Artificial turf in Glen Kernan, FL, kept to the rear yard.

Small, in the back yard, and framed by planting.

Glen Kernan's Architectural Design Standards were released on April 7, 2025 and revised on June 22, 2026. Under Section 5G, turf is acceptable in small areas of the rear yard, such as around a pool deck, a spa or a putting green, paired with landscaping so the yard keeps a natural look. Turf in the front or side yard is prohibited, and so are artificial plants.

The standards set no square-foot figure for small, so the Architectural Review Board decides. Keep the turf tight to the pool deck, spa or green it serves, and draw planting beds along the edges a neighbor or the course can see. The board also weighs a plan's overall look, not only the written rules, so show the planting as clearly as the turf.

A green needs screening and a review of its own.

Under the rule on recreational structures, small putting greens may be allowed with proper landscape screening, and each one goes to the ARB for review. The community FAQ adds that the covenants prohibit basketball courts and trampolines.

The standards expect most homes here to be seen from all sides, particularly on golf-course lots. Put the green where the house, a hedge or a planted bed stands between it and the fairway, and show those plants on the same drawing as the cups.

Final-phase homesites run about 90 to 144 feet wide and 170 to 300 feet deep, but a deep lot still calls for a small green. Pick the putts you want to repeat, and we size the putting green and fringe to those, build the base for your soil and shape the break.

Florida's turf laws leave this standard in place.

State law bars an association from restricting turf that can't be seen from the frontage, an adjacent parcel, an adjacent common area or a community golf course (Fla. Stat. 720.3045). A back yard open to the fairway or the lot next door falls outside that, so Glen Kernan's rule applies.

Fla. Stat. 125.572 stops a local government banning turf that meets the state standard on single-family lots of 1 acre or less (Fla. Stat. 125.572), and DEP says its standard does not address HOA requirements (DEP). Your ARB still decides where turf goes. Our guide to turf and Florida HOAs goes further.

If the ARB turns a request down, it must say why in writing, naming the rule it relied on and the part of your plan that doesn't conform (Fla. Stat. 720.3035). That letter tells you what to redraw.

What goes in the request, and when work can start.

Changes to existing landscaping, sod included, must meet the current standards; grandfathering covers only what was approved before. Requests for an existing home go through the resident portal on the HOA website, glenkernanhoa.connectresident.com.

Show the turf, the beds around it, the trees you keep, drainage arrows and any easements. Patios and pools can't be built in an easement, so ask whether turf may sit in one. Lot coverage is capped at 35%, calculated to Duval County standards, so ask how the ARB counts turf; our guide to turf and impervious surfaces lists the questions.

Once a submittal is complete, the ARB aims to respond within 20 business days, and no deliveries or work may begin before its approval. We draw the layout with you on the free visit, you approve it, and that drawing goes with your request.

Work around the oaks, the lake edge and the approved grade.

The community FAQ says most homesites will be left natural. The standards bar fill and parking inside a tree's drip line during construction, and a preserved tree counted toward the planting requirement must be replaced if it fails within 12 months. Mark the drip lines before we set the turf edge; our Jacksonville page covers the state's rule for turf under a tree.

Land marked conservation on the plat is covered by St. Johns River Water Management District and Army Corps of Engineers permits that bar filling, digging and clearing. No lake or jurisdictional area may be filled or dug without written approval from the ARB and the agencies, and you maintain any lake bank inside your lot. Keep the turf back from both.

The ARB doesn't review drainage. Lots follow a Neighborhood Grading Plan approved by Duval County, and a change to that grade goes through the county's permit process. We build the base for your soil so rain soaks down and then follows the approved grade.

Sodded and planted areas must be irrigated by an automatic system on domestic water, though the same section also covers irrigation wells, so ask the ARB which source applies. Where turf replaces sod, show us that zone's spray heads so the beds around it keep their water.