Landscaping Rules in Lakewood, CA

If you live in Lakewood or are thinking about moving there, landscaping rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Lakewood has 7 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of landscaping rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Artificial Turf

California law voids any Lakewood homeowners association rule banning artificial turf. Civil Code Section 4735 strikes down HOA restrictions on synthetic grass and low water-using plants, and separately bars fining owners for cutting back watering during a declared drought emergency.

Key details: Governing statute: Cal. Civil Code § 4735. HOA turf bans: Void and unenforceable. Drought watering fines: Barred during declared emergency. Exception: Recycled water non-use, subd. (d). Applies to: Common interest developments (HOAs).

A governing document provision that violates Section 4735(a) is void and unenforceable by its own terms, meaning an HOA cannot lawfully enforce a fine, lien, or architectural denial based on a banned turf or low-water-plant restriction; an owner can raise the statute as a defense in any HOA enforcement action or pursue declaratory relief in civil court. An association that fines an owner in violation of subsection (c) during a declared drought emergency is likewise imposing an unenforceable penalty that the owner can challenge and recover.

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

Native Plants

Lakewood may encourage or require native and drought-tolerant landscaping. Some areas restrict traditional grass lawns in favor of water-efficient alternatives.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Lakewood gives residents more flexibility on native plants.

Tree Trimming

Lakewood makes it a public nuisance for a privately owned tree to block visibility of a sidewalk, street, or intersection, or to threaten safety while diseased or weakened, and the Director of Public Works can force the owner to trim it. Trees in the public right-of-way need a written city permit before anyone touches them.

Key details: Nuisance trigger: Tree blocks street/sidewalk visibility (§7148 B). Also a nuisance: Diseased or dangerous trees (§7148 C). Emergency power: Director can act without notice if urgent (§7148.2). Right-of-way trees: Written permit required to trim (§7142). Enforcement: Director of Public Works (§7145).

Ignoring a Director of Public Works abatement notice under Section 7148.2 lets the City enter the property, trim, prune, or remove the offending tree, and recover the abatement cost from the owner through the Chapter 3, Article IV nuisance procedure; if the tree endangers public health or safety, the Director can act immediately without prior notice. Trimming, pruning, or removing a roadside or public tree without a written permit is separately enforced by the Director of Public Works under Section 7145.

Rainwater Harvesting

Lakewood does not mandate rainwater harvesting, but its water-conservation landscaping ordinance affirmatively promotes it: § 8612 of the Municipal Code tells landscape applicants that stormwater best management practices, and specifically rain gardens and cisterns that capture rainwater, are encouraged as part of any landscape or grading design plan submitted for a project.

Key details: Rainwater capture status: Encouraged, not mandated (§ 8612). Named features: Rain gardens, cisterns. Sits within: Landscape Plan/permit process (§§ 8604-8608). Also required: Comply with city/Regional Water Board stormwater rules. Severity: Permissive: no penalty for omitting it.

Because rainwater capture itself is only encouraged, there is no fine for building a yard without a cistern or rain garden. The enforcement in this chapter attaches to the landscape permit process around it: installing new or rehabilitated landscaping without the required Landscape Plan Application and permit under §§ 8604 through 8606 is what triggers enforcement, and the Director of Community Development can withhold final approval or a Certificate of Completion under § 8615 until a project's landscape, grading and irrigation documentation is complete.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Lakewood gives residents more flexibility on rainwater harvesting.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Removing, trimming, or altering any roadside or public tree in Lakewood requires a written permit from the Director of Public Works, granted only if the tree sits on the adopted Tree Removal Plan, is dead or diseased beyond saving, or blocks required curb, gutter, or sidewalk work.

Key details: Permit authority: Director of Public Works. Removal grounds: On Tree Removal Plan, diseased, or blocks repairs. Appeal window: 10 days to City Council. CEQA review: Required unless exempt, ministerial, or emergency. Replacement condition: Director may require replanting from Master Tree List.

Cutting, trimming, spraying, or removing a roadside or City tree without a Director of Public Works permit, or fastening signs and wires to one, violates §§ 7145 through 7147 and is enforced by the Director of Public Works; the citywide misdemeanor penalty in § 1200 applies, with a fine up to the state maximum, up to six months in jail, or both, and each day treated separately.

Compared to other cities, Lakewood takes a harder line on tree removal & heritage trees. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Water Restrictions

Once Lakewood's City Council declares a water shortage phase, § 7511.1 caps landscape irrigation to as little as one watering day every two weeks, bans daytime watering windows, and backs the limits with a $100 to $500 escalating fee schedule plus mandatory flow restrictors for repeat violators.

Key details: Trigger: City Council resolution after public hearing on shortage. Phase II watering cap: 3x/week summer, 2x/week rest of year, 10 min each. Phase V watering cap: Hand-water/drip only, permanent trees and shrubs. Daytime ban: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (8 a.m.-8 p.m. in later phases). Large user requirement: Written conservation plan if using 25,000+ cu ft/period.

Watering outside the days, times, or duration allowed for the declared phase is an improper water use under § 7511.1(L): a written warning for a first offense, a $100 fee for the second and third, a $200 fee plus a mandatory flow restrictor for the fourth, and a $500 fee plus an extended flow restriction for the fifth. The City can deliver notice in person, to a responsible person on-site, or by posting the property, and a fourth-violation customer can demand a City Manager hearing within 15 days before a restrictor is installed.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Lakewood actively enforces its water restrictions requirements.

Weed Ordinances

Lakewood's municipal code makes dead, diseased, or overgrown vegetation in any yard area a public nuisance per se under § 4323(D), separate from the state noxious-weed statute previously cited for this page. Overgrown vegetation is judged by comparison to neighboring properties or by the danger it poses, and a companion clause reaches weed-infested driveways left without a maintained all-weather surface.

Key details: Governing section: Municipal Code § 4323(D), vegetation nuisance. Driveway clause: § 4323(G) covers weed-infested driveways. Standard used: Comparative and hazard test, not inch limit. Notice period: 30 days to abate before hearing. Penalty: Misdemeanor under § 1200 if unresolved.

A property owner who does not correct overgrown vegetation or a weed-infested driveway after notice faces a Planning and Environment Commission hearing under § 4324, and continued noncompliance is a misdemeanor under § 1200 of the Municipal Code. If the owner still fails to act, the Director of Public Works may cut the vegetation or repair the driveway and bill the cost to the owner, recording it as a lien on the property at 6% annual interest until paid.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Lakewood gives residents more room on landscaping rules. 3 of the 7 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.

All of the above reflects Lakewood's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.