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

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Rule type
Strongly discouraged, not banned
Reference list
California Invasive Plant Council species
Applies to
Covered new/rehab landscape projects
Review point
Landscape Documentation Package plan check

Summary

Tracy's landscape ordinance does not ban invasive plants outright, but section 11.28.390(a)(1)(G) "strongly discourages" using invasive plant species such as those listed by the California Invasive Plant Council on any covered new construction or rehabilitated landscape project, steering project applicants and their landscape designers toward native and climate-adapted alternatives instead.

(G)The use of invasive plant species, such as those listed by the California Invasive Plant Council, is strongly discouraged.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).

Full Breakdown

310(a). 390(a)(1)(G) tells the licensed landscape architect, landscape contractor or other designer preparing the plan to avoid species carried on the California Invasive Plant Council's list, but the phrase "strongly discouraged" stops short of a flat prohibition, so the City has no code section that bars a specific invasive species by name or fines a homeowner solely for planting one. 300(d)(5), backs up the same policy goal at the ordinance level: it lists "choosing local native plants, climate adapted non-natives and avoiding invasive plants" among the ways a watershed-based landscape protects and creates habitat.

340, City plan-check staff can flag an invasive species pick during design review and ask for a substitution before signing off, even though the ordinance text itself relies on guidance rather than a species-by-species ban.

Violations & Fines

There is no standalone penalty for planting an invasive species, because the rule is advisory language inside the landscape design plan criteria rather than a prohibition. What is enforceable is the underlying Landscape Documentation Package process: submitting a plan, getting it approved, and completing construction as approved. Skipping that process, or failing to follow the approved plan, can draw an administrative citation and Council-set fines under sections 1.28.040 and 11.28.350.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to plant an invasive species in Tracy?
Not by itself. Section 11.28.390(a)(1)(G) only "strongly discourages" using species on the California Invasive Plant Council's list in a landscape design plan; the code does not fine a resident for having one already growing or bar any single species by name.
Who decides whether a plant counts as invasive under Tracy's ordinance?
The ordinance points to the California Invasive Plant Council's published list as the reference. City plan-check staff reviewing a Landscape Documentation Package under section 11.28.340 can ask a project applicant to swap a listed species during design review before approving the plan.
Does this apply to my backyard if I'm not building anything?
No. The invasive-species language is part of the landscape design plan standard in section 11.28.390, which only attaches to new landscapes of 500 square feet or more and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more that need a permit, plan check or design review under section 11.28.310.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Tracy

Landscaping Rules: Water RestrictionsSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: RV & Boat ParkingSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Aircraft NoiseSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Abandoned VehiclesSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Driveway RulesSome RestrictionsFire Regulations: Wildfire ZonesSome Restrictions

All Tracy rules

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