Chino, CA Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited list
- species listed by the California Invasive Plant Council
- Triggers review
- 500 sq ft new / 2,500 sq ft rehabilitated landscape
- Verification
- plant legend must confirm no listed invasive species
- Plan preparer
- landscape architect registered with California
- Reviewing official
- director of community development
- Adopted
- Ord. 2015-008 § 1, 2015; amended Ord. 2016-005 §§ 12-13, 2016
Summary
New and rehabilitated landscaping in Chino may not include invasive plant species listed by the California Invasive Plant Council. The ban sits inside Chapter 20.19's water-efficient landscape ordinance, and a licensed landscape architect must verify compliance in the documentation package reviewed by the director of community development before installation.
h.High water use plants, characterized by a plant factor of 0.7 to 1.0, are prohibited in street medians.i.A landscape design plan for projects in fire-prone areas shall address fire safety and prevention. A defensible space or zone around a building or structure is required per public resources code section 4291(a) and (b). Avoid fire-prone plant materials and highly flammable mulches.j.Invasive species of plants, such as those listed by the California Invasive Plant Council, shall be prohibited.k.The architectural guidelines of a common interest development, which include community apartment projects, condominiums, planned developments, and stock cooperatives, shall not prohibit or include conditions that have the effect of prohibiting the use of low-water use plants as a group.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
040(B)(2)(j) prohibits invasive species of plants, such as those listed by the California Invasive Plant Council, as part of the city's plant-material selection standards for landscaped projects. 0) in street medians, a defensible-space requirement for fire-prone areas tied to Public Resources Code Section 4291(a) and (b) that directs designers to avoid fire-prone plant materials and highly flammable mulches, and a protection barring common-interest-development architectural guidelines from prohibiting low-water-use plants as a group. 070. 030(D)(4) requires the landscape design plan's plant legend to identify all exotic species and states that verification shall be provided that none of the species listed by the California Invasive Plant Council as invasive in the area are included in the planting plan.
That documentation package must be prepared by, and bear the seal of, a landscape architect registered with the State of California, and is submitted to the director of community development for review and approval before installation begins. The chapter was adopted by Ord. 2015-008, Section 1, 2015, implementing the state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance locally, and amended by Ord. 2016-005, Sections 12 and 13, 2016.
Violations & Fines
A landscape documentation package that includes prohibited invasive species does not receive director of community development approval, which blocks issuance of the landscape or building permit needed to install the project. Because compliance is a permit condition rather than a standalone citation scheme, the general penalty of Section 1.12.010 applies to installation done without the required approval: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in custody, prosecutable as a lesser infraction, with the condition also treated as an abatable public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an invasive plant under Chino's rule?
Does this apply to my existing front yard or only new construction?
Who checks that my planting plan avoids invasive species?
What happens if my landscape plan gets rejected for including a banned species?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino to another location·View the California invasive plant rules overview
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Prohibited Species in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle prohibited species.