Escondido, CA Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

The City of Escondido regulates invasive plant species through its Water Efficient Landscape Regulations, codified at Municipal Code Article 62. Section 33-1322 defines an 'invasive species' as any plant 'not historically found in California that spread outside cultivated areas and may damage environmental or economic resources.' The rule applies whenever a project triggers the landscape documentation package required under Section 33-1323: industrial, commercial, institutional or multifamily projects with 2,500 square feet or more of landscaped area, developer-installed residential common areas of the same size, and new single-family homes with 5,000 square feet or more of homeowner-provided landscaping.

Section 33-1326-2's planting plan requirements split into two duties. First, the plan must inventory all existing vegetation by common and botanical name and state what will be retained versus removed; 'existing invasive plant species shall be removed.' Second, for anything added to the landscaped area, 'no invasive plant species shall be added,' whether from container stock or seed. The same prohibition extends to transitional areas next to native habitat under Section 33-1326-2(b)(9), where 'no invasive species shall be introduced or tolerated,' and to graded-slope revegetation under Section 33-1339(g)(1), which states invasive, non-native plant materials 'are prohibited... and shall be removed.'

The duty is not one-time. Section 33-1334's mandatory maintenance schedule for any landscape approval requires ongoing 'eradication of invasive species' for the life of the project, alongside irrigation upkeep and dead-plant replacement. The director of community development, under Section 33-1338, administers and enforces the article and can withhold water-use authorization until the planting plan complies.