Start with your neighborhood association
In Stone Oak, association approval usually comes before anything else. Developers filed the Stone Oak master plan in 1985. Today about 6,500 residential and commercial owners belong to the Stone Oak Property Owners Association, split into 36 neighborhood associations. The master plan set standards such as sign and height limits, and changes to it need a majority vote of the POA.
Here’s how a Stone Oak project usually runs:
- We measure the yard and give you a quote and a site plan.
- You submit the plan to your neighborhood association with our spec sheet and a sample.
- Once it’s approved, we schedule the install.
What Texas law does and doesn’t cover
Texas law protects drought-resistant landscaping, but it doesn’t mention synthetic turf. Property Code § 202.007 bars an association from prohibiting drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf. The association can still require plans for aesthetic review, but it can’t unreasonably withhold approval. The statute is silent on artificial grass, so read your own association’s guidelines. A separate 2025 law, HB 517, limits when an association can fine you for a discolored lawn during watering restrictions. A 2025 bill on HOA grass requirements, HB 2269, did not pass.
Building on the north side
Parts of Stone Oak sit on the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. The USGS describes Bear Cave in Stone Oak Park as a site of substantial point recharge to the aquifer, and the park protects those features along with about 2.7 miles of trails. The Texas Master Naturalists describe far north Bexar County as thin soils over limestone, unlike the deep black clay closer to the center of the county. Shallow rock changes how we excavate and set the base. We plan for it at the site visit so the turf ends up flat and drains properly.
Backyard game and play areas
Backyard game areas, sport courts and play lawns are a natural fit for turf. For those spots we suggest Malibu Flow 65, which needs no infill, so nothing gets kicked onto the court or carried into the house. Under SAWS rules, which allowed sprinkler watering once a week on your day in early October 2026, a turf play area stays green without using any of that watering window.
