Landscaping Rules in Fresno, CA (2026)
8 verified landscaping rules for Fresno, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Street trees in the Fresno public right-of-way are jointly the responsibility of the property owner and the city Urban Forestry division. Property owners must maintain 14-foot clearance over streets and 8 feet over sidewalks under FMC §13-605. Removal or major pruning of street trees and protected trees requires a permit from Urban Forestry.
Tree Trimming Rules in Fresno
Significant RestrictionsCal. Pub. Resources Code § 4291
4291. (a) A person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in the state responsibility area shall at all times do all of the following: (1) (A) 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 sha...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Removing or trimming a city street tree in Fresno requires a Director-issued permit under FMC § 13-305(d), with work performed under a certified arborist and completed by a city-licensed contractor. The city posts door-hanger notice to homeowners within two hundred feet of a proposed removal, who then have fourteen days to protest, and trees on the city's Special Tree List cannot be removed under this permit at all.
Fresno Street Tree Removal Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 13-305
(d) Tree Removal or Maintenance by Property Owners. The Director may issue a permit to property owners to remove or maintain a street tree if all of the following apply:(1)Tree removal or maintenance will occur under the direction of a certified arborist and completed by a City licensed contractor. Tree removal or maintenance must adhere to standards issued by the International Society of Arbor...
Weed Ordinances
Fresno Municipal Code Section 10-605(d) declares six categories of weeds a public nuisance on any property, from downy seed-bearing weeds and tumbleweed to dry grass that has become a fire hazard, clearing the way for the city to order abatement or issue an administrative citation to the owner.
Fresno Nuisance Weeds and Dry Grass Ban
Some RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 10-605(d) (Public Nuisance — Weeds)
(d) The following weeds: (1) Weeds which bear seeds of a downy or wingy nature. (2) Sagebrush, chaparral, and any other brush or weeds which attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a menace to adjacent property. (3) Weeds which are otherwise noxious or dangerous. (4) Puncture vines and tumbleweed. (5) Poison oak and poison ivy when the conditions of growth are such as to constitute a m...
Water Restrictions
Fresno bans outdoor watering outside the city's official schedule. FMC § 6-520(a)(6) prohibits sprinkling or irrigating 'any yard, ground, premise, or vegetation except as set forth in the City's Outdoor Water Use Schedule,' with violations tracked monthly and billed as water-waste fines on the utility bill.
Fresno Outdoor Watering Schedule Restriction
Significant RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 6-520(a)(6)
(a)In the use of potable water supplied by the city, no customer shall do or permit any of the following:...(6)Sprinkle or irrigate any yard, ground, premise, or vegetation except as set forth in the City's Outdoor Water Use Schedule,
Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting from rooftops is legal in Fresno under California Water Code §10574 and AB 1750 (Rainwater Capture Act of 2012). No permit is required for simple rain barrels or cisterns used to irrigate landscaping. Storage tanks over 5,000 gallons or integrated with potable plumbing require Plumbing Code permits and backflow prevention.
Rainwater Harvesting Rules in Fresno
Some RestrictionsCal. Water Code §10574 (Rainwater Capture Act of 2012)
Use of rainwater collected from rooftops does not require a water right permit pursuant to Section 1201. (Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 537, Sec. 2. (AB 1750) Effective January 1, 2013.)
Native Plants
Fresno encourages native and drought-tolerant plantings under its Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO) adopted from state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. New landscaping over 500 square feet must meet water budget targets favoring native and low-water plants. HOAs cannot prohibit drought-tolerant landscaping under Civil Code §§4735 and 4739.
Native Plant Rules in Fresno
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), DWR
New development and retrofitted landscape water efficiency standards are governed by the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). The MWELO is also referenced by Title 24, Part 11, Chapters 4 and 5 CalGreen Building Code. All local agencies must adopt, implement, and enforce the MWELO or a local Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO) that is at least as effective as the MWELO. Usu...
Artificial Turf
Artificial turf is legal in Fresno front and back yards. California Civil Code §4735 prohibits HOAs from banning artificial turf, and AB 349 (2015) further protects the right to install. Installations over 500 square feet need WELO documentation. Permeable base and proper drainage are required to prevent stormwater issues.
Artificial Turf Rules in Fresno
Significant RestrictionsCal. Civil Code §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
Fresno's solid waste code normally requires every collection container to stay closed with no odor or vermin, but home composting gets a carve-out. Under FMC § 6-205(c)(6), a residential composting operation is exempt from that closed-lid, no-nuisance rule as long as only vegetation grown on your own property goes into the pile and the Director finds it aerated enough that neighbors never smell it.
Fresno Backyard Composting Container Exemption
Light RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 6-205(c)(6)
No material or containers shall be kept or handled in such a manner as to become a nuisance. No material shall be allowed to become odoriferous or a producer of vermin. Lids on containers shall remain closed at all times while stored or placed for collection. Residential composting operations shall be exempt from this subsection; provided, that only vegetation grown on the premises is being com...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fresno city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Fresno County →