Newport Beach has stopped using synthetic herbicides to control weeds on city-maintained athletic fields and will instead rely on organic treatments, mechanical weed removal and periodic replacement of the grass, city officials announced Wednesday.
The City Council approved the new Athletic Field Sod Management Program, which calls for athletic fields to be stripped, leveled and covered with new sod approximately every three to five years, depending on their condition and amount of use.
Between sod replacements, weeds will be controlled through organic turf treatments and mechanical removal, officials said.
Newport Beach maintains about 1.9 million square feet of athletic field turf. City officials said the sod replacement schedule is intended to address weeds and deterioration caused by heavy use while maintaining safe and playable fields.
The program follows a pilot project launched at the Buffalo Hills Park athletic field in December 2025. Under the pilot program, the existing turf was removed, the playing surface was leveled and hybrid Bermuda sod was installed, officials said.
The field was then maintained using organic treatments and mechanical weed-control methods instead of synthetic herbicides.