San Francisco follows Cal-IPC guidance and the SF Urban Forest Plan. Prohibited species for city planting include pampas grass, English ivy, and Scotch broom. The city actively removes invasive species from parks and natural areas.
San Francisco references the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) inventory for invasive species management. Key invasive species in San Francisco include pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), English ivy (Hedera helix), Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), French broom (Genista monspessulana), cape ivy (Delairea odorata), and ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis). SF Recreation & Parks and the Presidio Trust actively manage invasive species on public lands. The SF Urban Forest Plan excludes invasive species from approved street tree and public planting lists. The city's Planning Code requires development landscaping to use species from approved lists that exclude known invasives. Residential properties are not prohibited from growing these species, but removal is encouraged. SF Environment provides native plant resources.
No criminal penalties for residential planting. Development landscaping with invasive species will be rejected in plan review.
San Francisco, CA
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See how San Francisco's prohibited species rules stack up against other locations.
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