Landscaping Rules in Alameda, CA (2026)
7 verified landscaping rules for Alameda, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Alameda Municipal Code Sec. 23-3.3 requires property owners to keep trees, plants and shrubs originating on their land from encroaching into the public right-of-way. Owners must maintain at least eight feet of vertical clearance over the abutting sidewalk and thirteen feet six inches over the adjacent street, measured from eighteen inches off the curb face.
Alameda Requires Clearance Over Sidewalks, Streets
Some RestrictionsAlameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 23-3.3 (Trees, Plants, Shrubs that Extend into or Over Sidewalks and Streets) (Ord. No. 2887 N.S. § 1; Ord. No. 535 N.S. § 4-233)
All persons owning real property in the City of Alameda are responsible for keeping trees, plants, and shrubs which originate on their property from encroaching into the public right-of-way, from impeding pedestrian or vehicle traffic, or from obscuring traffic control devices. Property owners are responsible for maintaining a minimum eight (8') foot vertical clearance over the width of the sid...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Alameda requires a Historical Advisory Board certificate of approval before removing specific named street trees, the Burbank and Portola palms, and any Coastal Live Oak 10 inches or more in diameter, under Section 13-21.7(c). Removal for a sick tree needs an arborist's report, and removed oaks must be replaced two-for-one.
Alameda Protected Tree Removal Permit
Significant RestrictionsAlameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 13-21.7(c)
No protected tree shall be removed without the approval of a certificate of approval from the Historical Advisory Board. Protected trees shall include: the palm trees in the public right of way on Burbank Street and Portola Avenue; any street tree on Thompson and Central Avenues; and any Coastal Live Oak (quercus agrifolia) with a ten (10″) inch or greater diameter measured four and one-half (4...
Weed Ordinances
Alameda's Property Maintenance Code caps weeds and other uncontrolled herbaceous growth at 8 inches on every improved lot's premises and exterior areas, and bans noxious weeds outright. The rule, IPMC Section 302.4 as locally amended in Section 13-11A.3(c), targets fire-menace growth citywide under the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code adopted by Ordinance No. 3389 N.S.
Alameda Weed Height Limit for Properties
Some RestrictionsAlameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 13-11A.3(c) (IPMC Sec. 302.4)
IPMC 302.4 Weeds. Premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds and other uncontrolled herbaceous growth in excess of eight (8) inches in height. Noxious weeds shall be prohibited. Weeds shall be defined as ornamental and uncultivated grasses and herbaceous vegetation that when mature bear wingy or downy seeds, or which because of having attained such a height or extensiven...
Water Restrictions
Alameda requires new and renovated landscapes above set size thresholds to follow the state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted into the code at Section 30-58.4. Projects with 500 square feet or more of new landscape, or 2,500 square feet of rehabilitated landscape, must file a Landscape Documentation Package with Community Development before building permits are finaled.
Alameda Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance
Some RestrictionsAlameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 30-58.4 (Bay-Friendly and Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance)
a.The provisions of the State of California MWELO (California Code of Regulations, Title 23, Division 2, Chapter 2.7), shall be implemented by the City of Alameda.b.For all covered projects that require the approval of a building permit, plan check or design review, the applicant/developer shall:1.Submit a Landscape Document Package compliant with the most recent version of the Landscape Docume...
Rainwater Harvesting
Alameda's landscape ordinance rewards on-site rainwater harvesting: a lot under 2,500 square feet of landscape that meets its entire estimated landscape water demand with stored rainwater or graywater is excused from the full MWELO documentation package and need only satisfy Appendix B condition (4) of the City's Landscape Document Package Checklist under Section 30-58.4(e).
Alameda Rainwater Landscape Compliance Credit
Light RestrictionsAlameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 30-58.4(e) (Bay-Friendly and Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance)
e.For projects using treated or untreated graywater or rainwater captured on site, any lot or parcel within the project that has less than two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet of landscape and meets the lot or parcel's landscape water requirement (estimated total water use) entirely with treated or untreated graywater or through stored rainwater captured on site is subject only to Appe...
Native Plants
Alameda's landscape ordinance bans installing any plant species the California Invasive Plant Council lists as invasive on any 'covered project,' the same 500-square-foot-or-larger new landscapes and 2,500-square-foot renovations governed by Section 30-58.4. A companion spacing rule requires plants near buildings, sidewalks or roads to be sized to their mature spread using a published reference.
Alameda Invasive Plant Landscaping Ban
Some RestrictionsAlameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 30-58.4(g)-(h) (Bay-Friendly and Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance)
g.Plants located adjacent to buildings, sidewalks, roads or other obstructions shall be installed to accommodate their minimum spread, according to a published third-party reference.h.Plant species considered invasive by the California Invasive Plant Council shall not be installed.
Composting
Alameda's mandatory organic-waste franchise does not reach material a resident composts on the same property where it is generated, whether through backyard composting or on-site anaerobic digestion. A community composting operation stays outside full state permitting only while it keeps under one hundred cubic yards and 750 square feet of feedstock and compost on site at once.
Alameda Backyard Composting Franchise Exemption
Few RestrictionsAlameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 21-1 (Definitions), Sec. 21-20.3(e) (Composting Exemption, Ord. No. 3310 N.S., 11-16-2021)
Community composting means any activity that composts green material, agricultural material, food material, and vegetative food material, alone or in combination, and the total amount of feedstock and compost on-site at any one (1) time does not exceed one hundred (100) cubic yards and 750 square feet, as specified in 14 CCR Section 17855(a)(4); or, as otherwise defined by 14 CCR Section 18982(...
Looking for Alameda County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Alameda city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Alameda County →