# Texas HOA Landscaping Rules: Drought Plants, Turf, and Rain Barrels (2026) > Texas Property Code 202.007 voids any covenant that prohibits drought-resistant landscaping, water-conserving natural turf, rain barrels or a rainwater harvesting system, efficient irrigation, or composting of vegetation. A property owners association can ask to review a drought-resistant planting plan to check that it fits the look of the subdivision, and it can regulate the size, type, and materials of a visible rain barrel, but it cannot unreasonably deny the plan or write rules that price the install out of reach. For a buyer, a CC&R that demands live turf grass only, or bans gravel and xeriscape, is likely unenforceable, and the architectural guidelines tell you what the board can still ask for. _Source: https://hoanotes.com/hoa/texas/landscaping/ | Last reviewed 2026-06-03_ ## What the law protects Texas Property Code 202.007 names the water-conservation practices a property owners association cannot ban: composting of vegetation, rain barrels and rainwater harvesting systems, efficient irrigation, drought-resistant landscaping, and water-conserving natural turf. A covenant that prohibits any of these is void. The board keeps room to manage appearance. It can ask an owner to submit a plan for drought-resistant landscaping and review it for aesthetic fit with the rest of the subdivision, and it can regulate the size, type, and materials of a visible rain barrel, as long as the rules do not block an economical install. What it cannot do is unreasonably withhold approval or label a conforming xeriscape plan incompatible. ## Why a buyer should care Water-wise yards lower a water bill and survive a drought restriction that would brown out a traditional lawn. Section 202.007 protects them, so the real question in the packet is the gap between an old document and current law. A CC&R that still requires a green lawn year-round is unenforceable on that point, but a board that keeps trying to enforce it can turn ownership into a fight. ## What to check in the disclosure packet Read these together before you make an offer: - The CC&Rs and rules for 'live turf grass only' language or bans on gravel, rock, mulch, or artificial turf, which are likely void. - The architectural guidelines for any approved plant list and the rain-barrel rules the board can enforce. - Recent board minutes for landscaping disputes, fines, or denied plans. - Whether the approval process for a planting plan has a clear timeline. ## Why this matters to your offer A board that fines low-water yards in a state that protects them is a governance signal, and a document that still bans them is a sign it has not kept up with the law. An HOA Notes brief reads the CC&Rs, the architectural guidelines, and the minutes together, flags the landscaping rules that conflict with the Property Code, and cites the page behind every finding. ## What the statute says **Texas Property Code section 202.007** (Water conservation and landscaping). An association may not prohibit or restrict a property owner from installing rain barrels or a rainwater harvesting system, using efficient or drip irrigation, using drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf, or composting vegetation; any such provision is void. The association may regulate the size, type, shielding, and materials of visible rain barrels or harvesting devices, require an approved drought-resistant plant list, and prohibit rain barrels in front yards or on common areas -- provided regulations do not economically prohibit installation. ## Texas HOA landscaping rules: common questions ### Can a Texas HOA require me to keep a grass lawn? No. Texas Property Code 202.007 voids a covenant that bans drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving turf. The HOA can review your plan for appearance but cannot force a traditional grass lawn. ### Can a Texas HOA ban rain barrels? No. It can regulate the size, type, and materials of a visible rain barrel, but only in a way that does not block an economical install where there is room for one. ### Can the HOA reject my xeriscape design? Only for a reasonable, appearance-based reason. It cannot unreasonably deny a drought-resistant plan or call a conforming plan aesthetically incompatible. ### The CC&Rs require live turf. Does that bind me? That provision is most likely void under 202.007. Confirm the current rules, but a blanket turf requirement is a sign the document is out of date. ## Sources (verified 2026-06-03) 1. Texas Property Code section 202.007 (certain restrictive covenants prohibited), Texas Statutes, Texas Legislature. Verified 2026-06-03. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.202.htm 2. Texas Property Code PROP section 202.007, FindLaw. Verified 2026-06-03. https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/property-code/prop-sect-202-007/ 3. Texas Property Code Section 202.007, Certain Restrictive Covenants Prohibited, Texas Public Law. Verified 2026-06-03. https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._prop._code_section_202.007 HOA Notes is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.