The city of Orange may drop its lawsuit against a husband and wife cited for not having enough plants in their frontyard, officials said.

The case against Quan and Angelina Ha could be dropped without fine or penalty, officials said Tuesday hours after the pair was arraigned on charges of violating city ordinances when they removed their lawn to try to save water.

Officials determined the yard met city standards after re-examining the property about noon Tuesday, said Paul Sitkoff, a spokesman for Orange. A city ordinance requires that 40% of a front lawn be landscaped with live plants.

"We had two officials go out there and look at the property, and they did make strides in complying with the ordinance," Sitkoff said.

City officials will meet with the couple later this week to make another assessment, he said.