Shasta County, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

There is no Shasta County ordinance requiring property owners to install native plants. California takes a water-budget approach rather than a plant-list mandate. The Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO; California Code of Regulations Title 23, Sections 490 et seq.) applies to qualifying projects, generally 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. MWELO limits the Maximum Applied Water Allowance using an Evapotranspiration Adjustment Factor of 0.55 for residential and 0.45 for non-residential regular landscape areas. Because lawns and other high-water plants consume the water budget quickly, the rules effectively reward native, Mediterranean and other low-water, climate-appropriate species, along with efficient irrigation and mulch, but owners may still plant lawns and ornamentals so long as the overall water budget is not exceeded. Smaller residential plantings that fall below MWELO thresholds are not required to use native plants at all. Shasta County's defensible space rules add a fire-safety overlay: near structures, fire-resistant, well-maintained plantings are favored, and highly flammable vegetation may need to be removed regardless of whether it is native.