Green turf, red tape: Salt Lake City man fights the city to keep his artificial turf

SALT LAKE CITY – For years, we've heard the calls to conserve water. A Salt Lake City resident thought he was doing his part when he replaced his front lawn with water-saving artificial grass.

But now the city is telling him the turf is against city code and must go, or it will cost him.

"I just want to be able to do what I want to do in my yard," Tony Hughes said.

Besides saving water, he has another reason for wanting the artificial turf: It's easier for him to navigate than the natural grass.

"It's almost impossible in a wheelchair – especially after rain," Hughes said. "It bogs down, it becomes mud and then you can't go anywhere."

That's why he paid a company this past summer to replace the grass in his front yard.

He was able to enjoy his synthetic sanctuary for about a week before a civil enforcement officer from the city showed up.

"We paid $11,000 for the front yard, and now they're telling us we have to tear it up," he said.

Banned in the city

Turns out, Salt Lake City banned artificial turf in the '90s.

Since then, the city has been locked in a megadrought. And Utah's population has shot up by over a million. That's a lot more people using a lot more water – more than 300 gallons of water per day for the average family, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Roughly 30% of that goes to keeping lawns green.

Despite the drought and population growth, the City Council chose to keep the ban on artificial grass in place when it updated the landscaping ordinances this March.

For Hughes, not complying could add up fast: A fine of $25 every day his fake turf stays in place.

The trouble with turf

So why not allow an alternative that stays green without water?

The city said it has to do with water flow and forever chemicals.

"Even though it has fill underneath, (artificial turf) doesn't absorb water as rapidly as say, a natural lawn. And so stormwater volumes increase on our areas with artificial turf," said Stephanie Duer, the conservation program manager for Salt Lake's Public Utilities department. "When that flow is off the artificial turf, it picks up with it microplastics, chemicals, including PFAS which is identified as a forever chemical."

Forever chemicals break down really slowly, if they break down at all. While they're great at making fake grass look lush, studies show they're bad for our health if they end up in our water supply.

"Many of them are carcinogenic that flows off that landscape into the storm drain and moves into our stormwater system and goes into our waterways," Duer said.

Still, natural grass isn't exactly pristine, either. Many Utahns douse their lawns with toxic fertilizers and pesticides that can also make their way to waterways.

"Many of the things that people do to treat their lawns are things that aren't necessary," Duer said.

Another reason the city restricts turf is its surface temperature can run hot – hot enough to raise air temperatures in a neighborhood.

"Artificial turf can be about 60 to 80 degrees hotter than the ambient air temperature," she said. "In fact, in one study, it was shown that artificial turf is hot as black rooftops."

When the KSL Investigators tested the artificial turf at Liberty Park on a hot July day a few years back, we got readings of 175, 178, even 185 degrees.

That turf was installed by Salt Lake City. So, why doesn't it have the same qualms about turf installed in a park or athletic field as it does about turf in someone's yard?

"I don't know if I have a specific answer for that," Michaela Oktay, deputy director of the city's planning division, said.

She did tell us the turf restrictions only apply to areas of property that are required to have landscaping. Artificial turf in a front yard, park strip or a corner side strip isn't allowed. But in homeowners' backyards, there are no restrictions because landscaping isn't required.

"I think there's definitely a balancing of allowing it and other areas on someone's property that water can be retained in a better fashion than in a front yard," Oktay said.

The growing turf war

Of Utah's 10 largest cities, only Provo joins Salt Lake in not allowing artificial turf where landscaping is required.

While Orem, Ogden, South Jordan, Sandy and West Jordan allow it, they have various restrictions on its use and location.

Artificial turf is allowed anywhere on a residential lot in Lehi, West Valley City and St. George.

Nationally, the New York State Legislature is mulling over a moratorium on new turf, pending environmental and health studies. In 2026, Colorado will ban it on most commercial, industrial and state-owned properties. And Los Angeles is also considering a ban as several other cities across the country have already enacted bans or severe restrictions.

Back in Salt Lake, there is one more reason the city restricts artificial turf: It might make your neighbor jealous. Or, in the city's words, "it creates a false expectation that a green lawn is attainable year-round."

What happens now

Hughes said with the city pulling his turf out from underneath him, his choice becomes either soil, mulch or rocks.

"I have nothing against that, but I'm handicapped," he said. "I need to be able to move around on it, and this is perfect for a handicapped person."

Oktay did tell us the city has allowed Hughes to apply for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act that would allow him to keep his synthetic grass. Hughes said he's still awaiting the decision and could pursue a legal challenge should his request be denied. However, he said the company that installed the turf on his front lawn has offered to replace it with another surface acceptable to the city at no additional cost.

Salt Lake City told KSL-TV that any homeowner with artificial turf in their front yard, corner side yard or park strip has until September 2025 to replace it. That's when the fines will start.

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