Yolo County, CA Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Sec. 108(a)(5) states flatly that the use of invasive plant species, as listed in the California Invasive Plant Inventory produced by the California Invasive Plant Council, or as determined by the Director of Planning, Public Works and Environmental Services, is prohibited. The chapter defines 'Invasive plant species' in Sec. 102 as species not historically found in California that spread outside cultivated areas and can damage environmental or economic resources, pointing landscapers to both the California Invasive Plant Inventory and the USDA invasive and noxious weeds database for the applicable lists.

The prohibition sits inside the broader plant-selection standards of Sec. 0) in street medians. The chapter reaches new developer-installed projects with 500 square feet or more of landscape area, rehabilitated projects of 2,500 square feet or more, existing landscapes of one acre or more with a dedicated water meter, and new or rehabilitated cemeteries, per Sec. 103; it exempts registered historical sites, ecological restoration projects without permanent irrigation, mined-land reclamation without permanent irrigation, public botanical gardens/arboretums/nature centers, community gardens, and homeowner-installed landscapes not tied to a discretionary permit.

Compliance runs through the Landscape Documentation Package and a Certificate of Completion reviewed by the Planning, Public Works and Environmental Services Department (Secs. 106) before final building or grading sign-off. The ordinance was adopted as Ord. , and amended by Section 15 of Ord. 1466, effective March 24, 2016.