Bill > S459

Introduced Session

This bill would prohibit, beginning on January 1, 2026, persons from installing, planting, or placing, or allowing another person to install, plant, or place, any nonfunctional turf or invasive plant species on certain types of property during certain types of construction projects. Specifically, the bill would apply to the following types of property: any commercial, institutional, or industrial property, including schools and businesses; a street, right-of-way, parking lot, median, or transportation corridor; or any property owned by the State or any county, municipal, or local government unit. The projects covered under the bill would be: (1) a new construction project that requires a building or landscaping permit; or (2) a redevelopment project that requires a building or landscaping permit and involves the disturbance of at least 50 percent of the landscaped area of the property on which the project occurs. "Non-functional turf" is defined by the bill to exclude, among other things, turf that is used for recreational purposes, including playgrounds, sports fields, picnic grounds, amphitheaters, parks, and the playing areas of golf courses, such as driving ranges, chipping and putting greens, tee boxes, greens, fairways, and roughs. The bill would establish a list of the invasive species that would be covered by the bill's provisions. The bill would also direct the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Agriculture to develop a list, which may be more expansive from the list in the bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Raj Mukherji (D)*,  Brian Stack (D)*,  Vin Gopal (D),  Linda Greenstein (D),  Andrew Zwicker (D), 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document