Landscaping Rules in Petaluma, CA (2026)
6 verified landscaping rules for Petaluma, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Petaluma property owners must keep street trees, shrubs and hedges along their frontage trimmed to a minimum eight-foot vertical clearance over sidewalks and thirteen feet over the street, under Petaluma Municipal Code Section 13.10.010. An owner who lets landscaping block that clearance and cause an injury is liable for the resulting damage.
Petaluma Street Tree Clearance Requirements
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Municipal Code § 13.10.010
The owner of a lot fronting on or adjacent to any portion of a street shall maintain any trees, shrubs, hedges or other landscaping along said street or within the street right-of-way adjacent to his or her property in such nondangerous condition that the trees, shrubs, hedges or other landscaping will not interfere with the public convenience or safety in the use of the streets and sidewalks. ...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Removing, cutting down or destroying any protected tree in Petaluma requires a permit from the Community Development Department under Implementing Zoning Ordinance Section 17.060. The permit can be a signed authorization, an approved tree preservation plan, or approval within a grading or encroachment permit, and the City must deny it if a healthy tree's removal could be avoided by redesign or trimming.
Petaluma Tree Removal Permit Requirements
Significant RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 17.060
A. Permit required. No protected tree shall be removed, cut down, or otherwise destroyed, unless a permit is issued by the Community Development Department. For site development that allows for tree removal as part of a project’s conditions of approval, the written permit may be in the form of signed authorization by the Community Development Department, a tree preservation plan approved by the...
Weed Ordinances
Petaluma property owners must keep grass and weeds trimmed to six inches or less. Taller growth is declared a public nuisance under Section 1.10.075(D)(4), alongside overgrown vegetation that harms neighboring property values, creates a traffic hazard, or harbors rats and vermin.
Petaluma Six-Inch Weed Height Limit
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Municipal Code § 1.10.075(D)
D. Overgrown vegetation and weeds: 1. Causing detriment to neighboring properties or property values. 2. Causing a hazardous condition to pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic. 3. Likely to harbor rats, vermin and other nuisances. 4. Grasses and weeds over six inches in height.
Water Restrictions
Petaluma bans irrigating your landscape in a way that lets water run off onto pavement, and bars watering outdoor landscapes during and for forty-eight hours after any measurable rainfall. Section 15.17.070 makes every customer responsible for keeping sprinklers under control, and the city can issue a written warning, install a flow restrictor or levy a water waste fine within seventy-two hours if the problem is not fixed.
Petaluma Irrigation Runoff and Watering Rules
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Municipal Code § 15.17.070(A)(3)-(4), § 15.17.100(A)
3. Irrigation in a manner or to the extent that allows runoff of water or over-spray of the areas being irrigated. Every customer is deemed to have their irrigation system under control at all times, to know the manner and extent of their water use and any runoff and overspray, and to employ available alternatives to apply irrigation water in an efficient manner; 4. Application of potable water...
Rainwater Harvesting
Petaluma does not restrict rainwater harvesting, it builds it into the landscape rules. Section 15.17.070(D) exempts water drawn from a properly authorized rainwater catchment system from the city's water waste prohibitions, and Section 15.17.050 requires landscape design plans to identify any rain harvesting or catchment technology used on the project.
Petaluma Rainwater Catchment System Rules
Few RestrictionsPetaluma Municipal Code § 15.17.050(C)(4)(d)(15), § 15.17.070(D)
(15) Identify any applicable rain harvesting or catchment technologies. ... ... D. Exempt Water Uses. All water use associated with the operation and maintenance of fire suppression equipment or employed by the city for water quality flushing and sanitation purposes shall be exempt from the provisions of this section. Use of water supplied by a private well or from properly authorized recycled ...
Native Plants
Petaluma's code enforcement ordinance defines a "weed" as a useless, troublesome plant of no value, and it expressly excludes native vegetation from that definition. A yard planted with California natives and left in a natural, unmowed state is not automatically a code violation just because it is not manicured lawn.
Petaluma Native Landscaping Weed Exemption
Few RestrictionsPetaluma Municipal Code § 1.10.020
"Vegetation" shall mean plant life of any kind, whether living or dead, characterized as grass, weeds, bushes, shrubs, and trees. ... "Weed" shall mean a useless and troublesome plant generally accepted as having no value and frequently of uncontrolled growth, not including native vegetation.
Looking for Sonoma County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Petaluma city rules.
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