"This is really just the beginning," Colby Pellegrino, deputy general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, told the Review-Journal in late September. She was describing the fines the district plans to issue next year for watering decorative grass.
For much of the valley, that sounds right. Under Nevada's AB 356, properties covered by the law have to remove nonfunctional turf before December 31, 2026. Starting January 1, 2027, Colorado River water can no longer irrigate it. That leaves 88 days from today. Inside the Anthem Country Club gate, though, the work the deadline demands started long before the deadline was on most people's radar. So the questions left here are different ones.
The Grass The Law Leaves Alone
Single-family yards are outside the law. If you own a home in Anthem Country Club, AB 356 does not reach your own lawn.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority's definitions also explain why the fairways aren't going anywhere. Turf counts as functional when it has a recreational use. SNWA lists golf course play areas as functional, and it defines those areas to include:
- tee boxes
- fairways and rough
- greens
- chipping and putting greens
- driving ranges
The law targets grass that only looks nice. That means streetscapes, medians, strips beside buildings, and HOA-managed areas that offer no recreation. The Review-Journal put the street-level rule in its plainest form: the law covers grass in medians and grass within 10 feet of a road.
Anthem Country Club's Head Start, In Numbers
In June 2023, the City of Henderson created a Water Conservation Award and gave the first one to Anthem Country Club. The city credited the club with these conversions:
| Conversion | Square feet | Water saved per year |
|---|---|---|
| Grass removed, which the city called "useless" | 362,611 | 19,943,605 gallons |
| Grass replaced with artificial turf | 1,795 | 131,035 gallons |
| Grass converted to water-smart grass | 1,793,590 | 39,458,980 gallons |
| Total | 59,533,620 gallons |
Set those figures against what's left valley-wide. As of late September 2026, SNWA estimated that 20.5 million square feet of nonfunctional turf remains, spread across 1,919 properties. That's about 6.5 percent of the valley's remaining grass outside single-family homes. The 362,611 square feet Anthem Country Club had removed by 2023 equals more than a sixtieth of that remaining total, all from one community.
The larger number in the table is the converted grass, not the removed grass. Almost 1.8 million square feet stayed green and switched to water-smart grass. That's why the community can show a large conservation record without looking stripped bare.
Henderson's own statement put it this way: "It's not an easy feat to completely transform large areas to be water smart." That comes from Priscilla Howell, the city's Director of Utility Services, speaking about the club's work.
One caution about this record. The award is from 2023, and no public 2026 status report for the community turned up. The award documents a large head start. It does not certify that every square foot inside the gate already meets the law.
The Neighbors Moved Early Too
The same pattern runs through the wider Anthem area. In February 2024, Henderson recognized Sun City Anthem for removing 109,300 square feet of decorative grass. The city said that saves 6.5 million gallons a year, and that Sun City Anthem had saved more than 150 million gallons since its projects began in 2018.
The city's own parks nearby show the same thing. Henderson's water conservation project list marks these Anthem-area conversions complete:
- Anthem Hills Park on North Reunion Drive: 81,562 square feet of turf removed, with an estimated 4,485,910 gallons saved per year
- Reunion Trails: 22,000 square feet converted, with a projected 440,000 gallons saved per year
So the deadline has a different feel in this part of Henderson. In much of the valley, December means fresh construction fencing along the medians. Around Anthem, the big changes are already a few seasons old.
Elsewhere In Henderson, The Timing Has Been Harder
Areas that started later have had a rougher go of it. Near Wingbrook Park in Green Valley Ranch, a resident told News 3 in February that she and dozens of neighbors had asked their HOA to file a waiver exempting the park from turf removal. "And that was rejected," she said. That same month, a judge extended a restraining order against SNWA. It covered only the households named as plaintiffs, and turf removal went on everywhere else.
That lawsuit is still open. In April, the Nevada Supreme Court declined SNWA's request to end the case, though it did not rule on the merits. On July 28, 2026, a federal judge sent the case back to Clark County state court. In August, the plaintiffs asked for a valley-wide injunction covering three groups. One group would be HOAs and golf courses. As of September 28, the hearing on that request had been canceled and not rescheduled. No extension of the December 31 deadline has been announced.
Who Writes The Fines For Henderson Addresses
This is the part of the story that's still unsettled, and it bears directly on Anthem Country Club. SNWA has no enforcement power of its own. Enforcement belongs to its member agencies, and each one is on its own timeline.
| Water provider | Enforcement status, as of late September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Las Vegas Valley Water District, serving Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County | Proposed fines from $80 for a first violation on a standard residential-size meter up to $5,120 for a fifth violation on the largest meter. First violations expected about 30 days into 2027 |
| City of Henderson | Spokesperson said the city is finalizing an enforcement strategy consistent with the other agencies |
| North Las Vegas | Considering the same fee structure. No final decision |
| Boulder City | Did not respond before publication |
The widely reported fine schedule belongs to the Las Vegas Valley Water District, and even that schedule is only proposed. The district's notice puts board review of the business impact statement on November 3 and a public hearing on December 1. The rules take effect January 1, 2027, only if they're approved. Anthem Country Club is a Henderson water customer, so the number that will matter here hasn't been published yet.
The Trees Are The Open Question
The lawsuit's most serious claim is about shade. Plaintiffs' attorneys argue that conversions have killed tens of thousands of trees and left roots exposed. SNWA disputes that. Whatever the courts decide, mature trees are the part of a converted street that takes the longest to replace. Henderson's AB 356 guidance focuses on protecting them. Its recommendations:
- Schedule conversion work in the cool season.
- Avoid trenching beneath tree canopies.
- Apply mulch properly and protect the base of each tree.
- Run drip irrigation under the whole canopy, not just at the trunk.
- Put mature trees on separate irrigation controls.
- Consult a certified arborist.
October falls inside the cool-season window the city recommends. Over the summer, University of Nevada, Reno Extension held a July 30 webinar on this same subject: how lawn removal affects established trees and how to spot tree stress afterward.
What The Rebates Look Like Now
Some homeowners may consider converting their own yards even though the law doesn't require it. Others may want to know what their HOA's remaining projects could recover. SNWA's Water Smart Landscapes program currently pays these rates:
- HOAs, businesses and multifamily properties: $5 per square foot for the first 10,000 square feet and $1.50 per square foot after that. SNWA lists no overall cap or limit on project phases.
- Single-family properties: $5 per square foot for the first 10,000 square feet and $2.50 after that, per property per fiscal year.
- Trees: a $100 bonus for each qualifying new tree.
Every rebate requires an inspection before any grass comes out. Henderson offers a separate payment of up to $575 for single-family parcels that convert functional turf, depending on funding and program conditions. HOA common areas covered by AB 356 aren't eligible for it. None of this is legal or financial advice. The water authority and the city are the final word on any project's eligibility.
If you'd like help understanding how water rules, landscape changes, or HOA projects show up when an Anthem Country Club home is listed or under contract, Brenda Beltran / Infinity Brokerage is glad to walk you through it in English or Spanish. Schedule a personal consultation, and we'll go through what's been completed inside your gate and what Henderson still has to decide.
