Senate committee sends turf‑limiting bill to floor after debate over landscaping, water use

Summary

House Bill 11‑13, which would expand limits on nonfunctional turf to new multifamily residential development and require local governments to adopt turf policies by 2028, was amended and advanced to the Committee of the Whole after testimony from conservation groups, local officials and turf industry representatives.

The Agricultural Natural Resources Committee voted 5–2 to advance House Bill 11‑13, a bill that would expand limits on nonfunctional turf to new multifamily residential developments and require local jurisdictions to adopt policies addressing turf in new and redeveloped single‑family properties by 2028.

Sponsor Senator Dylan Roberts said the bill builds on last year’s Senate Bill 5 and is intended to reduce unnecessary outdoor water use by encouraging developers and communities to favor low‑water landscaping alternatives. “We know we face, increased demands on our state's water supply, and nonfunctional turf is a major user of water,” Roberts said.

The bill applies only to new development and re‑development after its effective date and does not require removal of existing turf, Roberts…

Senate committee sends turf‑limiting bill to floor after debate over landscaping, water use

Summary

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