Placer County, CA Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 15.75.020(2)(d)(ii)(7)
- Rule
- invasive/noxious plants shall not be used
- Reference lists
- Cal-IPC list; county Landscape Design Guidelines
- Definition
- § 15.75.160, cross-refs Cal-IPC/USDA databases
- Applies to
- landscapes ≥500 sq ft new, ≥2,500 sq ft rehab
- Tahoe Basin
- exempt; TRPA governs instead
Summary
Landscape design plans for covered Placer County projects may not use invasive or noxious plant species. Section 15.75.020(2)(d)(ii)(7) bans species listed by the California Invasive Plant Council or the county's Landscape Design Guidelines, checked at plan review before permits, plan checks, or design reviews are approved.
(7) The use of invasive and/or noxious plant species, such as those listed by the California Invasive Plant Council and the Landscape Design Guidelines, shall not be used. (8) The architectural guidelines or covenants, conditions and restricts (CC&Rs) of a common interest development, which include apartment projects, condominiums, and planned developments, shall not prohibit or include conditions that have the effect of prohibiting the use of low-water use plants as a group.
Full Breakdown
010(1)). Under subsection 2(d), Landscape Design Plan, part ii, Plant Materials, item (7) states flatly that the use of invasive and/or noxious plant species 'shall not be used,' citing the California Invasive Plant Council's list and the county's own Landscape Design Guidelines as the reference lists. 160 defines 'invasive plant species' as species not historically found in California that spread outside cultivated areas and can damage environmental or economic resources, noting such species may separately be regulated by county agricultural agencies as noxious species, with lists maintained at the California Invasive Plant Inventory and the USDA invasive and noxious weeds database.
020 and is not approvable as submitted. 0) from street medians and requires fire-prone plant materials to be avoided in fire hazard areas per Public Resources Code § 4291. 010(2)(e); Tahoe Basin landscaping instead answers to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's separate plant lists.
Violations & Fines
Because the invasive-species ban is a submittal requirement, the practical consequence is at the front end: a landscape design plan proposing a listed invasive or noxious species does not satisfy § 15.75.020 and will not clear plan check, design review, or the Certificate of Completion/final inspection process under § 15.75.150. General code enforcement for the water efficient landscaping article, including a plant substitution discovered after installation, runs through Placer County Code Chapter 17, Article 17.62, Code Compliance and Enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant an invasive species in my new landscape in unincorporated Placer County?
Which projects have to follow the invasive plant ban?
Does the invasive plant ban apply in the Tahoe Basin?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Placer County
California rules heatmap·Compare Placer County to another location·View the California invasive plant rules overview
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