Landscaping Rules in Compton, CA (2026)
8 verified landscaping rules for Compton, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
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.
Compton Tree Trimming Rules
Few RestrictionsCal. Public Resources Code § 4291 (Defensible Space - Tree Maintenance)
Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line, except as provided in subparagraph (B). The amount of fuel modification necessary shall consider the flammability of the structure as affected by building material, building standards, location, and type of vegetation. Fuels shall be maintained and spaced in a con...
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.
Compton Street Tree Removal Permit Requirements
Significant RestrictionsCompton, CA, Municipal Code § 20-4.2
It shall be unlawful, a public nuisance, and an infraction punishable by a $100 fine for any person to plant, remove, prune, injure or destroy any street trees, as hereinafter defined, except in conformance with the provisions of this section.
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.
Compton Weed Abatement Ordinance
Some RestrictionsCal. Food & Agricultural Code § 5004 (Noxious Weeds)
“Noxious weed” means any species of plant that is, or is liable to be, troublesome, aggressive, intrusive, detrimental, or destructive to agriculture, silviculture, or important native species, and difficult to control or eradicate, which the director, by regulation, designates to be a noxious weed. In determining whether or not a species shall be designated a noxious weed for the purposes of p...
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.
Compton Odd-Even Watering Day Rules
Some RestrictionsCompton, CA, Municipal Code § 23-1.32(e)(2)(f)
No lawn, landscape, or other turf area shall be watered more often than every other day. Specifically, all customers with an even address number shall water on even calendar dates of the month, and all customers with an odd address number shall water on odd calendar dates of the month. On the 31st of the month, there shall be no watering, unless reclaimed water is used. No watering shall be don...
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.
Compton Rainwater Harvesting Rules
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Rainwater Capture Act
Rainwater Capture Act of 2012. (1) Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board (state board) and the California regional water quality control boards prescribe waste discharge requirements for the discharge of stormwater in accordance with the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit program and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. Under existing l...
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.
Compton Corridor Drought-Tolerant Landscaping Rule
Light RestrictionsCompton, CA, Municipal Code § 24-8.7
Owners of property along the designated corridors shall use low-maintenance, drought-resistant landscaping with an irrigation system to improve the appearance of the designated corridors including the maintenance of the Renaissance Gardens and the landscaping of walls and fences, vacant lots, and buffer areas. ... The use of drought tolerant plant species is desirable, especially in large areas...
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.
Compton Artificial Turf and HOA Rules
Few RestrictionsCalifornia Civil Code Section 4735
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a provision of the governing documents or architectural or landscaping guidelines or policies shall be void and unenforceable if it does any of the following: (1) Prohibits, or includes conditions that have the effect of prohibiting, the use of low water-using plants as a group or as a replacement of existing turf. (2) Prohibits, or includes conditions that ha...
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.
Compton Backyard Composting Allowance
Few RestrictionsCompton, CA, Municipal Code § 21-1.7(a) (Exemptions: Composting Organic Waste); § 21-3.1 (Community Composting definition)
Composting Organic Waste. Nothing in this chapter shall prevent owners or occupants from composting organic waste. ... 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 time does not exceed 100 cubic yards and 750 squar...
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