HOA common area conversions

Every HOA in the SNWA service area is facing the same deadline. From January 1, 2027, Colorado River water cannot irrigate nonfunctional turf on property not zoned exclusively for single-family residential use — which covers common areas, entry landscaping, streetscape strips and medians. Full detail on AB 356 here.

What typically has to go

• Entry monument landscaping and gatehouse surrounds
• Streetscape turf between curb and sidewalk
• Medians and traffic islands
• Decorative strips along walls and walkways
• Perimeter and buffer turf nobody uses

Functional recreational areas — where residents actually play — are treated differently.

Why boards choose turf over rock

Full desert conversion is compliant and cheaper. It is also what every other community will look like by 2027. Entry landscaping is the thing residents judge the neighbourhood by and buyers see first, and a well-designed turf panel keeps the green presentation while meeting the requirement.

Our usual recommendation is honest about the trade-off: turf where presentation matters and people see it daily, rock and planting everywhere else. That balances compliance, budget and curb appeal rather than pretending one answer fits every square foot.

Protect the trees

Worth raising with your board directly. Litigation in the valley has centred on turf removal changing how mature trees were watered, contributing to die-off. Agencies now stress that conversion should be paired with irrigation redesign rather than a scrape-and-rock job.

Mature canopy takes decades to replace and residents notice its loss immediately. We design conversions to keep existing trees on properly configured drip.

Rebate coordination

Commercial, HOA and multifamily properties are eligible under Water Smart Landscapes, though rates, caps and available funding differ from residential and change by fiscal year. Rebate dollars are finite and some categories carry annual caps.

The critical sequence is the same as residential: nothing gets removed before SNWA's pre-conversion site visit. SNWA has warned of waits of up to 14 working days just to be contacted for scheduling, longer in peak season. Rebate process detail.

What we give your board

• Written specification and scope for approval
• Product data sheets and warranty documentation
• Photographs of comparable installations
• Phased scheduling so common areas stay usable
• Invoices and documentation formatted for rebate submission

Move early

Every affected property in the valley shares one deadline. Approvals already take weeks, rebate funding is limited, and contractor capacity does not expand on demand. Communities that convert in 2026 will get better pricing and better scheduling than those still tendering in late 2027.

What it costs

HOA and commercial conversions are quoted per property. Square footage, access, caliche depth, irrigation redesign and phasing all move the number. Call and we will walk the property with you or your management company and put together something board-ready.