Landscaping Rules in Glendale, CA (2026)
8 verified landscaping rules for Glendale, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Beyond Glendale's 100-foot brush-clearance rule, California Public Resources Code Sec. 4291 makes owners in the city's state responsibility area foothill parcels keep trees off their chimneys and roofs. Any tree limb within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet must come down, trees and shrubs touching a building must be free of dead wood, and roofs must stay clear of leaves and needles.
Glendale Tree Clearance Near Structures Rule
Some RestrictionsCal. Public Resources Code Sec. 4291(a)(2)-(4)
(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: ... (2) Remove that portion of a tree that extends within 10 feet of the outlet of a chimney or stovepipe. (3) Maintain a tree, shrub, or other plant adjacent to or overhanging a building free of dead or dying wood. (4) Maintain the...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Glendale requires a director-issued permit before anyone cuts, removes, encroaches upon, or relocates a protected indigenous tree, meaning a California live oak, scrub oak, San Gabriel oak, valley oak, mesa oak, California bay, or California sycamore with a trunk six inches or more in diameter. Removing one without a permit is a misdemeanor.
Glendale Protected Tree Removal Permit
Significant RestrictionsGlendale, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 12.44.040 (Permit Required)
Except as provided in Sections 12.44.030 and 12.44.060, a permit shall be required of any person who proposes to cut, remove, encroach upon, or relocate a protected indigenous tree.
Weed Ordinances
Glendale's Code Compliance program requires properties to be maintained free of excessive weeds and overgrown vegetation. Violations are addressed through the Community Development Department. Particularly strict enforcement in fire hazard zones.
Glendale Weed Abatement Ordinance
Some RestrictionsCal. Food & Agricultural Code Sec. 5004 (Definition of "Noxious Weed")
“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
Glendale's mandatory water conservation plan bans all outdoor irrigation between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. year-round, and under Phase III adds a two-day-a-week cap: Tuesdays and Saturdays only, for no more than 10 minutes per watering station, with exceptions for drip systems, new plantings and fire-prevention watering.
Glendale Irrigation Day and Time Limits
Significant RestrictionsGlendale, CA, Municipal Code § 13.36.070(C) (Water Conservation - Phases - Phase III)
Landscape Irrigation Days and Durations. The use of potable water to irrigate any landscaped or vegetated areas shall only be permitted on Tuesdays and Saturdays, for no more than 10 minutes per watering station per permitted irrigation day. ... The restriction on landscape irrigation days and durations shall not apply to: (a) an area designated by the fire chief or city engineer as an area tha...
Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in California. No permit required for rain barrels. Glendale Water & Power may offer rebates for rainwater capture systems consistent with state water conservation goals.
Glendale Rainwater Harvesting Rules
Light RestrictionsCal. AB 1750 (2012) — Rainwater Capture Act (Cal. Water Code Part 2.4, Sec. 10570 et seq.)
This bill would enact the Rainwater Capture Act of 2012, which would provide that use of rainwater collected from rooftops does not require a water right permit from the state board. (2) Existing law, the Contractors’ State License Law, creates the Contractors’ State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs and provides for the licensing and regulation of contractors.
Native Plants
Glendale's Chapter 30.31 landscaping rules layer local standards on top of the state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance: over half of every street setback must be live plant material, at least 40% of single-family lots must stay permanently landscaped, and drought-tolerant plants get credited at mature growth size.
Glendale California-Friendly Landscaping Standards
Some RestrictionsGlendale, CA, Municipal Code § 30.31.010 (Landscaping - Regulations for the ROS, R1 and R1R Zones)
Projects subject to the State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance in the California Code of Regulations, Title 23. Waters, Division 2. Department of Water Resources, Chapter 2.7. Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, Section 490 et seq., as may be amended, shall comply with those regulations in addition to all of the regulations in this chapter. In the case of a conflict between the ...
Artificial Turf
Glendale allows synthetic turf in ROS, R1R and R1 front and back yards under Municipal Code § 30.31.010(B), but only if it clears nine design standards: natural-looking color blends, 1.5-inch blade length, non-rubber infill, on-site drainage, and three-foot live-plant borders along street frontages. It's barred under tree canopies and on slopes of 25 percent or steeper, and violations are a citable infraction.
Glendale Artificial Turf Yard Standards
Some RestrictionsGlendale, CA, Municipal Code § 30.31.010(B)
B. Artificial turf may be used in the single family zones (ROS, R1R, and R1) as follows: 1. Artificial turf shall be calculated toward the total lot area requirement for landscaping, but shall not be calculated toward the live plant material requirement. 2. Artificial turf shall not be permitted beneath the drip line of tree canopies. For purposes of this section, "drip line" is defined as the ...
Composting
Glendale lets residents compost organic waste in their own backyards or at city-designated regional gardens under Municipal Code Section 8.44.140, provided the pile meets city and Los Angeles County health department standards. Meat, dairy, animal waste and diseased or infested plant material are banned from the bin to control odor and rodents.
Glendale Backyard Composting Standards
Light RestrictionsGlendale Municipal Code § 8.44.140
Residents shall be allowed to compost organic waste in their backyards, or at city-designated regional gardens where compostable organics are managed. Residents who participate in backyard composting must maintain their composting area in accordance with acceptable standards and regulations set forth by the city and the Los Angeles County health department. Materials allowed for composting in b...
Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Glendale city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Los Angeles County →