Landscaping Rules in Chino, CA (2026)
8 verified landscaping rules for Chino, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
In Chino, no one may remove, trim, prune, or cut a tree standing on a public street or planting strip without written permission from the city service department, which then supervises the work.
Chino Street Tree Trimming Permit
Significant RestrictionsChino Municipal Code § 12.16.240
No person shall without written permission from the service department remove, trim, prune, or cut any tree upon the streets or planting strips. Upon such permission being granted to any person for the purpose of trimming, pruning, cutting, or removing any trees, such trimming, pruning, cutting, or removal shall be done under the general supervision of the service department. All stumps, includ...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Chino requires the Director of Community Development's written approval before removing a mature tree, oak trees over 8 inches, other trees over 10 inches, or multi-trunk trees with 38+ inches combined circumference, on qualifying development.
Chino Mature Tree Removal Permit
Significant RestrictionsChino Municipal Code § 20.19.040(F)(2)
Mature trees shall not be removed without prior written approval of the Director of Community Development or his designee. For the purposes of this section, mature trees shall include: oak trees with trunks more than eight inches in diameter at breast height; other trees with trunks more than ten inches in diameter at breast height; and multi-trunk trees with a total circumference of thirty-eig...
Weed Ordinances
Chino makes property owners responsible for clearing noxious weeds, vegetation, and dry grass from the sidewalks and parkways fronting their land, backed by a notice-and-lien abatement process.
Chino Weed and Dry Grass Removal Duty
Some RestrictionsChino Municipal Code § 8.20.010 (Ord. 2004-05 § 12, 2004: prior code § 12-18)
It shall be the duty of the owner, agent or person in control of any lot, piece or parcel of land in the city or private property to remove from the sidewalks and parkways in front thereof all noxious weeds, vegetation or dry grass and all dead trees, tin cans, rubbish, refuse, unusable or abandoned automobiles or parts thereof, cement, concrete or foundations from dismantled buildings or build...
Water Restrictions
Chino permanently bans automated irrigation from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and caps non-drip sprinkler runtime at fifteen minutes per station per day, citywide.
Chino Lawn Watering Time Limits
Some RestrictionsChino Municipal Code § 13.05.060
B.Outdoor irrigation of landscape for more than fifteen minutes of watering per day per station. This restriction does not apply to landscapes that utilize drip irrigation systems.C.Automated irrigation of landscape during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Customers are encouraged to avoid the use of sprinklers on windy days. Irrigation by hand held hoses with automatic shutoff nozzles, drip ...
Rainwater Harvesting
New and rehabilitated Chino landscape projects must build in stormwater practices that hold twenty-four hours of runoff on site, boosting infiltration and water quality under the city's landscaping chapter.
Chino Rainwater Retention Landscaping Rule
Some RestrictionsChino Municipal Code § 20.19.040(A)(1)
A.Stormwater management and rainwater retention.1.The applicant shall incorporate twenty-four-hour retention or infiltration capacity of stormwater management practices into the project design that minimize runoff, increase on-site rainwater retention and infiltration, and improve water quality as necessary to comply with applicable stormwater regulations.2.The applicant is encouraged to incorp...
Native Plants
For existing single-family front yards, Chino encourages, but does not mandate, landscaping built primarily around native or climate-appropriate plants that need less water in warm months.
Chino Native Plant Landscaping Rule
Light RestrictionsChino Municipal Code § 20.19.040(C)(2)(a)
It is encouraged that the planted material consist primarily of native plant or climate appropriate species and those that require less water during warmer months. The use of primarily non-native, high water demand, plant material or desertscape is discouraged. A mixture of this type of plant material to satisfy the requirements above is acceptable.
Artificial Turf
Chino allows artificial turf in landscaped yards, but caps it at 30% of required landscape coverage and demands lifelike blades, proper drainage, and city plan-check review.
Chino Artificial Turf Yard Rules
Some RestrictionsChino Municipal Code §§ 20.19.020(D), 20.19.040(B)(4)(g)
D.The use of artificial turf is permitted within the City of Chino. Any installation of artificial turf shall comply with section 20.19.040.B. ...g.Artificial turf may be used to satisfy up to thirty percent of the minimum landscape coverage required for a project.
Composting
Chino requires new and rehabilitated landscape projects over the MWELO threshold to work compost into the soil at a minimum rate of four cubic yards per 1,000 square feet before planting.
Chino Landscape Compost Incorporation Rule
Some RestrictionsChino Municipal Code § 8.18.150(C)(1)(a) (Ord. 2021-014, § 5(exh. A), 2021)
C.Property owners or their building or landscape designers that meet the threshold for MWELO compliance outlined in Section 8.18.150(A) above shall:1.Comply with Sections 492.6(a)(3)(B), (C), (D) and (G) of the MWELO […] a.For landscape installations, compost at a rate of a minimum of four cubic yards per one thousand square feet of permeable area shall be incorporated to a depth of six inches ...
Looking for San Bernardino County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Chino city rules.
Landscaping Rules in San Bernardino County →