Landscaping Rules in El Dorado County, CA (2026)
5 rules for unincorporated El Dorado County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Under El Dorado County Code Chapter 8.09 (Vegetation Management and Defensible Space) and California Public Resources Code 4291, owners must maintain a 100-foot defensible space, remove tree branches within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet, and keep trees and shrubs overhanging buildings free of dead or dying wood.
Defensible Space Tree Limbing (Ch. 8.09)
Some RestrictionsEl Dorado County Code Ch. 8.09.070(F)(1)(a),(e),(f),(g) (Ord. 5101/5186)
A person or entity who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in, upon, or adjoining a mountainous area, forest-covered lands, brush-covered lands, grass-covered lands, or land that is covered with flammable material, shall at all times do all of the following: a. Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, b...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
El Dorado County Chapter 130.39 (Oak Resources Conservation Ordinance, Ord. 5061) regulates removal of native oak trees below 4,000 ft elevation, requires permits and mitigation fees, and imposes substantial fines for unpermitted removal of Heritage Trees (36+ inches diameter at breast height).
Oak Resources Conservation Ord. (Ch. 130.39)
Some RestrictionsEl Dorado County Code Ch. 130.39 (Ord. 5061); Oak Resources Management Plan
Heritage Trees are any live native oak tree of the genus Quercus (including blue oak, valley oak, California black oak, interior live oak, canyon live oak, Oregon oak, oracle oak, or hybrids thereof) with a single main trunk measuring 36 inches dbh (diameter at breast height). The Oak Conservation Ordinance applies to all development activities that remove oak trees below 4,000 foot elevation. ...
Weed Ordinances
All weeds, grasses, hazardous vegetation, and combustible materials on improved and designated unimproved parcels in unincorporated El Dorado County are declared a public nuisance under Chapter 8.09 and must be abated by June 1 each year.
Vegetation Management & Defensible Space (Ch. 8.09)
Some RestrictionsEl Dorado County Code §§ 8.09.060, 8.09.070(A)-(B)
A person shall not dump, nor permit the dumping of weeds, grasses, hazardous vegetation, refuse, or other combustible material, nor shall a person permit the accumulation of weeds, grasses, hazardous vegetation, refuse, or other combustible material on that person's property or on any other property so as to constitute a fire hazard. It shall be the duty of every owner, occupant, and person in ...
Water Restrictions
El Dorado County applies California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) to new and rehabilitated landscape projects requiring permits; day-to-day outdoor watering schedules are set by the local water purveyor (El Dorado Irrigation District for most unincorporated areas).
MWELO + EID Water Restrictions
Some RestrictionsCal. Code Regs. tit. 23, §§ 490-495 (MWELO); Cal. Gov. Code § 65595
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. 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 efficie...
Native Plants
El Dorado County's landscaping ordinance only reaches industrial, commercial, multi-unit residential, civic, and utility projects, and even there it exempts areas kept as existing native vegetation from the landscape-plan requirement, under Section 130.33.020. Single-family homes fall outside the ordinance entirely.
El Dorado County Native Vegetation Landscaping Exemption
Few RestrictionsEl Dorado County Zoning Ordinance (Title 130), Section 130.33.020
All ministerial and discretionary development for industrial, research and development, commercial, multi-unit residential, civic, or utility uses shall provide landscaping for the areas of a lot that do not include footprints of buildings or structures, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, decks, patios, gravel or stone walks, other pervious or impervious hardscapes, and other non-irrigated are...
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