What base goes under artificial turf in Central Florida's sandy soil?

In Kissimmee and the rest of Osceola County, the base under artificial turf is 2 to 4 inches of washed, open-graded crushed rock or crushed concrete, compacted firm over graded native sand. Florida's turf rule, in force since May 19, 2026, requires that subgrade material washed before installation, which is why limerock road base, crushed-concrete fines and decomposed granite are out; they bind into a crust once compacted.

Reviewed by Luis Austin, owner · Last reviewed September 21, 2026

Why can't you just use the same limerock people use for driveways?

Ordinary driveway base, sometimes sold as limerock road base, and crushed-concrete screenings both carry a lot of fine dust mixed in with the larger stone. Compacted under a driveway that's a feature, not a flaw, because it sets up hard and stays put under a car. Under artificial turf, that same dust binds together when it gets wet and forms a crust that water can't pass through, which is exactly what Florida's turf rule is written to prevent: subgrade material has to be washed before installation to keep fines from binding (Rule 62-308.100, F.A.C.).

What base material is actually allowed?

Base material under artificial turf: what's compliant and what isn't
Material	Permeable once compacted?	Compliant with Rule 62-308.100?	Why
Washed, open-graded crushed rock	Yes	Yes	Fines are washed out before it ever reaches the yard
Washed crushed concrete	Yes	Yes	Same principle as washed crushed rock; the rule names both
Limerock road base (with fines)	No, once compacted	No	Unwashed fines bind into a crust that blocks percolation
Crushed-concrete screenings/fines	No	No	Same binding problem as unwashed limerock
Decomposed granite	No	No	Not a crushed rock or crushed concrete material, and binds similarly
Bare native sand, no base	Loose but unstable	Not a real subgrade	Ruts and settles unevenly under foot traffic without a compacted layer above it

Compliance column reflects our reading of Rule 62-308.100's subgrade and permeability requirements, effective May 19, 2026.

What's actually native under a Kissimmee-area yard?

Much of Osceola County sits on flatwoods soils in the Myakka, Smyrna and Immokalee series, all very deep, sandy soils with a seasonally high water table and a hardened spodic layer at some depth that slows how fast water moves through (Myakka series description; Smyrna series description; Immokalee series description). Head toward the Polk and Lake county ridge and the soil changes to Candler series, deep, excessively drained sand with almost no water-holding capacity at all (Candler series description). A base built the same way performs differently over these two soil types: on Myakka or Immokalee, the base does more of the drainage work because the native soil beneath is slow to accept water; on Candler, the native sand alone drains fast and the base mainly provides a stable, level surface to seam turf onto.

Soil series vary by parcel, not just by city. USDA Web Soil Survey gives a specific reading for any address; we check it before quoting a job.

How deep should the base be, and how hard do you compact it?

A standard residential build uses 2 to 4 inches of washed, open-graded base, spread and compacted in the top layer only. The rule is specific about the layer underneath: soil beneath the installed subgrade can't be compacted to the point that it hurts percolation (Rule 62-308.100(4)(c), F.A.C.), so the goal is a firm, stable base on top without pounding the native sand below it into something water can no longer pass through. A geotextile fabric between the base and the native soil, a different material from the weed barrier sometimes used under the turf itself, keeps the two layers from mixing over time as water moves through both.

What does the geotextile fabric actually do, if it's not a weed barrier?

A geotextile fabric laid between the compacted base and the native soil below it is a separation layer, not a weed control layer. Its job is keeping the two materials from working into each other over years of foot traffic and rain cycles, sand from below migrating up into the rock or rock working down into the sand, either of which reduces how well the assembly drains over time. It's a different product placed at a different point in the build than the optional weed barrier some installers put directly under the turf face, and the two get confused often enough that it's worth naming both separately on a quote. Asking a bidder which layer their fabric sits at, and why, is a quick way to tell whether a quote was written by someone who builds to the state's percolation standard or one that's just filling in a line item.

Does a weed barrier belong under the base or the turf?

Neither one, if the yard has dogs. A weed barrier laid under pet turf traps urine against the base instead of letting it pass through, which is one of the more common causes of lingering odor, a failure mode covered in detail here. On a standard residential lawn without heavy pet use, a weed barrier under the turf (above the base, not mixed into it) is optional and mainly a defense against runners from bordering St. Augustine or Bahia creeping in at the edges.

Say you have a 900 sq ft backyard in Buenaventura Lakes built on Immokalee fine sand, with a water table that sits about two feet down by September. The build removes the sod and 3 to 4 inches of soil, grades the exposed native sand 1 to 2 percent away from the house, lays 3 inches of washed crushed rock compacted firm, and seams turf on top with the perimeter nailed and glued. Because Immokalee holds water longer than the sandy ridge soils to the west, the grading step matters more here than the base depth does.

Questions people ask

Can you skip the base and lay turf on bare sand?

No. Bare sand shifts and ruts under foot traffic and doesn't hold a level surface for seaming. A compacted base layer is what keeps the finished lawn flat and stops low spots from forming within the first year. A putting green follows the same washed-rock principle, usually with a slightly thicker, more precisely graded base to hold its contours and true roll.

How do you find out which soil series is under your lot?

USDA Web Soil Survey shows the mapped series for any address for free. We also check it as part of a site visit before quoting a job.

Does a French drain ever replace proper grading?

No, it supplements it. A French drain moves water that's already collected at a low point; it doesn't fix a base or subgrade that was never sloped correctly in the first place.

Is crushed shell ever used as a base material in Florida?

It's less common than crushed rock or crushed concrete for turf bases here, though the state rule's own material list for infill, not subgrade, does name shell as an allowed natural material. For the base itself, washed crushed rock and crushed concrete remain the two the rule specifically names.

Does a sloped lot need a different base approach than a flat one?

The base material and washing requirement stay the same; what changes is how the grading and, on a steeper slope, any retaining or terracing work is planned before the base ever goes down, since correcting a slope after the base is compacted is far more disruptive than planning it up front. A base that's settled unevenly or washed out at an edge years later can often be lifted, corrected and relaid with the same turf, rather than requiring a full replacement.