Compton's Landscaping Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles landscaping rules a little differently. In Compton, California, there are 8 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Composting

Compton's waste code carves out a standing exception for composting: § 21-1.7(a) says nothing in Chapter 21 stops an owner or occupant from composting organic waste on their own property, freeing residents from the mandatory-collector rule that otherwise applies to every other type of solid waste in the city.

Key details: Backyard composting: Expressly allowed, no permit. Governing section: § 21-1.7(a). Community composting cap: 100 cu. yds. / 750 sq. ft.. Above the cap: Treated as processing facility. State cross-reference: 14 CCR § 17855(a)(4).

Composting itself is not a violation as long as it does not exceed the community-composting footprint of 100 cubic yards and 750 square feet set in § 21-3.1. A pile that grows past that threshold, or that is used to process green waste that should instead go to a permitted facility under § 21-1.7(f), can be treated as an unpermitted waste-processing operation and enforced under the general Chapter 21 misdemeanor provision at § 21-1.11(d).

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Compton gives residents more flexibility on composting.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Compton bans removing, pruning, injuring or destroying any street tree except in conformance with Municipal Code § 20-4, and unauthorized removal is a public nuisance and a $100 infraction. Residents must request removal through the Director of Public Works, who can deny the request, and the Director must post a 10-day removal notice that neighbors can protest.

Key details: Removal fine: $100 infraction. Protest notice period: 10 days before removal. Decision authority: Director of Public Works. Appeal path: City Manager, then City Council. Root damage threshold: 3 inches without authorization.

Removing or destroying a street tree without going through the Director of Public Works violates § 20-4.2: it is a public nuisance and an infraction carrying a $100 fine, with each tree treated as a separate violation. A resident who ignores the required protest-notice process in § 20-4.6 gains no exception; only the Director's own removal, or one that follows the posted 10-day notice, is lawful.

This is one of the stricter rules in Compton's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Water Restrictions

Compton limits landscape irrigation to specific calendar days and hours once the City Council declares a water shortage: even-numbered addresses water on even dates, odd addresses on odd dates, and no watering happens between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Municipal Code § 23-1.32(e)(2)(f), part of the mandatory conservation ordinance, sets the baseline Phase I schedule that later shortage phases build on.

Key details: Governing law: Compton Municipal Code § 23-1.32(e)(2)(f). Watering days: Even addresses water even dates, odd addresses odd dates. Watering hours: No watering 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Exempt users: Nurseries and golf courses exempt from day limit. 31st of month: No watering unless reclaimed water is used.

A first watering-day violation draws a written warning from the Water Department. A second violation during any shortage phase carries a $35 surcharge (Phase I-IV) or $50 (Phase V-VI) added to the water bill, and a third or later violation results in a flow-restricting device installed on the meter, with the customer billed for installation, removal and restored service before normal flow resumes.

Native Plants

Compton requires property owners along its Rosecrans Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard corridors to landscape with low-maintenance, drought-resistant plants and irrigation systems rather than conventional turf, under Municipal Code § 24-8.7. The same section favors native and drought-tolerant species, such as manzanita, lantana and sea fig, for the Renaissance Gardens, buffer areas and vacant lots that line the two corridors.

Key details: Governing law: Compton Municipal Code § 24-8.7. Applies to: Rosecrans Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard corridors only. Core rule: Low-maintenance, drought-resistant landscaping with irrigation. Sample species: Manzanita, lantana, sea fig, mondo grass, agave. Design review: Architectural Review Board oversees corridor landscaping.

A corridor property landscaped with turf or plants outside the required low-maintenance, drought-resistant palette can be required to bring the planting into compliance through the Architectural Review Board process tied to Section 24-8.6, and a lot left unlandscaped or overgrown can additionally be cited as a general nuisance under Section 24-2.2, triggering notice, a hearing and a potential lien for abatement costs under Chapter 24.

Compton is more permissive than most cities when it comes to native plants. That said, there are still limits.

Weed Ordinances

Compton requires all property owners to keep lots free of weeds and overgrown vegetation under nuisance provisions (Chapter 7). Code enforcement officers identify weed violations during systematic block-by-block inspections. Failure to abate is a misdemeanor.

Key details: Maintenance: Weeds must be removed. Enforcement: Systematic and complaint-based. Penalty: Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine. Abatement: City may abate and charge owner.

Non-compliance within the time limit is a misdemeanor, punishable by fine up to $1,000 or imprisonment up to six months. Abatement costs are recovered through a special assessment lien on the property.

Artificial Turf

California Civil Code Section 4735 voids any Compton homeowners association rule that bans or effectively blocks artificial turf. Governing documents, CC&Rs, and architectural or landscaping guidelines in Compton common interest developments cannot prohibit synthetic grass, though the association may still apply design standards that fully conform with the statute.

Key details: Governing statute: Cal. Civil Code § 4735. Last amended: 2015 (AB 786), eff. Oct. 11, 2015. Applies to: Compton HOAs/common interest developments. HOA turf ban: Void and unenforceable. Drought watering fines: Barred during declared emergencies.

A Compton HOA clause banning artificial turf has no legal force under Section 4735(a)(2); an owner can install synthetic grass over a board's objection and challenge a denial based solely on that ban. The board keeps authority to enforce conforming design standards under subsection (b), such as material, color, or drainage specifications, so long as those standards do not amount to a prohibition. Any fine or special assessment an association levies against an owner for reducing lawn watering during a declared drought emergency is void under subsection (c), unless the recycled-water exception in subsection (d) applies.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Compton gives residents more flexibility on artificial turf.

Tree Trimming

Compton does not have a specific tree trimming ordinance or heritage tree program. Property owners may trim trees on their property. California law (Civil Code 3346) addresses damage to trees. Street trees along public rights-of-way are managed by city public works.

Key details: Private Trees: Owner may trim freely. Heritage Trees: No local ordinance. Street Trees: Managed by city public works. Neighbor Trees: May trim branches over property line.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Compton gives residents more flexibility on tree trimming.

Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Compton and throughout California. Rain barrels and cisterns do not require permits. LADWP offers rebates for rain barrels. Captured rainwater can be used for irrigation and non-potable uses.

Key details: Legal Status: Legal, no permit required. Rebates: LADWP offers rain barrel rebates. Uses: Irrigation, non-potable purposes. Capacity: No limit on residential collection.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Compton gives residents more room on landscaping rules. 4 of the 8 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Compton's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.