Pomona, CA Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned list
- California Invasive Plant Inventory
- Rated tiers banned
- Watch, limited, moderate, high
- Applies to
- All Code-required planting/landscaping
- Governing section
- Sec. 620.F.3.a.1
- Related rule
- No artificial plants as required planting
- Conflict rule
- More stringent of Sec. 620.F or Sec. 1300 controls
Summary
Pomona's Zoning and Development Code bans planting any species on the California Invasive Plant Inventory under Sec. 620.F.3.a.1, covering every rating tier from watch up to high. The rule applies to all plants and landscaping used to satisfy any planting requirement in the Code, from required street trees to screening hedges.
1. Invasive species must not be planted. Any plant listed by the California Invasive Plant Inventory as an invasive or watch plant (including the ratings of "limited", "moderate", "high" or "watch") is considered an invasive species.
Full Breakdown
Sec. F, Planting Standards, governs every plant installed to meet a Code requirement, not just landscaping around new construction. a, opens with the invasive-species ban: any plant carried on the California Invasive Plant Inventory with a rating of limited, moderate, high, or even the lower watch tier counts as an invasive species and cannot be planted to satisfy Code requirements. The same subsection adds two related planting rules that often come up alongside invasive-species review: plants can't interfere with visibility at intersections and driveways, and artificial plants or trees can't be substituted for required planting.
Planting installed under this section also has to meet the irrigation and coverage standards in Sec. b-c: plant material must survive on natural rainfall once established, or be irrigated to the state's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance standard, and required planting areas need at least 75 percent live plant coverage with no horizontal dimension under 3 feet. Because Sec. 4 states the more stringent standard controls if this section conflicts with the separate landscape standards in Sec. 1300, a project can't use a Sec. 1300 exception to plant a Cal-IPC-listed species where Sec. F would otherwise forbid it.
Violations & Fines
Planting an invasive species to satisfy a Code landscaping requirement is a zoning violation subject to the City Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-7: an infraction citation starting at $100 for a first offense and rising to $500 for repeat violations within a year, or misdemeanor prosecution carrying up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. The Development Services Director can also require the plant material to be removed and replaced with a compliant species as a condition of any related permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant pampas grass or another Cal-IPC-listed species in Pomona?
Does the invasive-species ban apply to my whole yard or just required landscaping?
Can I use artificial turf or fake plants instead to avoid the invasive-species issue?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pomona
California rules heatmap·Compare Pomona to another location·View the California invasive plant rules overview
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Prohibited Species in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle prohibited species.