaping solutions.

Turf areas that are regularly used for recreational or civic purposes are exempt from the ban. Athletic fields, children’s play areas, dog parks, civic lawns used for programmed events, and similar active-use turf areas are not classified as nonfunctional. However, the documentation burden falls on the project to demonstrate and maintain regular recreational use. Landscape architects should include a Landscape Program Narrative in the design package that characterizes functional turf areas and supports jurisdictional review.

Established xeriscape landscapes with California-native or regionally adapted plant palettes generally require significantly less maintenance than irrigated turf systems — reduced mowing, reduced fertilization, and reduced supplemental irrigation once plants reach establishment. The establishment period (typically 12 to 24 months post-installation) does require supplemental irrigation and monitoring. Projects should include an Establishment Irrigation Plan as part of the irrigation design package, distinct from the long-term operating irrigation program. Maintenance cost modeling done at the design phase allows property owners and asset managers to accurately project operating savings against the installed cost of the xeriscape program.

Yes. The transition from turf-heavy landscape programs to xeriscape and drip-irrigated planting zones has direct implications for irrigation point-of-connection sizing, mainline routing, and potentially meter size selection. Civil utility coordination packages should be revised when the landscape architecture team produces an AB-1572-compliant irrigation design, particularly on projects where the civil set was initially developed against a landscape concept that included significant irrigated turf areas. Evergreen Design Group coordinates directly with civil engineers on utility layout as part of standard project delivery to ensure these interdependencies are managed without rework cycles.

Yes. AB 1572 authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to establish a compliance certification process, and covered property owners are required to periodically certify compliance once their applicable deadline has passed. Development teams should build certification documentation into the landscape program narrative and maintenance plan from the outset, rather than treating it as a separate post-installation task.