Moreno Valley, CA Invasive Plant Rules: Front Yard Gardens (2026)

California law strongly favors drought-tolerant and edible landscaping over turf. Government Code 53087.7 allows residents to grow edible crops in their front or side yards and limits local governments from banning such use. Civil Code 4735 bars HOAs from enforcing any rule that prohibits or unreasonably restricts a homeowner's use of low-water-using plants or from requiring that any landscaping maintained by an owner be watered in a manner inconsistent with state drought directives. Moreno Valley is served by several water districts (Eastern Municipal Water District, Box Springs Mutual Water Co., etc.), and these agencies along with Metropolitan Water District offer generous turf-replacement rebates. The city's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) compliance applies to new landscape installations over specified square footage thresholds; installations require a landscape documentation package including hydrozones, irrigation plans, and soil management. Front-yard vegetable gardens are allowed as long as they are maintained (no rotting produce, no open compost piles that attract vermin). HOAs in Moreno Valley Ranch, Rancho Belago, and other communities must allow drought-tolerant and edible gardens, though they can enforce reasonable aesthetic standards like mulch finish and planting density. Fruit trees and raised beds are popular and permitted.