Real DFW yards, before and after
Highland Park regulates turf harder than any town we serve
Town Code section 3.01.002, adopted as Ordinance 1893 in 2012 and amended by Ordinance 2143 in April 2025, prohibits artificial turf in the front yard and in any yard where any portion of the turf is visible from the town streets, sidewalks, parkways or alleys. It also requires a building permit with a scaled plan before installation, and it specifies the material: lead-free polyethylene or vegetable-based fibres, with nylon and plastic expressly prohibited, and residential blade height between one and a half and two and a half inches. That is a genuine product specification written into a municipal code, and most turf on the market does not meet it. We build Highland Park installs to that section or we do not quote them.
The one town where summer irrigation also inflates your sewer bill
Almost every city in Dallas-Fort Worth averages residential sewer over the winter months, so watering the lawn in August hits the water line only. Highland Park does not. Sewer here is billed flat against metered water, which means every thousand gallons you put on the lawn is charged twice. On the large lots and mature landscapes of the Park Cities that is a meaningful annual number, and it is the strongest financial argument for turf anywhere in our service area.
What a Highland Park install involves
- Permit and scaled plan: section 3.01.002 requires a building permit with a scaled plan before installation. We prepare and submit it.
- Material spec to code: lead-free polyethylene or vegetable-based fibres only. Nylon and plastic are prohibited by ordinance. Blade height one and a half to two and a half inches for residential.
- Screened from every approach: front yards are out, and so is any area visible from a street, sidewalk, parkway or alley. Alleys matter here more than anywhere else we work.
- Mature root zones hand-worked: the Park Cities canopy is the reason grass fails here. We work around surface roots rather than cutting through them.
- Blackland clay base: Highland Park sits on the same Houston Black system as the rest of central Dallas. Base depth and compaction do the drainage work, not the soil.
- Honest scope up front: if what you want is a green front lawn, the answer in Highland Park is no. We will say so on the phone rather than after a site visit.
Where we work in Highland Park
We work throughout Highland Park and the surrounding Park Cities streets, where the pattern is consistent: large mature trees, deep shade, and a back or side yard that has not held grass in years. The town is almost entirely pre-war and mid-century housing, so the canopy is fully established and the light beneath it is not enough for Bermuda or St. Augustine no matter how the irrigation is set. Screened back yards, courtyards, pool surrounds and dog runs are where turf earns its place here.
Highland Park specifics
Is artificial turf allowed in Highland Park?
Only where it cannot be seen. Town Code section 3.01.002 prohibits it in the front yard and in any yard where any portion is visible from the town streets, sidewalks, parkways or alleys. A building permit with a scaled plan is required, and the ordinance specifies lead-free polyethylene or vegetable-based fibre with nylon and plastic prohibited.
Is University Park the same?
No, and this catches people out. The Park Cities are not a matched pair on turf. Highland Park has a detailed ordinance; University Park has no artificial turf provision in its code at all. If you are on the wrong side of the line from where you thought, the answer changes completely.
What blade height does the ordinance require?
One and a half to two and a half inches for residential installations. That is written into section 3.01.002, not a preference of ours.
Why is my water bill so high in summer?
Because Highland Park bills residential sewer flat against metered water rather than averaging it over winter, which is unusual in this region. Irrigation is charged on both the water and sewer lines. Removing the irrigated area removes both.
Nothing grows under our trees. Is that fixable?
Turf performs the same in deep shade as in full sun, so yes, in the areas the ordinance allows. The work is in the base and the root zone. See drainage over North Texas clay.
Can my HOA stop me even if the city allows it?
Yes. Texas Property Code section 202.007 protects drought-resistant landscaping and water-conserving natural turf; it does not name artificial or synthetic turf, and HB 2269 died in committee in 2025. City permission and HOA permission are separate gates. Our HOA approval guide covers what a submission that gets approved actually contains.
Will it drain properly over our soil?
That depends entirely on the base, not the turf. Most of Dallas–Fort Worth sits on clay that absorbs water at roughly 0.03 inches an hour, while parts of the western suburbs are Cross Timbers sandy loam that behaves completely differently. See turf drainage over North Texas soils for how we build for each.
We have dogs. Will it smell?
Not if the infill is right. Odour comes from uric acid held in the infill rather than from the fibres, and raw silica sand is the usual culprit. See pet turf installation and why pet turf smells.
What will it cost?
Pricing tracks the wider Dallas–Fort Worth market, with access, base work and demolition as the main variables. Put your square footage into the turf cost estimator for an installed range with no email required.
Can I still over-seed for a green winter lawn in Highland Park?
Not right now, and turf makes the question moot. Highland Park is currently in Stage 1, which prohibits over-seeding with cool-season grasses and hydro-mulching except for new construction or erosion control. That is exactly how many Park Cities lawns stayed green through winter. Artificial turf stays green without over-seeding at all.
Is turf good for dogs in a Highland Park backyard?
Yes. We install pet-rated turf with high-flow drainage and antimicrobial odor-control infill specifically for dog homes. Urine drains straight through the backing instead of pooling, so it doesn’t create smell or mud. Hose it down and it’s clean. Pet yards are some of our highest-rated installs.
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