Landscaping Rules in West Covina, CA (2026)

California Public Resources Code Section 4291(a)(1)(A) (Tree pruning and fuel modification within defensible space), Division 4, Part 2, Chapter 3

4291. (a) ... (1)(A) ... This subparagraph does not apply to single specimens of trees or other vegetation that are well-pruned and maintained so as to effectively manage fuels and not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from other nearby vegetation to a structure or from a structure to other nearby vegetation or to interrupt the advance of embers toward a structure. The intensity of fuel...

West Covina, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 26-259(a) (Permit required); Sec. 26-258 (Definitions - Significant tree); Sec. 26-260 (Exceptions); Sec. 26-264 (Penalties)

No person, firm or corporation shall remove, relocate, or destroy any significant tree on private or public property within City limits (including an applicant for a building permit) without first obtaining a tree permit from the Community Development Director or their designee. Any significant tree located in or on public property requires a tree permit approval from the Public Services Depart...

California Food and Agricultural Code Section 5004 (Noxious Weed definition), Division 4, Part 1, Chapter 1, Article 1

5004. "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 purpose...

California Department of Water Resources, Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), implementing California Code of Regulations Title 23, Division 2, Chapter 2.7 (Final regulations effective January 2, 2025)

The Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) establishes standards for new and retrofitted landscapes and encourages the use of efficient irrigation systems, graywater usage, onsite storm water capture, and other water efficiency measures. 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 th...

California AB-1750 (Solorio, Chapter 537, Statutes of 2012), the Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (Water Code Section 10570 et seq.)

An act to amend Section 7027.5 of the Business and Professions Code, and to add Part 2.4 (commencing with Section 10570) to Division 6 of the Water Code, relating to water. ... 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. ... This bill would additionally auth...

West Covina, CA, Development Code Sec. 26-85(e) (General Landscaping Standards - Plant Type); Sec. 26-84(b) (Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance Adoption), Article III, Division 5

(e)Plant type. Landscape planting shall emphasize climate appropriate, drought-tolerant, native, and non-invasive species shall complement the architectural design of the structures on site, and shall be suitable for the soil and climatic condition specific to the site. Plant species known to be invasive and listed on the California Invasive Plant Inventory published by the California Invasive ...

California Civil Code Section 4735, Division 4, Part 5, Chapter 5, Article 1

(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...