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

Section 17.08.020(D) governs a home garden on an R-1 lot in the City of Paramount. Section 17.04.010 defines a home garden as the property of a residence used for the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, or herbs by the residents, guests of the property owner, or a gardening business hired by the owner. The code treats the front yard differently from the rest of the lot. With the exception of fruit trees, edible landscaping in the front yard is restricted to raised garden beds limited to a maximum area of 50 square feet, and that requires an administrative permit.

A resident obtains the permit from the Planning Department after a determination that the rear and side yards provide insufficient garden space. Growing and maintaining fruit trees does not need it. If the Planning Director or designee denies the application, the Planning Department must notify the applicant in writing of the reasons, and the applicant can appeal in writing to the Planning Commission under Sections 17.44.050 and 17.48.050. The Planning Commission can revoke the permit if the resident fails at any time to comply with the criteria.

Bed standards are specific. A raised bed cannot exceed three feet measured from natural ground to the top of the frame, and in a front yard or corner side yard it cannot be closer than five feet to a front or corner side property line. Permitted materials are wood, brick, masonry, landscape timbers, metal, ceramic, or synthetic lumber, and wood beds must be structurally sound and free of rot. Wire, chicken wire, rope, cable, utility poles, tires and plumbing fixtures are barred. Front yard plants cannot exceed three feet measured from the highest point of the bed frame. Ripe plants must be promptly harvested and removed, and fallow areas must be covered with mulch or similar material. Retail sales of edible landscaping on the premises are prohibited.