Butte County, CA Invasive Plant Rules: Front Yard Gardens (2026)
Key Facts
- Plant selection
- County-approved non-invasive list
- Paving cap
- 50% of front/side setbacks
- Street view rule
- Cannot fully obscure street view
- Applicability trigger
- 2,500-5,000 sq ft landscape area
- Dead plant replacement
- Within 90 days
- General penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine / 6 months
Summary
Front yards in Butte County's urban residential zones must be planted, not paved. Section 24-115(A)(1) requires plants selected from a county-approved list of "native and non-native, drought-tolerant and non-invasive species," while Section 24-115(B) caps front and side setback paving at 50 percent and bars front yard landscaping from completely blocking street views.
1.Plant Selection. Plants shall be selected from a County-approved list of native and non-native, drought-tolerant and non-invasive species. ... B.Residential Zones. The following standards shall apply within all urban residential zones:1.No more than fifty (50) percent of required front and side setbacks may be covered with paving or other impervious surfaces. ... 2.Front yard landscaping shall not completely obscure views of the street and adjoining neighbors.3.Unpaved areas shall be landscaped with any combination of living plants such as trees, shrubs and grass or related natural features such as rock, stone or bark chips.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
Section 24-115(A)(1), the general plant-selection standard applying "within all urban zones," requires that "plants shall be selected from a County-approved list of native and non-native, drought-tolerant and non-invasive species," directly excluding invasive plantings from qualifying landscape plans. " Decorative pervious hardscape is allowed within the unpaved areas. These standards apply only to development triggering the landscaping article under Section 24-111: new or rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more requiring a building permit, developer-installed single- and multi-family landscapes of the same size, and homeowner-provided landscapes of 5,000 square feet or more.
A landscape plan meeting these standards must be submitted and approved by the Department of Development Services under Section 24-114 before or alongside the building permit, and once installed, Section 24-118 requires dead or severely damaged plants to be replaced within 90 days and any removed mature landscaping replaced with landscaping of similar size and maturity.
Violations & Fines
A front yard exceeding the 50 percent paving cap, landscaped with plants outside the county-approved non-invasive list of Section 24-115(A)(1), or left with a dead plant unreplaced past the 90-day window of Section 24-118(B) is out of compliance. Enforcement runs through Section 24-5(F) and Section 1-7's general penalty: up to a $1,000 fine or six months' imprisonment, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant invasive species in my Butte County front yard?
How much of my front yard can I pave over?
Does this landscaping rule apply to every house in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Butte County
California rules heatmap·Compare Butte County to another location·View the California invasive plant rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.