Anaheim, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Single-family residential front yards in Anaheim are governed by Municipal Code Sec. 050, which was adopted to keep front yards attractive while giving homeowners flexibility on plant choice, including drought-tolerant landscaping. The section requires that landscaping be provided within the required front setback area, carving out only permitted driveway locations and walkways leading to front doors, side, or rear yards; those hardscape features together cannot occupy more than 50% of the required front setback area. Where landscaping is installed, it must consist of live plant materials such as trees, grasses, plants, shrubs, flowers, or drought-tolerant plants, artificial turf under Sec.

055, or mowed lawn not exceeding four inches in height, and it may be paired with earth-tone decorative organic or inorganic materials like bark, mulch, decomposed granite, or rock. Live plant materials or artificial turf must serve as the primary ground cover, and where live plants are used, the code sets a numeric floor: a minimum of 60% live plant material coverage within the required landscape area at maturity. The remaining area must stay permeable and may be covered with the earth-tone decorative materials listed above rather than impermeable pavement.

06 (Grading, Excavations and Fills in Hillside Areas), specifically the slope planting categorization rules in Sec. 132. The section was last amended by Ord. 6620 Sec. 56 on January 13, 2026, reflecting the city's continued push toward water-efficient, drought-tolerant residential landscaping without abandoning the underlying green-coverage requirement.