Las Vegas Valley Water District Weighs Pushing Fines for Watering Nonfunctional Grass Back to 2028

What happened

Businesses, homeowners associations and other property owners who have been told to remove nonfunctional grass may get more time before fines kick in, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. At a Tuesday meeting of the Las Vegas Valley Water District board, officials said a proposed grace period would give them until at least January 2028 to comply.

The 2021 state law requires Southern Nevada water providers to adopt enforcement terms by Jan. 1. Water officials told the board they believe the law lets them adjust deadlines. The grace period still needs board approval.

Why officials want more time

A lot of turf remains

Spokesman Bronson Mack said the agency estimates about 20 million square feet of grass it considers nonfunctional is still in the Las Vegas Valley, according to the Review-Journal. "We know there's still a lot of turf out in the valley," said Colby Pellegrino, deputy general manager of resources at the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the water district. She said staff regularly find property owners who are unaware of the law, especially when owners are not local.

Different rules in different cities

The water district serves the city of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County and runs the Big Bend Water District in Laughlin. Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City each must decide how to enforce the law under their own water waste codes. Pellegrino said the goal is for all member agencies to set the same expectation "regardless of which side of the road you live on."

A Boulder City spokeswoman told the Review-Journal that water waste fines are in city code, but officials are still evaluating when fines could apply to nonfunctional grass. Henderson and North Las Vegas did not respond to the outlet's questions about enforcement.

Construction water could cost more

Home builders push back

The proposed service rule changes would also raise the cost of water used for construction. The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association objected in a formal letter, citing one member who would see a monthly bill increase of about $4,326, the Review-Journal reported. The group warned the change could raise housing costs and asked for delayed implementation.

Water officials respond

John Entsminger, general manager of the water authority and the water district, told the board he expects the overall effect on development to be minimal. Pending board approval, the district plans to wait until January 2028 to apply the construction rate change so projects already underway are not caught off guard. Pellegrino said the goal is not to slow growth but to encourage more attention to water waste on job sites, which can be hard to track.

The Colorado River backdrop

Pellegrino acknowledged that both the grass law and the construction rate increase can be controversial. She pointed to the possibility that the federal government could cut Nevada's share of the Colorado River by 71 percent at some point over the next 10 years, a move that has drawn a legal challenge. Readers can find more on recent Colorado River cuts to Nevada's share and other Southern Nevada water coverage.

Under the law, using water from Lake Mead to irrigate grass deemed nonfunctional becomes illegal at the start of next year. "If it's not this, it has to be something that holds," Pellegrino said of conservation measures, according to the Review-Journal.

What to watch next

• Whether a Clark County judge issues an injunction in the lawsuit challenging the water authority's enforcement of the grass law, a decision the Review-Journal reported was expected the following week.
• Whether the water district board approves the grace period that would push fines to at least January 2028.
• How Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City decide to enforce the law under their own water waste codes.
• Board action on the construction water rate increase, which the district plans to delay until January 2028.